1970 Lotus 72

The two cars in this photograph competed in the HSCC Seldon Pre '71 Single Seater Championship race at the Historic Sports Car Club's Spring Historic Race Meeting at Oulton Park in May 1986.

The number 72 car is a 1970 Lotus 72, chassis 72/R4 and beneath it is a 1971 McLaren M19A, chassis M19A/1, both of which belonged to the then owner of the Oulton Park racing circuit (and Brands Hatch and Snetterton), John Foulston, who drove the McLaren in that race whilst his wife Mary drove the Lotus. The Lotus 72 was designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe and the McLaren M19A was designed by Ralph Bellamy, both cars having the Ford Cosworth DFV 2,993cc V8 engine. The Lotus was the more successful of the two cars, Jochen Rindt winning the World Driver's Championship in 1970  and Emerson Fittipaldi  in 1972, and Lotus winning the World Constructor's Championship in 1970, 1972 and 1973. The McLaren's best results were a third place in the Driver's Championship in 1972 for Denny Hulme and a third place in the Constructor's Championship the same year for McLaren.