Racing action at the Loop, between a Lotus 20/22 and a Lotus 27, during the Historic Formula Junior Race at the 2023 Silverstone Festival
The Lotus 22 was a racing car built by Lotus cars in 1962, and a total of 77 cars were built. It was developed from the 1962 Lotus 20, with the major differences that it had disc brakes all round, a top link and the 'rubber donut' to the rear suspension and a dry sump engine that was canted over to lower the centre of gravity. Also notable is the smoother bodywork covering the engine, compared to the boxy design of the 20. The 22 is a single-seat race car primarily for the Formula Junior series and most had a 1,098 cc ( cu in) Cosworth or engine with about 100 hp (70 kW). However, seven of the Lotus 22's were built with the then newly introduced 1,498 cc ( cu in) Lotus TwinCam engine (designed for the Lotus Elan) for Formula Libre. Unlike the 20, the 22 received outboard mounted disc brakes all around as standard equipment. It was available with four-speed transmissions from either Renault or Volkswagen. For cars with the Renault transmission, the shifter was mounted on the right, while it was on the left side for those with the German box. The 22 was very successful and the works car driven by Peter Arundell won nearly 75% of the races for the FIA Formula Junior European championship in 1962. The car was also successful in 1963, the final year of FJr, and up against the new Lotus 27, a full monocoque car, the 22 won several races early in the season before the stiffness problems that plagued the 27 were solved. The 22 chassis was later reintroduced several times, although modified, as other "new" Lotus models becoming first the Lotus 31 F3 car in 1964 and then, most famously, the Lotus 51 in 1967, the first Formula Ford race car created for the Jim Russell racing school in England. The Lotus 22 was the car from which the Lotus 23 was derived, being essentially a two-seat 22 widened in the middle but using the same front and rear suspension and gearbox as the 22. The Lotus 27 was a Formula Junior version of the Lotus 25 Formula
Size: 3573px × 1837px
Location: Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, Northamptonshire, NN12 8TN
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1098cc, 1099cc, 27, 1098, 1961, 1963, 20/22, 2023, 5-speed, action, baker, cc, circuit, cosworth, danny, festival, formula, graphite, green, hewland, historic, junior, lee, loop, lotus, manual, , mowle, race, shot, silverstone, towcester, transmission, yellow
