Lotus 12

The photograph below is of Roger Friend in a 1957 Lotus 12 rounding Lodge Corner at Oulton Park in the Twelve Lap Scratch Race for Post War Racing Cars at the VSCC meeting in August 1996.

The Lotus 12 was the first single-seater racing car built by Colin Chapman and it was used as a Formula 2 and also a Formula 1 car. It was a largely unsuccessful car, although in the 1958 Belgian Grand Prix Cliff Allison, who finished in fourth place in a Lotus 12, might have won the race had it been one lap longer. The winner was Tony Brooks in a Vanwall, but his gearbox seized as he crossed the line. Mike Hawthorn was second in a Ferrari, but his engine failed as he came out of La Source corner and he coasted across the line. In third place was Stuart Lewis-Evans in another Vanwall, but his suspension collapsed on the way into La Source and he managed to crawl across the line, so Cliff Allison finished fourth, over 4 minutes behind the winner.