Lotus 91
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Martin Ogilvie (Chief Designer)
John Davis (Head of Aerodynamics and R&D)
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| Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Lotus | ||||||||||
| Designers | Colin Chapman (Technical Director) Martin Ogilvie (Chief Designer) John Davis (Head of Aerodynamics and R&D) | ||||||||||
| Predecessor | 87B | ||||||||||
| Successor | 92 | ||||||||||
| Technical specifications[2] | |||||||||||
| Chassis | Carbon fibre and Kevlar monocoque | ||||||||||
| Engine | Cosworth DFV, 2,993 cc (182.6 cu in), 90° V8, NA, mid-engine, longitudinally-mounted | ||||||||||
| Transmission | Lotus / Hewland 5-speed manual | ||||||||||
| Power | 480 hp (357.9 kW) @ 11,000 rpm[3] | ||||||||||
| Fuel | Valvoline | ||||||||||
| Tyres | Pirelli Goodyear | ||||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||||
| Notable entrants | John Player Team Lotus | ||||||||||
| Notable drivers | 11.  Elio de Angelis12.  Nigel Mansell12.  Roberto Moreno12. Geoff Lees | ||||||||||
| Debut | 1982 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
The Lotus 91 was a car used by the English team Lotus in the 1982 Formula One season, designed by Colin Chapman, Martin Ogilvie and Tony Rudd.
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 Williams FW07 and Lotus' own 88 design. Powered by 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]
