Post by ferrari512s on Feb 17, 2014 23:15:52 GMT -5
Ultimate Hot Wheels Cars|Channel C00236562
Lotus Turbine
The Lotus 56 Turbine is powered by Pratt & Whitney plane turbine engines which enabled them to be extremely powerful and quick! These Lotus Turbines ran quite well in the various races they were entered in.
Here is a brief summary of how the four Lotus Turbines ran in the 1968 Indianapolos 500. The 1968 Indianapolis 500 was the second and eventually the final year of participation by the controversial STP Granatelli Turbine machines.
For 1968, the Pratt & Whitney turbine engine was installed in the Lotus 56 chassis, often known affectionately as the "Wedge Turbine." In a veiled effort to curtail the turbine's power output, USAC had imposed revised regulations regarding the maximum annulus inlet (reduced from 23.999 in² to 15.999 in²).
Graham Hill the 1966 winner in the #70 STP Turbine was first to qualify, and set a new qualifying record. Later, his STP Lotus 56 teammate Joe Leonard in #60 won the pole position with a speed of 171.559 mph (276.097 km/h).
On lap 110, Graham Hill loses a wheel and smashed into the turn two wall, which brought out the second caution. It was the first of the three Granatelli Turbines to drop out of the race. On the restart, Bobby Unser took the lead, blowing by Joe Leonard, showing the traditional piston-powered engines were still a match for the powerful turbines.
With 19 laps to go, Joe Leonard lead, with Bobby Unser second. Carl Williams crashed on the backstretch, triggering a fire which brought out the yellow light. Under the caution, Leonard lead, with Bobby Unser and Dan Gurney nose-to-tail. After the cleanup, the green flag was given on lap 191. At that instant, both leader Joe Leonard and his teammate Art Pollard hesitate and instantly slow with identical snapped fuel pump drive shafts. The turbine engines again failed in sight of the finish, stunning the racing fraternity.
Due to some unfortunate accidents the Lotus Turbine should have had better results. The three Lotus Turbine STP race team cars finished in 12th, 13th and 19th places. The race was by Bobby Unser with Dan Gurney finishing second.
The Lotus 56 used a modified version of the ST6 gas turbine used on the STP-Paxton Turbocar ("Silent Sam") that almost won in 1967.nThe ST6 was based on a small aircraft engine that would become one of the most popular turboprop aircraft engines in history.
But the car itself was an entirely new and more advanced design which introduced a distinctive aerodynamic wedge-shaped body rather than a cigar-shape, just a few years before the introduction of front and rear wings.[1] USAC, the governing body of the Indy 500, had implemented new rules aimed at handicapping turbine powered racing cars by drastically reducing the air intake size.
The Lotus 56 made up for reduced power with a sophisticated suspension design, retaining the 4 wheel drive concept of the Silent Sam, but with lighter weight, and advanced aerodynamics. Lotus had suffered the death of Lotus' ace driver Jim Clark in a Formula 2 race in Germany.
Mike Spence was killed at Indianapolis while testing one of four 56's built.
The remaining three cars with Graham Hill, Joe Leonard, and Art Pollard were entered for the race, with Leonard claiming pole position.
Unlike the year before, when the STP-Paxton Turbocar easily outperformed the other cars in the race, in the race the turbine cars were relatively evenly matched with the other top contenders, much of which must be attributed to aerodynamics and chassis design and not to the turbine engine.
Hill's car crashed, Pollard's car broke down, while Leonard was leading with just a handful of laps to go when the a fuel pump shaft failed.
Shortly thereafter, the USAC imposed additional restrictions on turbine cars that essentially removed them from competition.
For the second year in a row STP turbine cars had brought innovation to the Indy 500 and had failed to win while leading within a few laps of the end of the race.
USAC subsequently banned turbine cars and four-wheel drive completely, but it was unusual enough that Mattel produced as model as the "Lotus Turbine" as one of the popular mass-produced die cast Hot Wheels cars.
