Early aerodynamic ace who also designed aeroplanes. Designed over 40 cars, but is perhaps best known for his Lotus sportscars. Brother of Cosworth's Mike, Frank died of cancer. Costin was an engineer at the de Havilland Aircraft Company in Hatfield, when Mike, who had left de Havilland to go into racing, asked him to design an aerodynamic body for a racing car. This led to Costin quickly becoming one of the forerunners and innovators of monocoque chassis design. Frank later worked for Lotus, Lister and Maserati and also formed his own company with Jem Marsh, Marcos. Away from racing, Frank designed an ultra-light glider with Keith Duckworth, played the piano and enjoyed swimming, having being a champion in his youth in the sport.

Biography last updated 11 Dec 2016