Colin Chapman
Nationality	British
Formula One World Championship career
Active years	1956
Teams	Vanwall
Races	1 (0 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podium finishes	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First race	1956 French Grand Prix
Last race	1956 French Grand Prix

Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman (19 May 1928 - 16 December 1982)^[1] was an influential British designer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry. In 1952 he founded the sports car company Lotus Cars. He studied structural engineering at University College London where he joined the University Air Squadron and learned to fly. After graduating in 1948, he briefly joined the Royal Air Force. His knowledge of the latest aeronautical engineering techniques would prove vital towards achieving the major automotive technical advances he is remembered for. Under his direction, Team Lotus won seven Formula One World Championships, plus the Indianapolis 500 in the United States, between 1962 and 1978. The production side of Lotus Cars has built tens of thousands of relatively affordable, cutting edge sports cars. Lotus is one of but a handful of British performance car builders still in business after the industrial decline of the 1970s. Chapman suffered a heart attack in 1982 and died, aged 54. The FIA Super Licence is a qualification allowing the licence holder to take part in Formula One events as a driver. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Formula One - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The 1956 Formula One season was the 7th FIA Formula One World Championship season. ... Vanwall was a Formula One team in the 1950s. ... The Formula One World Drivers Championship (WDC) is awarded by the Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile (FIA) to the most successful Formula One race car driver over a season, as determined by a points system based on Grand Prix results. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... In motorsport the quickest lap during the whole race is called the Fatest Lap. ... Results from the 1956 Formula One French Grand Prix held at Reims on July 1, 1956 Classification Notes Fastest Lap: Juan Manuel Fangio 225. ... Results from the 1956 Formula One French Grand Prix held at Reims on July 1, 1956 Classification Notes Fastest Lap: Juan Manuel Fangio 225. ... is the 139th day of the year (140th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... 1963 Jaguar E-Type, a classic sports car 1963 Chevrolet Corvette was based upon European sports cars A sports car is an automobile designed for performance driving. ... Lotus Logo with monogram of its founder, Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at Hethel, Norfolk, England. ... Taipei 101, the worlds tallest building as of 2004. ... Affiliations University of London Russell Group LERU EUA ACU Golden Triangle G5 Website http://www. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... “RAF” redirects here. ... Aerospace engineering is the branch of engineering concerning aircraft, spacecraft and related topics. ... Team Lotus was one of Formula 1s most successful teams. ... Formula One - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Formula One World Championship is awarded by the FIA to the most successful driver (World Drivers Championship or WDC) and constructor (World Constructors Championship or WCC), as determined by a pointscoring system based on results over the season. ... “Indy 500” redirects here. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... 1963 Jaguar E-Type, a classic sports car 1963 Chevrolet Corvette was based upon European sports cars A sports car is an automobile designed for performance driving. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... Acute myocardial infarction (AMI or MI), more commonly known as a heart attack, is a disease state that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the heart is interrupted. ...

Career

In 1948 Chapman started with the Mk1, a modified Austin 7, which he entered privately into local racing events. He named the car "Lotus"; he never confirmed the reason but one (of several) theories is that it was after his then girlfriend (later wife) Hazel, who he nicknamed "Lotus blossom". With prize money won he developed the Lotus Mk2. With continuing success on through the Lotus 6, he began to sell kits of these cars. Over 100 of the Lotus 6 kits were sold through 1956. It was with the Lotus 7 in 1957 that things really took off, and indeed Caterham Cars still manufacture a version of that car today – the Caterham 7; there have been over 90 different Lotus 7 clones, replicas, and derivatives offered to the public by a variety of makers. Lotus Mk1 was poriduced in a single copy as a trials car based on the Austin 7. ... The Austin 7 was a vintage car produced from 1922 through to 1939 in the United Kingdom. ... Motor racing and Motorsports redirect here. ... Lotus Mk2 was a trials car. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A kit-car is an automobile that is available in kit form, i. ... The Lotus Seven was a small, simple, lightweight two-seater open-top sports car produced by Lotus Cars (initially called Lotus Engineering)[1] between 1957 and 1972. ... 2007 50th Anniversary 7 logo Caterham Cars is a manufacturer of specialist lightweight sports cars based in Caterham, Surrey, England and part of the British motor industry. ...

