Lotus Type 56B first start for Jet-powered car in 50-years

Lewis Cullington - lead mechanic on 56B restoration - starts unique Pratt & Whitney gas turbine Lotus F1 car for first time since 1970 when Emerson Fittipaldi raced her in the 1971 Italian GP

[@berniehowe]

I saw this car driven by Emerson Fittipaldi at Ithink the 1970 Oulton Park Gold Cup. I remember Colin Chapman in the paddock with a stop watch repeatedly timing the throttle delay. I watched the race near Cascades and it was strange to see it appearing to coast round the corner and then suddenly sprinting away towards island and the hairpin at incredible speed. The throttle delay meant that although fast it always lost too much time on tracks with corners.

[@aabottom6390]

It raced at the 1971 Spring Cup at Oulton Park Reina Wisell driving.

[@abrahampjames2067]

It's always the historic B's that get me excited. Lotus 56B, Tyrrell P34B, Brabham BT46B. Different from their peers.

[@thethirdman225]

The STN6 engine was a 500 hp version. The PT6 engine, in some iterations, goes up to about 1700 hp. This is a small version. It's one of the most successful small gas turbines of all time. A 1,600 hp version can be found powering the Pilatus PC-21.

[@Rudolf.Aigner]

Great cars, invented by Chapman and Lotus. Thanks for sharing. ❤

[@FrontSideBus]

Just imagine what shenanigans could have been had with this later on... routing what is basically the exhaust of a jet engine into an underbody diffuser ect :)

[@iandavidson99]

I imagine routing the exhaust straight-up to create 'free' downforce would be worthwhile

[@FrontSideBus]

@@iandavidson99 It wouldn't have ended with a jet exhaust blown diffuser either. Some STOL aeroplanes use compressor bleed air to blow the leading edge wing slats, trailing edge flaps and control surfaces to enable silly slow speed controlled flight. I have no doubt that had this gas turbine car been more successful, Colin Chapman would exploited this by having the front and rear wings blown in the same way with compressor bleed air!

[@thethirdman225]

@@FrontSideBus That's basically what the Coanda Effect is. I came up with the idea as a teenager, using exhaust gasses routed through the rear wing support pillar.

[@ricklarner9263]

AMAZING!

[@actuallypigeongti]

I rememeber seeing this in person! Absolutely crazy!

[@HondaExige1]

Putting 2 and 2 together is this running up the hill at Goodwood?

[@jongillies4871]

Crazy to think this was made almost 70 years ago

[@verbic03]

Ты русский?)

[@pauli5506]

Lotus rocket car!

[@joshwilliams5835]

Beautiful!

[@verbic03]

И ведь это конец 60-х. Дать бы волю инженерам, и то вдохновение которое было тогда.. Сейчас бы мы наблюдали за технологиями, а не за их запретами.

[@Captpath]

Awesome! But watch out running without cowling in this configuration, you risk ingesting exhaust air in the intake.

[@iandavidson99]

Here's a Sinclair C5 with a gas-turbine engine (yes, really!): kzbin.info/www/bejne/bprGZ5eurN1lbZI

[@Jack777Er]

So wheres the actual start up? You need a new camera person if they missed it 🤦‍♂️

[@Yellow-Ant]

Is this a turbine?

[@bacsydani]

Gas turbine

[@tiadaid]

Yes. A Pratt & Whitney ST6, a variant of?the successful PT6 turboprop engine.