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The Lotus 99T was designed by Gérard Ducarouge for the 1987 Formula One season. Lotus signed a deal with Honda for use of their hugely powerful turbocharged 1500cc engine. As part of the deal, Lotus agreed to sign Satoru Nakajima as team mate to the mercurial Ayrton Senna. John Player Special were replaced by Camel as title sponsor.
The 99T was the first Lotus chassis to be fitted with electronic active suspension which added significant weight to the car and also robbed the Honda turbo of some power. Ducarouge clawed as much performance back by spending many hours in the wind tunnel to compensate.
The 99T proved to be competitive at the hands of Senna, who won twice and scored six other podium finishes during the season. This helped him and the team to third in the drivers’ and constructors’ championship. Senna also provided a poignant footnote that season, as his win at the United States Grand Prix was the final Grand Prix win for Team Lotus before his move to McLaren in 1988. |
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