In 1971 the Lotus 56 was raced in Formula 1 on occasion by Team Lotus but the large fuel tanks required to allow it to run an entire race without refueling left it overweight and uncompetitive.
The Lotus 56, while never winning a race, demonstrated the importance of aerodynamics in racing cars, along with Jim Hall's Chaparrals, and effectively set the mold for open wheeled racing cars for the next ten years.
Chapman's Lotus 72 employed the same wedge nose shape and went on to win three world championships in Formula 1.
Formula One
Colin Chapman developed the 56 as a potential F1 contender, part of his plan to have a single design to compete at both the Indy 500 and in Formula 1, but it was too heavy and never competitive.
The car was designated as the 56B and Emerson Fittipaldi tried it in the 1971 Race of Champions and International Trophy non-Championship meetings.
At Brands Hatch, during wet practice, the 56 was far and away the fastest car on the track, but the race was held in dry weather and the car was lost in midfield.
At the Silverstone-based International Trophy, the car only lasted three laps of the first heat before suspension failure forced Fittipaldi's retirement.
Dave Walker ran the car in the Dutch Grand Prix, and had progressed from 22nd to 10th in five laps of the very wet track, before sliding off the road and into retirement.
Fittipaldi used the car again in that year's 1971 Italian Grand Prix and managed to bring the fragile design home 8th.
Images courtesy of Google and information courtesy of Wiki.
1968 Lotus Type 56 news, pictures, specifications, and information
from www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z11284/Lotus-Type-56.aspx
The Lotus was designed and built to compete in the 1968 Indianapolis 500. Andy Granatelli was the driving force behind the project.
Three Lotus 56s made the race and were driven by Joe Leonard in the #60, Art Pollard in the #20 and Graham Hill in the #70.
Leonard in the #60 was the fast qualifier at 171.559 mph and dominated the race but dropped out while leading on lap 191 with fuel pump driveshaft failure.
The Bruce Linsmeyer Lotus 56 is based on the original 56/1 chassis produced from Parnelli Jones in 1998 and the restoration to present condition was completed in 2001.
Andy Granatelli was the driving force behind this car. This car ran as the #60 STP 'Turbine' entry. The mid-engined gasoline fueled turbine, normal aspiration, STNB6B-74 PT6 was manufactured by Pratt & Whitney. Other unusual features include 4-wheel drive thru a HiVo chain transfer case. The car weighs 1,345 pounds.
Three Lotus 56 cars made entry in the 1968 Indianapolis race: Joe Leonard, in this car #60, Art Pollard in car #20 and Graham Hill in car #70. Leonard in car #60 was the fast qualifier at 171.559 mph and dominated the race until dropping out of the lead in Lap 191. He dropped out of the lead due to fuel pump driveshaft failure.
This Gas Turbine was one of three Turbine cars that came about in 1968, when the flamboyant STP entrepreneur Andy Grantelli received so much publicity for the 'Silent Sam' Turbine that Parnelli Jones drove in 1967. These cars were built more conventional, with the engine behind the driver in the center of the chassis. These were the first cars with the aerodynamic wedge shape, rather than the tube shape of most mid-engine cars.
In 1968, Graham Hill qualified at 171.208 which started him in 2nd place on the line.
He was in 4th place when the right rear suspension broke causing him to spin into the wall out of the 2nd turn.
He finished in 19th place with 110 laps completed. This was the last race for the Lotus #70 Turbine.
Hot Wheels and other Diecast Models...
The famous Lotus 56 Turbine #70 was one of four open-wheel Indy cars Mattel decided to release in the Hot Wheels line-up in 1969. These cars were part of a new collection of race cars called "Grand Prix" Series which had their own distinctive blistercards.
The Lotus Turbine was produced only in the Hong Kong production facility. The distinctive features are the blue-tinted windscreen and a silver-painted intake vent just behind the cockpit. These Lotus Turbines came in a variety of special paint Mattel developed for their Hot Wheels die-cast cars called "Spectraflame".