In the 1950s, Chapman progressed through the motor racing formulae, designing and building a series of racing cars, sometimes to the point of being in limited production they were so successful and highly sought after, until he arrived in Formula 1. Along with John Cooper, he revolutionised the premier motor sport. Their small, lightweight mid-engined vehicles gave away much in terms of power, but superior handling meant their competing cars often beat the all-conquering front engined Ferraris and Maseratis. Eventually, with legendary driver Jim Clark at the wheel of his race cars, Team Lotus came to appear as though they could win whenever they pleased. With Clark driving the legendary Lotus 25 Team Lotus won its first F1 World Championship in 1963. It was Clark, driving a Lotus 38 at the Indianapolis 500 in 1965, who drove the first ever mid-engined car to victory at the fabled "Brickyard." Certainly, Jim Clark would have won many more races were it not for his untimely death in 1968 while racing a Formula 2 car at Hockenheimring. (The accident was most likely caused by a rear tire failure, though the exact cause has never been known.) Clark and Chapman had become particularly close and Clark's death devastated Chapman, who publicly stated that he had lost his best friend. Formula One - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... John Cooper (July 17, 1923 - December 24, 2000) was a co-founder, with his father Charles Cooper, of the Cooper Car Company. ... Auto racing (also known as automobile racing or autosport) is a sport involving racing automobiles. ... Car handling and vehicle handling is a description of the way wheeled vehicles perform transverse to their direction of motion, particularly during cornering and swerving. ... For other uses, see Ferrari (disambiguation). ... A 1957 Maserati 200SI at the Scarsdale Concours Maserati Birdcage 1959 Maserati 5000 GT Coupe Maserati Sebring This article is about the automobile manufacturer. ... Jim Clark, OBE or Jimmy Clark (March 4, 1936 – April 7, 1968) was a Scottish Formula 1 race car driver, still regarded as one of the best drivers of all time and most naturally gifted. ... Team Lotus was one of Formula 1s most successful teams. ... The Lotus 25 was designed by Colin Chapman for the 1962 Formula 1 season. ... Formula One, abbreviated to F1 and also known as Grand Prix racing, is the highest class of single-seat open-wheel auto racing. ... A World Championship is any contest to determine the best in the world in a particular field. ... “Indy 500” redirects here. ... While Formula One has generally been regarded as the pinnacle of open-wheeled auto racing, the high performance nature of the cars and the expense involved in the series has always meant that there has needed to be a path to reach this peak. ... The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg is a automobile racing track situated near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. ...

Among a number of legendary automotive figures who have been Lotus employees over the years were Mike Costin and Keith Duckworth, founders of Cosworth. A Ford Cosworth DFV on a Ligier JS11 Cosworth is an engine design and manufacture company founded in 1958, specialising in engines for automobile racing. ... Cosworth Logo Cosworth is an automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958 specialising in engines for automobile racing. ...

Chapman, who came from relatively humble roots, was also a businessman who introduced major advertising sponsorship into auto racing; beginning the process which changed Formula One from rich gentlemen's pastime, to multi-million pound high technology enterprise. It was Chapman who in 1966 persuaded the Ford Motor Company to sponsor Cosworth's development of what would become the legendary DFV race engine. Shortly before his death he became involved in John De Lorean's De Lorean Motor Company troubled venture to manufacture sports cars in Northern Ireland. The full extent of his involvement has never been proved, but it is believed he would have been investigated for possible complicity in the manipulation of government loans during the development of the De Lorean car. Fred Bushell, Chapman's colleague and close confidante, pleaded guilty in 1992 to "Conspiring with the late Colin Chapman and others to defraud the De Lorean Motor Company" and was sentenced to four years in prison. De Lorean himself was tried on drug-trafficking charges and acquitted. A businessman (sometimes businesswoman, female; or businessperson, gender neutral) is a generic term for a wide range of people engaged in profit-oriented enterprises, generally the management of a company. ... “Advert” redirects here. ... Sponsorship can refer to several concepts: A sponsors support of an event, activity, person, or organization. ... Motor racing and Motorsports redirect here. ... Formula One - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... “GBP” redirects here. ... High tech refers to high technology, technology that is at the cutting-edge and the most advanced currently available. ... “Ford” redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Cosworth Logo Cosworth is an automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958 specialising in engines for automobile racing. ... John Zachary De Lorean (b. ... The De Lorean Motor Company (DMC) was a short-lived automobile manufacturer formed by automobile industry executive John De Lorean in 1975. ...

