User:Scpearce/Lotus 23b rotorvic

Lotus 23B Rotorvic

The "Rotorvic" is a unique Lotus 23 that has not been seen on British motor racing circuits for over 40 years. 131 official Type 23s were built by Lotus from 1962 to 1966. But this one is a "special" on account of its unique Rotorvic Developments engine, a V12 1.5 litre, air cooled, two stroke made up of 6 Ariel Arrows 250 twin motorbike engines, arranged in two banks of 6 cylinders at 90 degrees. It also possesses unusual and spectacular rear bodywork, with its two large rear air scoops to cool the engine.

It is understood that the car was a "toy" project built up from within the Lotus works by a team headed by Ron Marchant. Colin Chapman would have been well aware of the car and its one off engine, possibly as an alternative to the then prevalent Coventry Climax 1.5 litre Formula One engines. According to its owner back in 1968, Mike Rawlings, who bought the car then, minus engine, for the basis of his own sports racer, the "Rawlson", Lotus allowed Bill Hill and Ron Marchant to build the car up from Lotus 23B components from the works. The car never appears to have had a chassis plate, due its nature as a one-off.

The car ran from 1964 with Bill Hill as its driver, but without any real success due to continual engine misfiring problems. It was entered for a number of races from 1965 onwards but there is no record of it ever having finished one of them. It is a brilliant example of British engineering ingenuity and innovation of the time. But in reality it was a glorious failure. Once the Formula 1 engine capacity moved from 1.5 litre to 3 litres from 1966 onwards, the rationale of the car disappeared anyway and there was little point in further engine development.

The car is currently owned and raced by Jeremy Deeley and its last outing was at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2008