Lotus 87

Lotus 87

Category	Formula One
Constructor	Lotus
Designer(s)	Colin Chapman (Technical Director) Martin Ogilvie (Chief Designer) Peter Wright (Aerodynamics)
Predecessor	81 / 86
Successor	88 / 91
Technical specifications[1][2]
Chassis	Carbon fibre and kevlar monocoque
Axle track	1,778 mm (70.0 in) front, 1,600 mm (63 in) rear
Wheelbase	2,705 mm (106.5 in)
Engine	Ford Cosworth DFV, 2,998 cc (183 cu in), V8, NA, mid-mounted
Transmission	Hewland FGA 400 5-speed manual gearbox
Weight	587 kg (1,294 lb)
Fuel	Essex (1981) Valvoline (1982)
Tyres	Michelin (1981) Goodyear (1981-1982)
Competition history
Notable entrants	Team Essex Lotus John Player Team Lotus
Notable drivers	Elio de Angelis Nigel Mansell
Debut	1981 Monaco Grand Prix
Races Wins Podiums Poles F.Laps 11 0 0 0 0

The Lotus 87 was a Formula One racing car used by Team Lotus in the second part of the 1981 Formula One season and in the first race of the 1982 season.

The car, driven by Italian Elio de Angelis and future world champion Nigel Mansell, was another step in Lotus' development of ground effect cars. Its predecessor, the Lotus 81 had proven to suffer from a chassis that was not rigid enough, compared to the dominant Williams FW07. Lotus therefore introduced a new chassis, built out of carbon fibre and reinforced by kevlar sheets, since the team felt carbon fibre alone would not be sufficient to provide the chassis with the stability needed. As the John Barnard-designed McLaren MP4/1 would prove, this was a miscalculation. The chassis was originally planned for the ambitious twin-chassis Lotus 88, but after the car was outlawed, it was hastily rebuilt to become the more conservative 87. The car was not competitive enough to fight for victories, even though the drivers did manage to get some points. When the new turbo charged engines of Renault and Ferrari became more reliable, the car proved to be yet still too heavy and was replaced by a lighter 87B specification for the opening round of 1982.^[2] It was subsequently replaced altogether by the Lotus 91, which proved more competitive, recording a podium in its first outing in Brazil.

Formula One World Championship results

(key)

* Of these, 13 points were scored with the 87. During the season Lotus switched from Michelin to Goodyear tyres.
** No points scored with the 87B.

References

Team Lotus
Founder Colin Chapman Noted personnel Frank Dernie Gérard Ducarouge Maurice Philippe Peter Warr Peter Wright Len Terry World Champions Mario Andretti Jim Clark Emerson Fittipaldi Graham Hill Jochen Rindt Other notable drivers Elio de Angelis Martin Donnelly Mika Häkkinen Johnny Herbert Jacky Ickx Nigel Mansell Satoru Nakajima Gunnar Nilsson Ronnie Peterson Nelson Piquet Carlos Reutemann Ayrton Senna John Surtees Derek Warwick Alex Zanardi Drivers' titles 1963 1965 1968 1970 1972 1978 Constructors' titles 1963 1965 1968 1970 1972 1973 1978 Formula One cars 12 16 18 21 24 25 33 43 49 56B 63 72 76 77 78 79 80 81 86 87 88 91 92 93T 94T 95T 97T 98T 99T 100T 101 102 107 109 112 Formula Two cars 12 16 18 32 35 41 44 48 59 69 Formula Three cars 22 31 35 41 55 59 69 Formula Junior cars 18 20 22 27 Formula Ford cars 51 59 61 69 Formula 5000 cars 68 70 Tasman Series cars 32 39 67 Indianapolis 500 cars 29 34 38 42 56 64 96T Sports racing cars 15 17 19 23 30 40 47 53