Lotus 88
_(22277525756).jpg) Lotus 88B |
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| Constructor: |
 lotus
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| Designer: |
Colin Chapman Peter Wright |
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| Predecessor: | Lotus 87 | ||||||||
| Successor: | Lotus 91 | ||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||
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| Chassis: | Composite fiber monocoque (twin chassis) | ||||||||
| Wheelbase: | 2718 mm | ||||||||
| Weight: | 585 kg | ||||||||
| Tires: |
Michelin (Brazil, Argentina) Goodyear (Great Britain) |
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| statistics | |||||||||
| Driver: |
 Elio de Angelis Nigel Mansell
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| World Cup points: | - | ||||||||
| Podiums: | - | ||||||||
| Leadership laps: | - | ||||||||
The Lotus 88 was a Formula 1 racing car from the British racing team Lotus , which was supposed to be used in the 1981 Formula 1 season , but was declared illegal by the officials.
Technical specifications
According to the regulations, wing cars were banned for the 1981 Formula 1 season . However, the corresponding passage in French only said that every aerodynamic part of the car had to be completely connected to the chassis. However, it was unclear whether the word chassis was singular or plural. Taking advantage of this gray area, Chapman and Wright began to design a new racing car.
The Lotus 88 consisted of two nested and largely independently spring-loaded twin chassis parts (double chassis), each made of synthetic resin reinforced with carbon and aramid fibers . The so-called inner primary chassis comprised the cockpit as well as the engine and transmission unit of the vehicle, while the outer secondary chassis with the side skirts regulated the air flow. Both chassis were connected by springs. With increasing speed, the air flow pressed the secondary chassis with the side skirts attached to it against the road, generating a high suction effect that allowed the vehicle to take higher cornering speeds. The tunnels under the car extended from the beginning of the side pods to the rear. The traction produced was so high that the front wing could largely be dispensed with entirely and the rear wing only consisted of a simple end plate. Conversely, the vehicle straightened up again at lower speeds.
And this kind of "flexibility" was the reason why Ferrari and Williams protested against the approval of the vehicle at the debut of the Lotus 88 in Rio de Janeiro , in particular because this would mean that the prescribed minimum distance between the chassis and the road of no less than 60 mm would be well undercut which is a clear violation of the regulations. This requirement was met by the Lotus 88, but only when the car was stationary. After a technical check of the racing car by the officials, the allegation was confirmed, the Lotus 88 was declared illegal and Elio de Angelis's Friday practice times were canceled. He and Nigel Mansell competed in the subsequent race - there was no second Lotus 88 available for him - in a Lotus 81.
After another exclusion of the Lotus 88 at the Argentine Grand Prix , Chapman revised his vehicle and entered the British Grand Prix with a revised B version. The modifications primarily concerned additional fastening struts between the two chassis in order to negate the accusation of "flexibility". In addition, Chapman had the RAC certify the car's legality. The Lotus 88B then passed the technical inspection for the race without any problems, but was again declared illegal by the FISA after renewed protests by the other teams . Chapman then openly spoke of manipulation, but refrained from further legal action.
Both versions of the Lotus 88 were powered by a Ford-Cosworth water-cooled eight-cylinder V-engine with a 90 ° bank angle and a displacement of 2993 cm³. At a speed of around 11,000 rpm, it developed around 490 hp (360 kW). The manually shiftable, longitudinally installed Lotus-Hewland gearbox had five forward gears and one reverse gear. The track width of the vehicle was 1778 mm at the front and 1600 mm at the rear. The tank held 182 liters.
sponsor
The team's main sponsors were the oil company Essex and the Swiss watch manufacturer Tissot .
literature
- Anthony Pritchard: Lotus: The Competition Cars-All the Racing Type Numbers from 1947 to the Modern Era , Haynes Publishing Sparkford 2006, ISBN 978-1-84425-006-6 , pp. 179 f., 255.
- Ulrich Schwab: Grand Prix. The races for the 1981 Automobile World Championship , Motorbuch Verlag Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 978-3-87943-821-1 , pp. 24, 52.
Web links
- Lotus 88 - Illegal double-decker as a GP phantom. (motorsport-magazin.com)
- Formula 1 legends in Suzuka. The mysterious Lotus 88 in detail. (www.auto-motor-und-sport.de)
Racing car from the 1981 Formula 1 World Championship