This article is from the Motorsport FAQ, by A H Henry bspahh@midge.bath.ac.uk with numerous contributions by others.
Lotus cars have each have a type number. These are also allocated to
projects from outside F1. This means that there can be gaps between
successive F1 models (eg 102, 107 and 109). The 108 is the carbon fibre
bicycle which Chris Boardman used in the 1992 Olympics.
Ferrari seems to change their numbering scheme every couple of years.
All the F1 cars have internal project numbers like 639, 641 etc. The
latest 412T1 number signifies a car with a 4 valve per cylinder, 12
cylinder engine.
 
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