Racing is tough. Competition is fierce. Glory is addictive. Danger is imminent, and yet, only the bravest will give it their all week in, week out. Statements like these may sound like something dramatized by Hollywood movies and over-the-top editing, but during the 1960s, Open Formula racing was a potent cocktail of danger, defiance and simply delectable racing cars. Few are as striking as the Lotus 59B, and this example available via Motikon was driven in anger by some of the sport’s very best.
Lotus had spent much of the early to mid 1960s struggling to keep a grip on the podium positions in both Formula 2 and 3, due to ever-increasing competition from the likes of Brabham and the plucky Coopers. As the decade began to draw to a close, the outfit needed a rethink, and the 59 and 59B for the 1969 seasons were born. The construction was a complex square tube frame with an aluminium bottom, typical of the construction were the rear brakes directly in the airstream, very similar to the mighty Lotus 49 F1 car. The front brakes were nearly completely covered by the front rims, protecting them from the elements and are cooled by the blisteringly high rpms.
With high hopes and an all-new car, this particular Lotus 59B, chassis #21 was delivered to the famed Roy Winkelmann Racing in 1969. It is one of three to ever be built and the only one still existing in 1969 specification, making it a truly rare piece of racing history. Much to Lotus’ relief, the car had great success in the 1969 F2 season, with Jochen Rindt scoring a win and Ronnie Peterson securing a fifth-place finish in his second F2 start for Roy Winkelmann racing.
Now, after an extensive restoration, where the car was completely stripped, with the chassis parts x-rayed and the brakes, engine, and gearbox taken apart to be examined and reassembled. The car comes restored in the original Thruxton livery of 1969 and is ready to take on the world of Historic racing.
