No Torque, More Power.(News)

Byline: MATT DAVIS

During a fitting of the all-conquering and record-setting Lotus 119c "streamliner'' at this year's Goodwood Festival soapbox race, a woman's voice on the hand-held radio said, "Well, cut off his feet!'' That was clearly one option. Why? The chance to drive any of the three carbon fiber-monocoque racers assembled for a flirt with gravity would not be missed.

For the past three years Lotus has been involved in the Gravity Racing Club's Soapbox Challenge at Goodwood. Teams of mechanical engineering students in Lotus' two-year apprenticeship program lead the project.

Fancy soapboxes can cost dough. The original Lotus 119 "roadster'' cost nearly $135,000 to build over nine months in 2001 and 2002. The stunning yellow 119b roadster, also with nine months' gestation, ran a tab of nearly $165,000 that included wind-tunnel time. The 119c, in fewer but stronger 2004 pound sterling, cost $170,000.

This is the first time the three 'boxes have run together. Open the forward shell to ease entry and the lid will not close over mighty American knees, so black electrician's tape to the rescue. The total weight limit for any official entry is 297.62 pounds. More low-lying ballast is always best and the original 119 weighs just 77 pounds with the lead out and 165 pounds with it in. The 132-some remaining pounds are flesh, bone, motorcycle jacket and open-face helmet.

Off we go down a steep, right-hand-banked turn that opens onto the United Kingdom's old Millbrook Proving Grounds' mile-long straight. The heavily cambered 20x1.1-inch Continental Grand Prix GP28407 tires make aiming the 119 guesswork-free and, when steering at cones set out at the bottom of the hill, turn-in is immediate and requires minute movements of the minute steering wheel. There are two pedals. Pressing the right-side one moves an 88-pound lead weight to the left on left-hand turns, while the left pedal hoists it to the right. (The team refers to this as the AMD, or Active Mass ...