Geoghegan, at the wheel of his Lotus 39, during the 1969 season where he and the car won the Japanese Grand Prix. Photo: Autopics.com.au
Greatest Racecars

Greatest Racecar? Lotus 39

SportsCarDigest

Throughout my racing career I drove 11 different Lotus racing cars, but without doubt the most significant was the Lotus 39, the car that I used between 1967 and 1970.

Jim Clark had used it in the 1966 Tasman Series winning the Warwick Farm round. I had been using a Lotus 32 with a 1.5-liter Ford engine, as part of the Total Team. Come the end of the series, it seemed like a logical step to move up to the 39, especially as it came with a 2.5-liter Climax. My first year with the car in ’67 was very successful with a 5th at Warwick Farm and a very satisfying 2nd at Sandown behind Jim Clark.

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Steve Natale has been playing with cars ever since he was old enough to first hold a matchbox car in his hand. A lifelong enthusiast of anything old with an engine in it or wheels on it, Steve has been active in the hobby for over 35 years. Currently he owns a successful marketing company with his wife Mary, is an automotive photographer, blogger and writer for several automotive magazines and regular contributor to various automotive websites. Steve has attended vintage car events and visited car museums and collections around the world.
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