The Forgotten Stories: Lotus Mark VIII

Lotus Mark VIII – The first Formula 1 victory

The Lotus Mark VIII hides one of the forgotten stories that we wanted to rescue from Modelant for our second livery. It was the first Lotus to achieve a Formula 1 victory.

When we ask ourselves about Lotus’ first victory in Formula 1, we imagine a narrow british green car in the ’60s. Historians will point to Innes Ireland, who won the 1961 United States Grand Prix. The most well-documented will know that a little earlier, in 1960, Sir Stirling Moss won the Monaco GP, although with a private Lotus. But the true first victory of a Lotus in Formula 1 came much earlier.

That same year, 1954, a non-championship race was held at the Davidstow circuit in Cornwall, the II Cornwall MRC Formula 1 Race, which brought together Formula 1, Formula 2 and Sport Cars under Formula 1 regulations.

John Coombs’ MK VIII, the second unit built after Colin Chapman’s, equipped with a Connaught Lea-Francis engine complied with those regulations and won the race under the rain. However, due to its status as a Sport car, it would never be recorded as an official victory in a Formula 1 race.

The Lotus ran unpainted, with its aluminum body exposed. This practice, repeated on several occasions by Colin Chapman, made Team Lotus famous for reducing the weight of the vehicle by up to 20 kg with the simple gesture of removing the paint. Sometimes sanded on track to stretch the rules.

Our slot replica is developed and manufactured entirely by hand in our workshop in a limited series of 50 units:

Lotus Mark VIII First Formula 1 victory – John Coombs 1954

September 5, 2024