Race Cars and Motorsports

Charles Lucas Engineering Ltd (no relation to the electrical parts supplier) designed their Titan MkIII to compete with Brabham and Lotus in the then-hot Formula Three class. At was a great car, but the class would soon fade in popularity because Formula Ford offered almost comparable performance with much more cost effective engines and tires. No matter! The Titan design was quickly updated and re-released for Formula Ford. Ultimately, the company built about 380 Formula Fords. Particularly on North American racetracks, Titans were some of the most competitive cars of the early 1970s.

Before I publish articles on those Formula Fords, it only makes sense to feature an early Titan. Here's a real nice one:
Bill Bovenizer's 1968 Titan MkIII (updated with a Lotus Twin Cam for Formula B)






There are interesting details on all these different old racecars. One unusual thing about the early Titans is that the company preferred to use Lockheed brake parts where pretty much everyone else used Girling parts. Check out the brake calipers on this car - they're magnesium instead of aluminum! (In the new Formula Ford class, iron brake calipers were specifically mandated to keep costs down.)


Coming up soon: an important McLaren F1 car!