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Lotus 99 - the first of its kind

Name: Lotus 99 1987
Brand: Lotus

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Created on June 2, 2021

Text:

Daniel Reinhard

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

Lotus 99 (1987) - Ayrton Senna at the wheel at the 1987 Monaco Grand Prix

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Lotus 99 (1987) - bright yellow with Camel paintwork

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Lotus 99 (1987) - with carbon fiber monocoque

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Lotus 99 (1987) - a sensation at the time

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Lotus 99 (1987) - When racing cars still showed comparatively understandable shapes

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Lotus 99 (1987) - The suspension was electronically controlled for the first time

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Lotus 99 (1987) - The workplace of Senna and Nakajima

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Lotus 99 (1987) - badge with chassis and engine number

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Lotus 99 (1987) - As a result of completely flat and broken tires, the racer had to be put on the rollers.

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Lotus 99 (1987) - The suspension thinks for itself

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Lotus 99 (1987) - bright yellow with blue camel

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Lotus 99 (1987) - The suspension was highly complex for the time

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Lotus 99 (1987) - An unwelcome sight for opponents in the race

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Lotus 99 (1987) - The legend is pushed out of the cellar with manpower

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Lotus 99 (1987) - Racing legend and prefabricated building

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Lotus 99 (1987) - A sight that local residents will probably not have again so soon

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Lotus 99 (1987) - Mono steering wheel and gear stick, that's how it should be!

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Lotus 99 (1987) - When people still shifted gears with one hand

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Lotus 99 (1987) - When a racing legend is on the road, public transport has to wait.

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Lotus 99 (1987) - Don't worry, the car won't go to the dump

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Lotus 99 (1987) - And off to the trailer

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Lotus 99 (1987) - Done, the car has been loaded safely

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Lotus 99 (1987) - A beautiful era in F-1 history

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Lotus 99 (1987) - With Nakajima at the wheel

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Lotus 99 (1987) - Senna in practice for the 1987 Monaco GP at the Mirabeau corner

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Lotus 99 (1987) - Nakajima at the wheel at the 1987 Monaco Grand Prix

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Lotus 99 (1987) - Followed by a Williams

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Lotus 99 (1987) - One of two victories for the Brazilian with the Lotus 99

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Lotus 99 (1987) - Saturo Nakajima at the French GP. On the far right of the picture, computer specialist Peter Wright reading out the data.

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Summary

The Lotus 99 turned the Formula 1 world upside down in 1987. How? With an active suspension. The system was a sensation at the time and extremely innovative. However, the racing car failed to achieve great success - only two victories in the hands of Ayrton Senna were enough. And so, unfortunately, it was largely forgotten. We took this as an opportunity to review the history of the yellow racer in this article. It is shown in many modern and historical pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

With active suspension
A third victory just missed
The computer takes over
Getting on in years

Estimated reading time: 5min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The Lotus 99 is a monoposto that has been somewhat unjustly forgotten. The bright yellow Camel car was used for racing in the 1987 Formula 1 season. It was designed by Gérard Ducarouge and Martin Ogilvie. The drivers were Satoru Nakajima and Ayrton Senna. In the two drivers' 32 starts, Senna scored two victories (Monaco and USA), three fastest race laps and one pole position. The carbon-fiber monocoque was powered by the Honda engine. The year before, Lotus had still been driving with Renault power, and the switch to Honda was linked to the signing of Japanese driver Satoru Nakajima. The absolute novelty and sensation of the car at the time, however, was the active suspension favored by Peter Warr and Ayrton Senna. It essentially consisted of a hydraulic system connected to the suspension, which was controlled by various sensors via a computer.

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