22 Facts About Colin Chapman

Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman was an English design engineer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry, and founder of Lotus Cars.

Colin Chapman suffered a fatal heart attack in 1982, aged 54.

Colin Chapman was born on 19 May 1928 and brought up at 44 Beech Drive, on the border of Muswell Hill, London N2.

Colin Chapman's father ran The Railway Hotel on Tottenham Lane next to Hornsey Railway Station.

Colin Chapman studied structural engineering at University College London, joined the University of London Air Squadron and learned to fly.

Colin Chapman left UCL without a degree in 1948, resitting his final Mathematics paper in 1949 and obtaining his degree a year late.

Colin Chapman briefly joined the Royal Air Force in 1948, being offered a permanent commission but turning this down in favour of a swift return to civilian life.

In 1948, Colin Chapman designed the Mk1, a modified Austin 7, which he entered privately into local racing events.

Colin Chapman named the car "Lotus"; he never confirmed the reason, but one of several theories is that it was after his then-girlfriend Hazel, whom he nicknamed "Lotus blossom".

Around this time, Colin Chapman began to show his ability to think of ways to become more competitive while remaining within the rules.

Colin Chapman realised that better flow characteristics could be achieved with an 8 port head, but lacking the resources to have one made, he reversed the port functions and de-siamesed the old inlet ports.

Clark and Colin Chapman became particularly close and Clark's death in 1968 devastated Colin Chapman, who publicly stated that he had lost his best friend.

Colin Chapman, whose father was a successful publican, was a businessman who introduced major advertising sponsorship into auto racing; beginning the process which transformed Formula One from a pastime of rich gentlemen to a multi-million pound high technology enterprise.

Colin Chapman pioneered the use of struts as a rear suspension device.

Colin Chapman originated the movement of radiators away from the front of the car to the sides, to decrease frontal area and centralising weight distribution.

Colin Chapman was an innovator in the business end of racing.

Colin Chapman was among the first entrants in Formula One to turn their cars into rolling billboards for non-automotive products, initially with the cigarette brands Gold Leaf and, most famously, John Player Special.

Colin Chapman, working with Tony Rudd and Peter Wright, pioneered the first Formula One use of "ground effect", where a low pressure was created under the car by use of venturis, generating suction which held it securely to the road whilst cornering.

Colin Chapman next planned a car that generated all of its downforce through ground effect, eliminating the need for wings and the resulting drag that reduces a car's speed.

From 1978 until his death, Colin Chapman was involved with the American tycoon John DeLorean, in his development of a stainless steel sports car, to be built in a factory in Northern Ireland which was majority-funded by the UK government.

The night before he died, Colin Chapman watched a performance by his long-time friend and Lotus customer Chris Barber, the noted jazz trombonist, and his band.

Colin Chapman had two daughters and one son, Clive Chapman, who currently runs Classic Team Lotus, offering restoration, maintenance and operation of historic Team Lotus Formula One cars.