The Lotus Turbine also came with a matching metal collectors button and a waterslide decal sheet with #70 racing numbers along with the various sponsor logos. All this was included in the blistercard packaging.
It originally was released with bearing type push on style wheels. The later production cars came with cap style redline wheels. There are instances where both types of wheels are found on some production cars. These Lotus Turbines came usually with unfinished metal bases however some have been found with silver painted finishes and others with black painted bases.
Below is a wonderful 1:18 scale replica of the Lotus Turbine...
Another image of this model...
A concept drawing of the Hot Wheels version of this Lotus Turbine by Ira Gilford. Image is courtesy of Bruce Pascal.
The Lotus Turbine in a blistercard that was released in 1969.
Whatever happened to those Hot Wheels catalog cars that were never issued. These are known as prototypes...
Here is the catalog image of this car from above.
Another image from the 1969 Hot Wheels catalog.
Notice the white interior, that is rare. The blue tinted windshield with this combination is also difficult to find...especially in enamel red.
What a stunning beauty...
More angles of this prototype...
Some of these Lotus Turbines also contained black painted bases.
Here is a collection of Lotus Turbines in various colors and interiors.
A prototype Lotus Turbine in orange.
The rare chrome dinner car from 1969...
Another prototype in dark red...
This prototype came from the Chris Marshall find...love this strange color...
From the Bob Rosas collection with this prototype snap-on fuel tanks...
More of these funky fuel tanks that were made to provide the car more width so it would survive the Super Charger track accessory.
The Lotus Turbine in green with matching collectors' button and the water decal sheets that came with the die-cast car.
Love the gloss finish on this one...
Some 1:18 scale die-cast models of Formula One Lotus cars...
Great article here on the Lotus 56 Turbine #70
Images and information courtesy of the following sites...
joeleonard98to1.tripod.com/cars.html
www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z11284/Lotus-Type-56.aspx
Ultimate Hot Wheels Cars|Channel C00236562
Lotus Turbine
The Lotus 56 Turbine is powered by Pratt & Whitney plane turbine engines which enabled them to be extremely powerful and quick! These Lotus Turbines ran quite well in the various races they were entered in.
Here is a brief summary of how the four Lotus Turbines ran in the 1968 Indianapolos 500. The 1968 Indianapolis 500 was the second and eventually the final year of participation by the controversial STP Granatelli Turbine machines.
For 1968, the Pratt & Whitney turbine engine was installed in the Lotus 56 chassis, often known affectionately as the "Wedge Turbine." In a veiled effort to curtail the turbine's power output, USAC had imposed revised regulations regarding the maximum annulus inlet (reduced from 23.999 in² to 15.999 in²).
Graham Hill the 1966 winner in the #70 STP Turbine was first to qualify, and set a new qualifying record. Later, his STP Lotus 56 teammate Joe Leonard in #60 won the pole position with a speed of 171.559 mph (276.097 km/h).
On lap 110, Graham Hill loses a wheel and smashed into the turn two wall, which brought out the second caution. It was the first of the three Granatelli Turbines to drop out of the race. On the restart, Bobby Unser took the lead, blowing by Joe Leonard, showing the traditional piston-powered engines were still a match for the powerful turbines.
With 19 laps to go, Joe Leonard lead, with Bobby Unser second. Carl Williams crashed on the backstretch, triggering a fire which brought out the yellow light. Under the caution, Leonard lead, with Bobby Unser and Dan Gurney nose-to-tail. After the cleanup, the green flag was given on lap 191. At that instant, both leader Joe Leonard and his teammate Art Pollard hesitate and instantly slow with identical snapped fuel pump drive shafts. The turbine engines again failed in sight of the finish, stunning the racing fraternity.
Due to some unfortunate accidents the Lotus Turbine should have had better results. The three Lotus Turbine STP race team cars finished in 12th, 13th and 19th places. The race was by Bobby Unser with Dan Gurney finishing second.
