1967 Lotus Type 48 Formula Two

The Lotus Type 48 places a monocoque and Cosworth FVA engine within Formula Two. Its separate programme is preserved alongside the better-known contemporary Formula One Types.

History and verified programme identity

Classic Team Lotus describes the Type 48 as a monocoque Formula Two car with a 1,594 cc Cosworth FVA engine and dates it to 1967–1968. Four entries are visible in its public register. Those entries are not treated as an independently audited completed tally or a survivor census. The supplied image names the Type 48 at the 2007 Martini Legends festival. Its creator released the photograph into the public domain worldwide, with the original author and source retained as documentary credit.

Engineering and design

A monocoque Formula Two car can share a structural vocabulary with Formula One while working with a different engine and category. The FVA reference therefore belongs to the Type 48’s own primary record rather than an assumption based on a nearby DFV-powered car. In the photo, the narrow body, open wheels and driver space are visible at rest. Hidden construction and present engine originality cannot be certified from that exterior view. A particular chassis’s technical file would establish its parts and later repairs, while this profile explains the original programme and category.

The physical car in the supplied photograph

Mutari’s photograph shows a green Type 48 displayed at Martini Legends in October 2007, with number 48 on the nose. The creator explicitly identifies the model and event. Its later exhibition appearance is not described as a period Formula Two race photograph.

A closer look at the programme

The exhibit photograph makes the model accessible without requiring an image of a particular famous race. The white number 48 helps the presentation but is not the sole identification evidence: the creator caption and custodial Type record are the important links. Keeping the image’s later date also prevents restored display details from being transferred backwards automatically. A collection file can add original race entries and later ownership as evidence emerges, while the programme profile remains clear about the Formula Two category, named engine and unassigned audited manufacturing total. The Type 48 is shown at rest in a public festival setting, allowing the nose, cockpit and rear body to be read together. The white competition number matches the Type’s familiar presentation but is not used as the sole identification. The creator names the model and supplies the actual exhibition date. The worldwide public-domain release concerns the photograph, while the custodial register concerns the historical car programme. Keeping those records together makes the image usable for an editorial profile without confusing image permission with proof of original chassis components.

Collecting and chassis evidence

The small register gives individual research a useful starting point, but each chassis still needs its own build, competition and repair chronology. A restored livery or display number cannot by itself establish an original entrant. The model’s engine and period are supported by the custodian; the image adds a matched physical subject with a worldwide creator release. Those evidence scopes remain separate from any claim about unchanged original material.

Related Lotus designs and meaningful comparisons

The Type 44 supplies the earlier Formula Two connection, while the Type 59 offers a later multi-category comparison. Their separate engine, chassis and programme records help explain development within small Formula racing. None is counted toward Lotus road-car production.

Reading the sources

The programme sources and the photograph answer different questions. Manufacturer and custodial records establish the original model, Type, category and published production scope. The creator’s file establishes the pictured subject, setting and image permission. An individual chassis history can then add ownership, competition entries and dated repairs without changing the scope of the original programme. Build references are not survivor counts, and a later specification does not automatically become an additional newly manufactured vehicle. Where primary evidence does not establish a complete fabrication census, that field remains unassigned.

Specifications and rarity evidence

Frequently asked questions

Does Formula Two make this the same model as Type 44?

No. The Type 48 is a distinct monocoque/FVA programme dated 1967–1968 by the custodian. The earlier Type 44 has its own structure and engine reference.

How is Type 48 Formula Two classified?

This is a Team Lotus competition Type archive. It remains separate from Lotus road-car production. Customer cars, works entries and converted chassis need a reconciled scope before any complete fabrication tally is assigned.

Which technical details are established for the programme?

The primary record supports custodial period: 1967–1968; category: Formula Two; structure: Monocoque. These are programme or explicitly attributed photo references. A particular surviving car’s engine, chassis repairs and competition preparation require its own dated documentation.

Does the photographed appearance establish factory originality?

The caption records a real creator-identified Type 48 Formula Two subject and its later setting. It establishes the illustration’s scope, while original components, restoration work and individual race provenance require chassis-specific evidence. A competition number, current paint or museum display is not used as an originality certificate.

What rarity or archive scope is verified?

Published source reference: 4 listed register entries. Scope follows the named programme or register; independently audited completed output and survivor census remain unassigned.

Who photographed the supplied image?

Mutari via Wikimedia Commons, under Public domain. The original file and licence are linked with the image. Retain the creator, source and licence when uploading, exporting or reusing it; local retouching and synthetic enlargement have not been performed.

Related Lotus profiles

• 1966 Lotus Type 44 Formula Two
• 1969 Lotus Type 59 Formula Two / Three / B

Sources and photo credits

• Primary manufacturer or custodial programme record

Photograph: Mutari via Wikimedia Commons original source, Public domain. Source-provided thumbnail supplied without local cropping, retouching or synthetic enlargement.