Picture of Colin Chapman, Long Beach F-1 [1]

Innovations

Many of Chapman's ideas can still be seen in Formula 1 and other top levels of motor sport (such as IndyCars) today. The Indy Racing League, better known as IRL, is the sanctioning body of a predominantly American based open-wheel racing series. ...

He pioneered the use of struts as a rear suspension device. Even today, struts used in the rear of a vehicle are known as Chapman struts, while virtually identical suspension struts for the front are known as MacPherson struts. A strut is a structural component designed to resist longitudinal compression. ... The front suspension components of a Ford Model T. Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. ... A Chapman strut is an automobile suspension device. ...

His next major innovation was to adopt the use of monocoque (one-shell) unibodies (i.e. it replaced both the body and frame, which until then had been separate components) for car chassis. This was the first major advance in which he introduced aeroplane technology to cars. The resultant body was both lighter, stronger (i.e. stiffer), and also provided better driver protection in the event of a crash. The first vehicle to feature this was the Citroën Traction Avant in 1934; Lotus was an early adopter of this technology with the Lotus Elite, in 1958. The modified monocoque body of the car was made out of fibreglass, making it also one of the first production cars made out of composites. Monocoque (French for single shell) is a construction technique that uses the external skin of an object to support some or most of the load on the structure. ... Monocoque (French for single shell) or unibody is a construction technique that uses the external skin of an object to support some or most of the load on the structure. ... Look up Chassis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Citroën Traction Avant 22CV. (Discuss) The rear of a Citroën Traction Avant The Citroën Traction Avant was an automobile produced by the French manufacturer Citroën. ... The Lotus Elite name was used for two vehicles from Lotus Cars. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... There is a disputed proposal to merge this article with glass-reinforced plastic. ... Composite materials (or composites for short) are engineering materials made from two or more components. ...

In 1962 he extended this innovation to racing cars, with the revolutionary Lotus 25 mid-engined Formula 1 car. This fairly quickly replaced what had been for many decades the standard design formula in racing-cars, the front engined, later mid-engined, tube-frame chassis. Although the material has changed from sheet aluminium to carbon fibre, this remains today the standard technique for building top-level racing cars. It was a Chapman monocoque chassis that first introduced the engine and transmission as stressed members of the overall chassis, again, an innovation that continues in universal application in today's Formula cars. The Lotus 25 was designed by Colin Chapman for the 1962 Formula 1 season. ... General Name, symbol, number aluminium, Al, 13 Chemical series poor metals Group, period, block 13, 3, p Appearance gray Standard atomic weight 26. ... Carbon fiber composite is a strong, light and very expensive material. ...

Inspired by Jim Hall, Chapman introduced aerodynamics into the first-rank of Formula One car design. He popularized the concept of positive aerodynamic downforce, through the addition of front and rear wings. Early efforts were mounted 3 feet or so above the car, in order to operate in 'clean air' (i.e. air that would not otherwise be disturbed by the passage of the car). However the thin supporting struts failed regularly, obliging the FIA to require the wings to be attached directly to the bodywork. He also originated the movement of radiators away from the front of the car, to decrease frontal area and, thus, air resistance at speed. These concepts also remain features of high performance racing cars today. Jim Hall is a programmer for the FreeDOS project and the original developer of the GNU Robots program. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile, commonly referred to as the FIA, is a non-profit association established in 1904 to represent the interest of motoring organisations and motor car users. ...

Chapman was also an innovator in the business end of racing. He was among the first entrants in Formula One to turn their cars into rolling billboards for non-automotive products, initially with the cigarette brands Gold Leaf and, most famously, John Player.

