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| Category | USACIndyCar | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Team Lotus | ||||||
| Designers | Colin Chapman Len Terry | ||||||
| Successor | Lotus 34 | ||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||
| Chassis | Aluminiummonocoque. | ||||||
| Suspension (front) | Upper cantilever rocker arms, inboardcoil springs over dampers, lower wishbones. | ||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Reverse lower wishbones, top link, twin radius arms, coil springs over dampers, anti-roll bar | ||||||
| Length | 150 in (381 cm) | ||||||
| Width | 65 in (165 cm) | ||||||
| Height | 30.5 in (77 cm) | ||||||
| Axle track | Front: 56 in (142 cm) Rear: 56 in (142 cm) | ||||||
| Wheelbase | 96 in (244 cm) | ||||||
| Engine | Ford 4,195 cc (256.0 cu in)OHV 90°V8,naturally aspirated,mid-mounted. | ||||||
| Transmission | Colotti T.37A 2-speedmanual gearbox. | ||||||
| Weight | 1,130 lb (513 kg) | ||||||
| Fuel | petrol | ||||||
| Tyres | Firestone (Indianapolis) Dunlop (ovals) | ||||||
| Competition history | |||||||
| Notable entrants | Team Lotus | ||||||
| Notable drivers |  Jim Clark Dan GurneyBobby MarshmanAl Miller | ||||||
| Debut | 1963 Indianapolis 500 | ||||||
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TheLotus 29 was a Britishracing car built byTeam Lotus for the1963 Indianapolis 500. It was their first attempt at the event and the two cars which were entered finished second and seventh in the hands ofJim Clark andDan Gurney. Although they were not the first rear-engined cars built for the category, they were first to prove that the configuration was definitely a potential race-winner, and that the days of the big and heavy front-enginedroadsters were numbered.
Dan Gurney had testedMickey Thompson's rear-enginedIndy Car for the1962 Indianapolis 500 and, convinced that the layout was a potential race-winner, approachedColin Chapman ofLotus with the idea of building a similar car for the1963 Indianapolis 500.[1] Chapman attended the 1962 race and Gurney then arranged a meeting withFord to source a suitable engine. Later that year, Chapman hadJim Clark and Lotus mechanics Jim Endruweit and Dick Scammell sent to Indianapolis after the1962 United States Grand Prix to do some testing with the race-winningLotus 25.[2] Results proved positive, and construction was started on a new car, the type 29. Based on the 25, it was a very similar car which differed principally in featuring a 4195 cc (255ci) Ford V8 withWeber carburettors producing 376 bhp (280 kW) through aColotti T.37gearbox. It was slightly larger all round than the 25 and was fitted with offset suspension andDunlop (front) andHalibrand (rear)knock-off wheels to facilitate rapid pit stops.[3] Three cars were built in all; the first being essentially a development prototype, after which two cars were built for Clark and Gurney.
At Indianapolis, Clark qualified 7th fastest, with Gurney 17th after an accident in qualifying; he wrote off his car and the prototype was hurriedly pressed into service with parts scavenged from the wreck. Clark started from 5th place on the grid and Gurney 12th. The lighter Lotuses needed fewer pit stops than the heavy roadsters and at one point were running first and second. Eventually, Clark finished second behindParnelli Jones and Gurney finished seventh.
The Lotus 29s' next outing was later that year at theTony Bettenhausen 200 at theMilwaukee Mile. Clark and Gurney qualified first and second, and Clark led from start to finish, lapping everyone but second placedA. J. Foyt, with Gurney coming in third. Their final race in 1963 was at theTrenton 200 where they again qualified first and second. Clark led for the first 49 laps until an oil line failed. Gurney then led until lap 146 until he retired with the same problem, leaving A. J. Foyt to run home as the winner.[4]
For the1964 Indianapolis 500Team Lotus had a new car, the type34, but one of the 29s was entered forBobby Marshman to drive. He qualified second behind Clark and led the race for 33 laps before running off the track and damaging an oil plug. Later that year his engine failed at theTony Bettenhausen 200, and then he crashed while testing atPhoenix International Raceway and succumbed to burns incurred in the accident.
At the1965 Indianapolis 500 the 29 was still competitive enough forAl Miller to bring it home in fourth place, but in1966 the first lap pile-up put paid to his race and the 29's last Champ Car race.
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