Greatest Racecar? Sir Stirling Moss’ Lotus 18-Climax 1960–61

We have had this conversation before! When you get asked a question about your greatest drive, or greatest race or the greatest racecar, you always have to qualify it. I have had cars that did well that I hated, and cars that never won but were great to drive. Some cars were fun to race, and others definitely were not.

When Colin Chapman produced his first rear-engine Lotus 18, I had become what I termed a “mature” driver. I had driven a wide range of cars by then and could adapt to new ideas and new layouts. When I first saw the Lotus 18 in the early days of 1960, I knew there would be a big change and that it wouldn’t be long before the Rob Walker Cooper I was driving would be outdated. Colin had spent a lot of time with the Lotus 16, the front-engine car, which was very complex, and simply not a match for the Coopers. When Colin finally moved to rear engine, we knew he would produce something that would be quick.