![]() The concept had started with the earlier Type 78, the first ‘wing’ car where Lotus founder Colin Chapman started to explore the potential of reducing drag and maximising downforce to achieve race-winning performance. Race cars today are as they are because of this innovative Lotus. However, that simple fact ignores its significance as one of the most pioneering race cars of all time, one which fundamentally changed the core principles of motorsport engineering. The black and gold Type 79 is the car in which Mario Andretti and Lotus won the 1978 Formula 1 Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships respectively. Lotus Global Sports Car Production Facility (Hethel).Lotus Global EV Production Facility (Wuhan). ![]() That proved to be decisive in Mario Andretti’s attempt to win the title in 1977. The car became faster but much more unreliable what result with five engine failures. Rival cars were much faster than Lotus 78, so developed version of Ford Cosworth engine was delivered to the team. ![]() Lotus 78 was developed over the 1977 seasonĪfter the first tests were done, it was found that the car needs huge rear wing as the low-pressure area under the car was found to be too far forward. Conventional wings were fitted both front and rear for the stability at high-speed. ![]() Chapman applied this solution after being inspired by Mosquito fighter bomber aircraft constructed by de Havilland. On the both sides of the driver’s compartment, full-length side pods with the radiators created more ground effect. The honeycomb monocoque was very slim and light but because of that and increased stress created by ground effects, the car was hard to handle. This low-pressure zone was sealed on both sides by a vertically movable skirt to maintain a slight contact with the track at all times. With a wing profile on the floor, the air under the car was accelerated, resulting in a low-pressure area. ![]()
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