The Lotus 49 was designed by founder Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe for racing in the 1967 Formula One season. Powered by the Cosworth DFV engine that powered most of the grid, it was one of the first Formula 1 cars to use a stressed-member drivetrain to reduce weight. Since then, virtually all F1 cars have been built this way. The 49B chassis was introduced during the 1968 season and would continue to be used into the 1970 season, whilst the 49C variant was introduced when its intended replacement, the Lotus 63, was a failure. A serial winner during its four-season lifespan, the 49 won its debut race with Jim Clark at the wheel and would go on to win twelve races, gain nine further podiums and win two Drivers' and Constructors' Championships for Team Lotus, before it was replaced by the Lotus 72.
This model is a 1:8 scale recreation of the Lotus 49B as raced to victory by Graham Hill in the 1968 Monaco Grand Prix. Hill qualified on pole and survived an incident-packed race that saw only five cars reach the chequered flag, before he cemented his reputation as "Mr. Monaco" by taking his fourth win in the principality. Hill would go on to win his second World Championship whilst Lotus would win their third Constructors’ Title.
This model has been handcrafted and finished in our workshops with the co-operation and assistance of Lotus regarding original finishes, materials, archive imagery and drawings. The use of supremely accurate digital scanning of the original car has allowed us to perfectly recreate every detail at scale. Furthermore, it has undergone detailed scrutiny by both engineering and design teams at Classic Team Lotus to ensure complete accuracy of representation.
The Lotus 49B is limited to only 99 pieces.