COLIN CHAPMAN’S 1961 Lotus Junior begins its career with one major advantage over its predecessor. It was designed from the outset as a F-J r car, whereas the 1960 Junior was virtually a Ford-engined version of the Formula I Lotus, using a cosworth version of the Ford Anglia engine developed by Keith Duckworth who recognized he could get a lot of power out of this little engine The 1961 car-the Lotus Twenty-is thus much smaller and lower, and structurally much more refined,
although the basic design has changed very little. Perhaps the most important feature is that frontal area is 30% smaller than on the 1960 year’s car, while the over-all shape is much more aerodynamic. And all the mechanical components- including the carburetors and the exhaust pipe -are contained within the bodywork; even the Lotus badge on the nose is recessed into the reinforced plastic paneling.
LOTUS 20 the Revolutionary Formula Junior