Chapman, working with Tony Rudd and Peter Wright, pioneered the use of "ground effect" (where a partial vacuum was created under the car by use of venturis, generating suction (downforce) which held it securely to the road whilst cornering) in Formula One. (Modern Formula One cars generate enough downforce (now generated by wings instead of ground effects) that they could theoretically be driven on a ceiling once they reach about 100 mph.) Initially this technique utilized sliding "skirts" which made contact with the ground to keep the area of low pressure isolated. Chapman's next development was a car that generated all of its downforce through ground effects, eliminating wings and the drag that they introduce at high speed. However, skirts were eventually banned, because the skirt could be damaged, for example, from driving over a curb, and downforce would be lost and the car could then become unstable. The FIA made moves to eliminate ground effects in Formula One, by requiring flat bottom cars (eliminating venturis) and raising the minimum ride height of the cars. (Of course, the car designers have managed to get back all of that downforce through other means, aided by extensive wind tunnel testing). Ground Effect is an aerodynamic effect used in car design, which has been exploited to create downforce, particularly in racing cars. ... Look up Vacuum in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A Venturi meter is shown in a diagram, the pressure in 1 conditions is higher than 2, and the relationship between the fluid speed in 2 and 1 respectively, is the same as for pressure. ... NASA wind tunnel with the model of a plane A wind tunnel is a research tool developed to assist with studying the effects of air moving over or around solid objects. ...

One of his last major technical innovations was the dual-chassis Formula One car. For ground effects of that era to function most efficiently, the aerodynamic surfaces needed to be precisely located and this led to the chassis being very stiffly sprung. However, this was very punishing to the driver, resulting in driver fatigue. To get around this, Chapman introduced a car with two chassis. One chassis (where the driver would sit) was softly sprung. The other chassis (where the skirts and such were located) was stiffly sprung. Unfortunately, although the car passed scrutineering at a couple of races, it was protested by other teams and was never allowed to run. Under these circumstances, the car was never developed, so it will never be known if the idea would have worked.

The whole affair dampened his interest in Formula One, but eventually Chapman moved on. The day that Chapman died, Team Lotus was testing the first Formula One car with active suspension. Active suspension allows control of the vehicle body motions and therefore virtually eliminates body roll in many driving situations including cornering, accelerating, and braking. ...

Complete Formula One World Championship Results

(key)

The 1956 Formula One season was the 7th FIA Formula One World Championship season. ... Vanwall was a Formula One team in the 1950s. ... Vanwall was a Formula One team in the 1950s. ... Vanwall was a Formula One team in the 1950s. ... The straight-4 or inline-4 is an internal combustion engine with four cylinders aligned in one row. ... Results from the 1956 Formula One Argentine Grand Prix held at Argentina on January 22, 1956 Classification Notes Fastest Lap: Juan Manuel Fangio 145. ... Results from the 1956 Formula One Monaco Grand Prix held at Monaco on May 13, 1956 Classification Notes Fastest Lap: Juan Manuel Fangio 144. ... Results from the 1956 Formula One Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on May 30, 1956 Classification Notes Fastest Lap: Paul Russo 102. ... Results from the 1956 Formula One Belgian Grand Prix held at Spa-Francorchamps on June 3, 1956 Classification Notes Fastest Lap: Stirling Moss 414. ... Results from the 1956 Formula One French Grand Prix held at Reims on July 1, 1956 Classification Notes Fastest Lap: Juan Manuel Fangio 225. ... Results from the 1956 Formula One British Grand Prix held at Silverstone on July 14, 1956 Classification Notes Fastest Lap: Stirling Moss 143. ... The 1956 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on 5 August 1956 at Nürburgring. ... Results from the 1956 Formula One Italian Grand Prix held at Monza on September 2, 1956 Classification Notes Fastest Lap: Stirling Moss 245. ...

Awards

• He was awarded "Mike's Mug" by the Royal Aero Club in 1961.
• He was voted The Guardian 'Young Businessman of the Year' in 1970.
• He was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1970.
• He was inducted in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994.
• He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1997.

The Royal Aero Club is the national co-ordinating body for Air Sport in the United Kingdom. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions, in order of seniority: Knight or Dame Grand Cross... The International Motorsports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame dedicated to enshrining those who have contributed the most to auto racing either as a driver, owner, developer or engineer. ... The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a Hall of Fame and museum in Novi, Michigan for American motorsports legends. ...

Further reading

• Gerard ('Jabby') Crombac, Colin Chapman: The Man and His Cars (Patrick Stephens, Wellingborough, 1986) ISBN 1-85960-844-2
• Hugh Haskell, Colin Chapman Lotus Engineering (Osprey Publishing, 1993) ISBN 1-85532-872-0
• Mike Lawrence, Colin Chapman Wayward Genius (Breedon Books Publishing, 2003) ISBN 1-85983-278-4

References

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Colin Chapman

• Colin Chapman biography by Dennis David (note: this biography does not have the correct date of Colin Chapman's birth)