The Lotus 56 used a modified version of the ST6 gas turbine used on the STP-Paxton Turbocar ("Silent Sam") that almost won in 1967.nThe ST6 was based on a small aircraft engine that would become one of the most popular turboprop aircraft engines in history.
But the car itself was an entirely new and more advanced design which introduced a distinctive aerodynamic wedge-shaped body rather than a cigar-shape, just a few years before the introduction of front and rear wings.[1] USAC, the governing body of the Indy 500, had implemented new rules aimed at handicapping turbine powered racing cars by drastically reducing the air intake size.
The Lotus 56 made up for reduced power with a sophisticated suspension design, retaining the 4 wheel drive concept of the Silent Sam, but with lighter weight, and advanced aerodynamics. Lotus had suffered the death of Lotus' ace driver Jim Clark in a Formula 2 race in Germany.
Mike Spence was killed at Indianapolis while testing one of four 56's built.
The remaining three cars with Graham Hill, Joe Leonard, and Art Pollard were entered for the race, with Leonard claiming pole position.
Unlike the year before, when the STP-Paxton Turbocar easily outperformed the other cars in the race, in the race the turbine cars were relatively evenly matched with the other top contenders, much of which must be attributed to aerodynamics and chassis design and not to the turbine engine.
Hill's car crashed, Pollard's car broke down, while Leonard was leading with just a handful of laps to go when the a fuel pump shaft failed.
Shortly thereafter, the USAC imposed additional restrictions on turbine cars that essentially removed them from competition.
For the second year in a row STP turbine cars had brought innovation to the Indy 500 and had failed to win while leading within a few laps of the end of the race.
USAC subsequently banned turbine cars and four-wheel drive completely, but it was unusual enough that Mattel produced as model as the "Lotus Turbine" as one of the popular mass-produced die cast Hot Wheels cars.
In 1971 the Lotus 56 was raced in Formula 1 on occasion by Team Lotus but the large fuel tanks required to allow it to run an entire race without refueling left it overweight and uncompetitive.
The Lotus 56, while never winning a race, demonstrated the importance of aerodynamics in racing cars, along with Jim Hall's Chaparrals, and effectively set the mold for open wheeled racing cars for the next ten years.
Chapman's Lotus 72 employed the same wedge nose shape and went on to win three world championships in Formula 1.
Formula One
Colin Chapman developed the 56 as a potential F1 contender, part of his plan to have a single design to compete at both the Indy 500 and in Formula 1, but it was too heavy and never competitive.
The car was designated as the 56B and Emerson Fittipaldi tried it in the 1971 Race of Champions and International Trophy non-Championship meetings.
At Brands Hatch, during wet practice, the 56 was far and away the fastest car on the track, but the race was held in dry weather and the car was lost in midfield.
At the Silverstone-based International Trophy, the car only lasted three laps of the first heat before suspension failure forced Fittipaldi's retirement.
Dave Walker ran the car in the Dutch Grand Prix, and had progressed from 22nd to 10th in five laps of the very wet track, before sliding off the road and into retirement.
Fittipaldi used the car again in that year's 1971 Italian Grand Prix and managed to bring the fragile design home 8th.
Images courtesy of Google and information courtesy of Wiki.
1968 Lotus Type 56 news, pictures, specifications, and information
from www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z11284/Lotus-Type-56.aspx
The Lotus was designed and built to compete in the 1968 Indianapolis 500. Andy Granatelli was the driving force behind the project.
Three Lotus 56s made the race and were driven by Joe Leonard in the #60, Art Pollard in the #20 and Graham Hill in the #70.
Leonard in the #60 was the fast qualifier at 171.559 mph and dominated the race but dropped out while leading on lap 191 with fuel pump driveshaft failure.
The Bruce Linsmeyer Lotus 56 is based on the original 56/1 chassis produced from Parnelli Jones in 1998 and the restoration to present condition was completed in 2001.
