PropertyValue
rdfs:label
  • Lotus Turbine
rdfs:comment
  • Lotus Turbine was a new casting issued in the 1969 Hot Wheels line-up. It is a model of the innovative wedge-shaped 1968 Lotus 56 which was not only powered by an industrial gas turbine but was also four-wheel drive. In the 1968 Indianapolis 500 the car initially performed well but eventually suffered fuel pump problems, two out of three cars retiring during the race and the third, driven by Graham Hill, crashing early on. A fourth Lotus 56 had crashed during test sessions, killing its driver, Mike Spence. After the 1968 season, USAC rules were changed to ban both turbine engines and four-wheel drive.
dcterms:subject
dbkwik:hotwheels/property/wikiPageUsesTemplate
Number
  • #6262
Series
Name
  • Lotus Turbine
Years
  • 1969
Designer
abstract
  • Lotus Turbine was a new casting issued in the 1969 Hot Wheels line-up. It is a model of the innovative wedge-shaped 1968 Lotus 56 which was not only powered by an industrial gas turbine but was also four-wheel drive. In the 1968 Indianapolis 500 the car initially performed well but eventually suffered fuel pump problems, two out of three cars retiring during the race and the third, driven by Graham Hill, crashing early on. A fourth Lotus 56 had crashed during test sessions, killing its driver, Mike Spence. After the 1968 season, USAC rules were changed to ban both turbine engines and four-wheel drive. File:800px-Lotus-Pratt & Whitney Goodwood 2011.jpg Lotus rebuilt one of the cars, to be entered in Formula 1. Now called the 56B, it had the wings allowed in Formula One added along with better brakes and a larger fuel tank, to complete the entire Grand Prix race distance without refueling. And while in wet conditions the four wheel drive and smoother power of the turbine was an advantage, in dry weather the car was underpowered and overweight. Lotus entered the car in three races in 1971, with an eighth place the best finish.