Well, let me tell you about this F1 thing, this F1 1958 Lotus Climax. Back in my day, we didn’t have none of these fancy cars, but this one, they say it was somethin’ else.
So, this Lotus, they called it Type 12. It was their first car for this F1 race, you know. The big time. 1958, that’s when it all started. They went to Monaco, a fancy place, for their first race. First time Lotus ever raced in the big F1. That’s somethin’, ain’t it? This little car, against all them big shots. They was tryin’ to make a name for themselves.
This Lotus, It Was a Big Deal
They say this car, it was a landmark. Don’t know ’bout that fancy word, but it means it was important. They were tryin’ to show they could build a car as good as them other fellas, them Ferraris and what not. Lotus, they was good with them little sports cars, won a bunch of races at a place called Le Mans, but this F1, that was the real test. This Lotus-Climax Type 12 was a little fella, but it had heart, they say.
Now, this car, it was shaped kinda funny, looked like a hot dog with a mouth at one end. But it was fast, they say. And this one special car, chassis number 353, that was the very first one they raced in F1. That car went on to do some winnin’. Not in 1958. That year was rough. But later on, Lotus, they won a bunch of them championships. Seven, I hear! Can you believe it?
- First F1 car for Lotus was in 1958
- That car was the Type 12
- They raced it at Monaco, a fancy place
- Lotus was the little guy, tryin’ to make it big
- This car, 353, was the first one they raced
This other car, they called it the Type 16, the ‘mini-Vanwall’. Don’t know what that means, but folks was impressed. This fella named Frank Costin, he helped make it. That’s what they tell me, anyhow. That Lotus, it was startin’ somethin’ big back then. A little car, takin’ on the world. They was like the little engine that could. They wanted to prove that they was just as good as them other big-time car makers.
Them Other Teams, They Was Jealous
Now, not everyone was happy about this little Lotus car doin’ so good. Them other teams, they got jealous. They started complainin’ to the big bosses, the FIA, whatever that is. They was sayin’ Lotus was bendin’ the rules. Them big guys, they always try to keep the little guy down, don’t they? But Lotus, they kept on racin’.
I hear tell, this one car, a Ferrari, they say it was the best ever. Won every race in a season. I don’t know if that’s true, but that’s what they say. They even finished 1-2-3-4 in a couple of races. Sounds like a lot of baloney to me, but who am I to say? I’m just tellin’ you what I heard. This Ferrari, it was called the F2007. Now that was a long time after this Lotus started in 1958, mind you.
But back to that Lotus. They was the first to get 50 of them Grand Prix wins. That’s a lot of races. Them Ferraris, they was second. They started earlier, but Lotus, they caught up. See, that little car, it had somethin’ special. It was the underdog, and everyone loves an underdog, right?
They say this old Lotus-Climax Type 12, the 353 one, it’s worth a lot of money now. Hundreds of thousands. I don’t know who’d pay that much for an old car, but they say it’s special. It’s a piece of history, they say. I guess that’s somethin’. A little car from a little team, makin’ it big. That’s a good story, ain’t it? It just goes to show, you don’t have to be the biggest or the fanciest to make your mark. This F1 1958 Lotus Climax, that’s proof of that, I reckon.
This F1 racin’, it’s a whole different world, ain’t it? But it’s kinda interestin’, seein’ these little cars go so fast. And that Lotus, from 1958, that was the start of somethin’ big. Just a little car, but it had a big dream. And sometimes, that’s all you need.
