Lotus-Pratt & Whitney

Lotus-Pratt & Whitney was a unique, short-lived collaboration between Colin Chapman's Team Lotus and the American engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney. Active for just a single season in 1971, their most notable innovation was the experimental Lotus 56B, a gas turbine-powered car adapted from the Lotus 56 IndyCar. While ambitious and visually distinctive, the turbine engine's characteristics, such as its power delivery lag and high fuel consumption, proved ill-suited for Grand Prix racing, limiting its competitiveness despite the team's engineering prowess. The project represented a fascinating, albeit ultimately unsuccessful, attempt to push the technological boundaries of Formula 1.