Motorsport Formula One Art Print showing Jim Clark and Graham Hill Lotus 49s versus the Brabhams of Jack Brabham and Denny Hulme by artist Richard Wheatland
Ford entered the world of Furmula One in 1967 when they financed the building of the Ford Cosworth DFV V8 engine. The engine would go on to become the most successful Grand Prix engine of all time. The first recipients of the engine were Team Lotus. Colin Chapman's team built a compact monocoque chassis that used the engine as a stressed member. His drivers, Jim Clark and Graham Hill proved fast but the cars were fragile in their first season. Here the cars leave the grid on the old Silverstone circuit, the Lotus 49s of Clark (5) and Hill (6) ahead of the Brabhams' of Jack Brabham and Denny Hulme, who would go on to win the Championship that year. The race itself was won by the Lotus 49 DFV of Jim Clark, his team mate, Graham Hill had a crash in practice necessitating a rebuild overnight, hence the different nose cone arrangement. He was also a leading contender in the race but retired with suspension failure.