Andy Granatelli was the driving force behind this car. This car ran as the #60 STP 'Turbine' entry. The mid-engined gasoline fueled turbine, normal aspiration, STNB6B-74 PT6 was manufactured by Pratt & Whitney. Other unusual features include 4-wheel drive thru a HiVo chain transfer case. The car weighs 1,345 pounds.
Three Lotus 56 cars made entry in the 1968 Indianapolis race: Joe Leonard, in this car #60, Art Pollard in car #20 and Graham Hill in car #70. Leonard in car #60 was the fast qualifier at 171.559 mph and dominated the race until dropping out of the lead in Lap 191. He dropped out of the lead due to fuel pump driveshaft failure.
This Gas Turbine was one of three Turbine cars that came about in 1968, when the flamboyant STP entrepreneur Andy Grantelli received so much publicity for the 'Silent Sam' Turbine that Parnelli Jones drove in 1967. These cars were built more conventional, with the engine behind the driver in the center of the chassis. These were the first cars with the aerodynamic wedge shape, rather than the tube shape of most mid-engine cars.
In 1968, Graham Hill qualified at 171.208 which started him in 2nd place on the line.
He was in 4th place when the right rear suspension broke causing him to spin into the wall out of the 2nd turn.
He finished in 19th place with 110 laps completed. This was the last race for the Lotus #70 Turbine.
Hot Wheels and other Diecast Models...
The famous Lotus 56 Turbine #70 was one of four open-wheel Indy cars Mattel decided to release in the Hot Wheels line-up in 1969. These cars were part of a new collection of race cars called "Grand Prix" Series which had their own distinctive blistercards.
The Lotus Turbine was produced only in the Hong Kong production facility. The distinctive features are the blue-tinted windscreen and a silver-painted intake vent just behind the cockpit. These Lotus Turbines came in a variety of special paint Mattel developed for their Hot Wheels die-cast cars called "Spectraflame".
The Lotus Turbine also came with a matching metal collectors button and a waterslide decal sheet with #70 racing numbers along with the various sponsor logos. All this was included in the blistercard packaging.
It originally was released with bearing type push on style wheels. The later production cars came with cap style redline wheels. There are instances where both types of wheels are found on some production cars. These Lotus Turbines came usually with unfinished metal bases however some have been found with silver painted finishes and others with black painted bases.
Below is a wonderful 1:18 scale replica of the Lotus Turbine...
Another image of this model...
A concept drawing of the Hot Wheels version of this Lotus Turbine by Ira Gilford. Image is courtesy of Bruce Pascal.
The Lotus Turbine in a blistercard that was released in 1969.
Whatever happened to those Hot Wheels catalog cars that were never issued. These are known as prototypes...
Here is the catalog image of this car from above.
Another image from the 1969 Hot Wheels catalog.
Notice the white interior, that is rare. The blue tinted windshield with this combination is also difficult to find...especially in enamel red.
What a stunning beauty...
More angles of this prototype...
Some of these Lotus Turbines also contained black painted bases.
Here is a collection of Lotus Turbines in various colors and interiors.
A prototype Lotus Turbine in orange.
The rare chrome dinner car from 1969...
Another prototype in dark red...
This prototype came from the Chris Marshall find...love this strange color...
From the Bob Rosas collection with this prototype snap-on fuel tanks...
More of these funky fuel tanks that were made to provide the car more width so it would survive the Super Charger track accessory.
The Lotus Turbine in green with matching collectors' button and the water decal sheets that came with the die-cast car.
Love the gloss finish on this one...
Some 1:18 scale die-cast models of Formula One Lotus cars...
Great article here on the Lotus 56 Turbine #70
Images and information courtesy of the following sites...
joeleonard98to1.tripod.com/cars.html
www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z11284/Lotus-Type-56.aspx
Ultimate Hot Wheels Cars|Channel C00236562