Lotus 91

Lotus 91
	John Player Team Lotus
Notable drivers	11. Elio de Angelis; 12. Nigel Mansell; 12. Roberto Moreno; 12. Geoff Lees
Debut	1982 Brazilian Grand Prix
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	0

The Lotus 91 was a car used by the English team

1982 Formula One season, designed by Colin Chapman, Martin Ogilvie and Tony Rudd

.

Design

After several uncompetitive seasons with experimental or uncompetitive cars, Colin Chapman went back to basics and designed the Lotus 91, based in part on the

Ford Cosworth DFV

and using a standard Hewland gearbox, the 91 was uncomplicated and easy to maintain. Following Brabham's lead, the new car was the first Lotus chassis to use carbon brakes, improving braking performance considerably.

After a design study by Chapman into new composite materials, the decision was taken to build the car in

carbon fibre and Kevlar, making it, after the McLaren MP4/1 and Lotus 87, the third F1 car to race to be built from the material - the Lotus 88 not having raced before it was banned.^[4]

Under the direction of Peter Warr, the team worked hard to make the car as competitive as possible. The lightweight chassis gave the 91 a fighting chance against the far more powerful turbo engined cars and Cosworth worked on a short stroke version of the DFV purely for Lotus' use.^[5] The sidepods were full length units, extending to the very back of the car to take full advantage of the ground effect aerodynamics. However the 91 was quite pitch sensitive, making it tricky to drive.^[6] The Lotus 91 was the basis for the Lotus 92 - which pioneered active suspension in Formula 1. This suspension was revolutionary, using an on-board system to control the ride height and behaviour of the suspension, thus the Lotus 92 was the first car to be fitted with active suspension. The system was partially controlled by computers but at this early stage was mostly operated by hydro-pneumatic valves.^[7]

Racing history

1983 Formula One season

and the 91 was replaced by the first Lotus turbo car.

The 91 was the last Lotus F1 car to win a race under Colin Chapman's rule before he died of a heart attack on 16 December 1982.^[9]

Complete Formula One results

(key)

Year	Team	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Pts.	WCC
1982	John Player Team Lotus	NA	G		RSA	BRA	USW	SMR	BEL	MON	DET	CAN	NED	GBR	FRA	GER	AUT	SUI	ITA	CPL	30	5th
				Nigel Mansell		3	7		Ret	4	Ret	Ret		Ret		9	Ret	8	7	Ret
				Elio de Angelis		Ret	5		4	5	Ret	4	Ret	4	Ret	Ret	1	6	Ret	Ret
				Roberto Moreno									DNQ
				Geoff Lees											12

References

^ MACARONI ammonite: interview with Shunsaku Tamiya - in Japanese
^ "Lotus 91". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
^ "Engine Ford Cosworth • STATS F1".
^ "1982 Lotus 91 Cosworth - Images, Specifications and Information". Ultimatecarpage.com. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
^ "Cosworth DFV – Horses for courses". Motor Sport Magazine. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
^ "Lotus 91: The F1 Car That Sticks Like Spiderman". YouTube. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
^ "Lotus Active Suspension". gglotus.org. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
^ "Type 91". Lotus Cars. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
^ "For Sale: 1982 Lotus 91". Motorsport Retro. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2019.

[1] MACARONI ammonite: interview with Shunsaku Tamiya - in Japanese

[2] "Lotus 91". www.statsf1.com. Retrieved 13 December 2019.

[3] "Engine Ford Cosworth • STATS F1".

[4] "1982 Lotus 91 Cosworth - Images, Specifications and Information". Ultimatecarpage.com. Retrieved 13 December 2019.

[5] "Cosworth DFV – Horses for courses". Motor Sport Magazine. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2019.

[6] "Lotus 91: The F1 Car That Sticks Like Spiderman". YouTube. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2022.

[7] "Lotus Active Suspension". gglotus.org. Retrieved 21 December 2019.

[8] "Type 91". Lotus Cars. Retrieved 13 December 2019.

[9] "For Sale: 1982 Lotus 91". Motorsport Retro. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2019.

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