In 1969 Lotus entered its new mid-engine 2-litre Type 62 sports car in the BOAC 500 world championship race at Brands Hatch. The car, driven by Brian Muir and Lotus engineer John Miles, qualified 16th and survived the six hours to finish 13th overall and first in class. The bodywork echoed the shape of the current Lotus Europa road car and judging by the additional crude aerofoils on the nose and tail, aerodynamics and handling were not its strong points.
The ‘62’ was a spaceframe design built to compete in the Group 6 class. Just two examples were built but had limited success due mainly to the unreliability of the Vauxhall engine which was mated to a new Lotus cylinder head. After a few seasons the cars were advertised for sale, open to offers in the region of £6000 each.
From the book ‘Moments in Motorsport’ by Trevor Legate
