Why unloved Lotus 76 may be Colin Chapman's most significant car
A wide variety of Lotus cars are often proffered as the ultimate F1 game-changer – but was the Lotus 76 an unusual candidate which trumps them all?
Dear Nigel,
This question has nothing whatsoever to do with racing, despite me following your writings for many years, most recently in Motor Sport, and being an ardent fan.
I seem to remember hearing that you are a big fan of Bob Dylan, is this true? If so, you have fantastic taste in music as well as sport!
Pete Robertson
Dear Pete,
Yes, I’m a Dylan fan, and always have been – in fact, right after I left school I went to the concert at the Free Trade Hall (I’m a Mancunian) that turned out to be ‘Judas’ night…
That was May 17 1966, and I note from my rough journal – I’ve never kept a diary, as such – that three days earlier I had been at Silverstone, watching Jack Brabham beat John Surtees in the Daily Express International Trophy. In one of the ‘supporting races’, for the wonderful Group 7 (pre-Can-Am) cars, Denny Hulme’s Lola T70 finished ahead of the McLarens of Chris Amon and Bruce himself. Heady days, as they say…
A wide variety of Lotus cars are often proffered as the ultimate F1 game-changer – but was the Lotus 76 an unusual candidate which trumps them all?
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