VOTE: FINAL! Best Looking 1960s F1 Car

  • Thread starter Liquid
  • 16 comments
  • 6,229 views

Which of these two Formula One cars is better looking?

  • Total voters
    63
  • Poll closed .
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1966-1969 Eagle T1G vs 1967-1969 Lotus 49

The Lotus breezed into the final but it's up against stiff competition in the form of the Anglo-American Eagle.

Which car will take the title of best looking car of the decade?

1966-1969 Eagle T1G

Engines: 3.0L Coventry-Climax I4, 3.0L Weslake V12
Noted Drivers: Dan Gurney, Bruce McLaren

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Dan-Gurney-9-Eagle-1967.jpg


1967-1969 Lotus 49

Important: The 49B, which debuted in 1968, is not part of this poll. This is strictly for the original, non-aero Lotus 49.

Engine: 3.0L Ford-Cosworth V8
Noted Drivers: Jim Clark, Graham Hill, John Love

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From '68 on, the Team Lotus raced the 49 in then-ground breaking commercial livery. Front wings and rear bodywork with downforce producing spoiler are seen at Monaco, 1968. A high wing was used later in '68 and '69, but so poorly engineered that it was banned all cars. Note external coolant line in pic below.
is



Lotus 49C mature looks with wings combined with spoiler above nose all trying to kill obvious lift.
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The works team won Monaco '70 with the 49C before switching over to the problematical 72.
The final appearance of the Lotus 49 was at the '71 Canadian and US GP's in the hands of American privateer Pete Lovely.


Al Pease at wheel of Eagle-Climax, 1969 Canadian GP
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Rare shot of F1 Eagle with aero devices:
 
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@Liquid Please revise the poll header to either reduce the year span of the Lotus, or include the 49B and C.
The big print giveth but the fine print taketh away.
 
Dotini
@Liquid Please revise the poll header to either reduce the year span of the Lotus, or include the 49B and C.
The big print giveth but the fine print taketh away.
Click to expand...

John Love raced a non-aero 49 in 1969.
 
Liquid
John Love raced a non-aero 49 in 1969.
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Aero wasn't the essential difference. The 49B had 3" longer wheelbase, Hewland gearbox in lieu of ZF and relocated oil radiator and maybe some subtle suspension geometry changes. These changes would be mainly indistinguishable from any but a close distance.
 
Personally I think the 49B is the best looking F1 car of all decades. The 49 not to far behind.

However I think only a few people nominated 49B, But for the most part people specifically nominated the Lotus 49 and I believe that's why @Liquid has them separate.
 
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On a Looks thing the Eagle Has it, Even though side by side it does look a bit portly next to the slim lowline Lotus...
 
The biggest problem with the Eagle was its weak and fragile Weslake V-12 engine. It definitely could hold more fuel than the 49, as big powerful V-8's were run in the same chassis for F5000, Indy 500, etc. It seemed to have much better aerodynamics, too, as it did not lift its nose at high speed like the Lotus.

Note in photo two posts up: Clark seems to be on Firestones while Gurney is on Goodyears. Do tires and wheels figure into looks? Of course they do.
 
Dotini
Al Pease at wheel of Eagle-Climax, 1969 Canadian GP
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Ah yes, the only man to be black flagged for going too slowly. An ignominious accolade for the Eagle, there.

Don't get me wrong, the Eagle is a fantastic looking car. It would be in my top 5 for 1960s but definitely after the Honda and after the Lotus, which I think is one of the finest looking open-wheelers to have ever graced a racetrack.
 
The 60's were a fabulous era of fantastic change. In 1960 we had cars like the Aston Martin and Scarab which resembled GP racers from the 1930's. By 1969 we had vehicles like the Lotus 63, rear-engined, fat-tired, wedge-shaped, fore and aft wings, which resembled cars yet to come in the 1970's. Looks were all over the map! Livery went from national colors to garish commercial paints and designs.

I would have preferred to do these sort of "best-looking" polls not by decade, but by formula era or some other means which allows finer discrimination between more closely matched candidates. Comparing a delicate '61 1.5 liter Ferrari with wire wheels to a 3 liter beast with wings and big tires is not satisfying, and leaving too much off the table and unsaid.

Another issue is the driver. At the beginning of the decade, you could see the handsome mug of Phil Hill, the stern visage of Graham Hill, and appreciate seeing the driver fully at work with his face showing. Full-face helmets buried deep in the cockpits of course are less aesthetically satisfying.
 
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Ryk
View attachment 540872

On a Looks thing the Eagle Has it, Even though side by side it does look a bit portly next to the slim lowline Lotus...
Click to expand...

This photo sort of won me over into choosing the Lotus. From the front, the Eagle looks top notch with the arrowed nose, but from the side it looks a bit awkward. The lotus just looks so much better side on with how low it looks.
 
A hard fought battle, not quite as close as the Eagle's semi-final against the Honda, but relief for the Eagle's fans who have been championing its case from the very start.

The Best Looking F1 Car Of The 1960s: Eagle T1G
2nd Best Looking F1 Car Of The 1960s: Lotus 49

Thanks for voting. 👍
 
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Liquid
A hard fought battle, not quite as close as the Eagle's semi-final against the Honda, but relief for the Eagle's fans who have been championing its case from the very start.

The Best Looking F1 Car Of The 1960s: Honda T1G
2nd Best Looking F1 Car Of The 1960s: Lotus 49

Thanks for voting. 👍
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Honda T1G? :ouch:
 

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