On the one hand, this applied principle made the handling more stable and safer; on the other hand, the concept was also more economical and efficient in terms of production technology, as it made production of the rear axle simpler and less expensive. Only the steering behavior in the curves was more challenging. The concept of the DS gearbox was quite interesting for the resurgent motorsport and especially for Formula 1, where the engine was directly behind the driver. This shifted the weight of the engine to the rear axle and brought more traction directly to the drive of the rear wheels via the differential integrated in the transmission.
In the early 1960s, a perfection-obsessed gentleman from England approached ZF and asked for a small, reliable, and lightweight five-speed transmission for his Formula 1 operation. Colin Chapman had been aware of the transmission specialist on Lake Constance for some time. His Elite sports car model was equipped with ZF S 4-12 four-speed transmissions, and he also used ZF self-locking differentials. On top of that, Chapman was already experimenting with ZF gears and transmission components in the Type 12 Formula 2 car. He ordered individual parts, which were then assembled in England to form a sequential manual transmission, known as the Lotus Queerbox.