Lotus-Ford

The Lotus-Ford era began when the Ford-funded Cosworth DFV engine arrived in 1967, fitted to the new Lotus 49. The DFV would go on to become the most successful engine in Formula 1 history, and Lotus was the team that introduced it to the world.

Lotus-Ford cars carried Graham Hill and Jochen Rindt to championship glory and pioneered both the use of the DFV as a stressed chassis member and the arrival of major commercial sponsorship in the famous Gold Leaf and John Player Special liveries. Rindt's 1970 title was tragically clinched posthumously after his death at Monza.

The partnership produced a series of innovative and successful cars and helped usher in the modern, sponsor-funded era of the sport.

Lotus-Ford bridged the old and new worlds of Formula 1, combining Chapman's engineering daring with the DFV engine and the commercial money that would reshape the sport. Its cars are icons of the late 1960s and early 1970s, and its innovations echo through every modern Grand Prix car.