When the Formula One engine size increased to three litres in 1966, Lotus was caught unprepared partly because of the surprising failure of the Coventry Climax 1.5-Litre FWMW Flat-16 project, which prevented Climax from developing a 3-Litre successor.
Cando o tamaño do motor da Fórmula Un aumentou a tres litros en 1966, Lotus estaba preparado en parte debido ao sorprendente fracaso do proxecto Coventry Climax 1.5-Litre FWMW Flat-16, o que impediu a Climax o desenvolvemento dun sucesor de 3 litros.