*** Welcome to piglix ***

Lotus 100T

Lotus 100T
Lotus 100T Honda Collection.jpg
Category Formula One
Constructor Team Lotus
Designer(s) Gérard Ducarouge
Martin Ogilvie
Predecessor Lotus 99T
Successor Lotus 101
Technical specifications
Chassis Carbon fibre and Kevlar monocoque
Suspension (front) double wishbones, coil springs
Suspension (rear) double wishbones, coil springs
Axle track Front: 1,798 mm (71 in)
Rear: 1,651 mm (65 in)
Wheelbase 2,776 mm (109 in)
Engine Honda RA168-E, 1,494 cc (91.2 cu in), 80° V6, turbo (2.5 bar limited), mid-engine, longitudinally mounted
Transmission Lotus-Hewland 6-Speed manual
Weight 540 kg (1,190.5 lb)
Fuel Elf
Tyres Goodyear
Competition history
Notable entrants Camel Team Lotus Honda
Notable drivers 1. Brazil Nelson Piquet
2. Japan Satoru Nakajima
Debut 1988 Brazilian Grand Prix
Races Wins Podiums Poles F.Laps
16 0 3 0 0
Constructors' Championships 0
Drivers' Championships 0

The Lotus 100T was a Formula One car designed by Gérard Ducarouge and Martin Ogilvie for Team Lotus, and used during the 1988 Formula One season. The 100T was an update of the previous Lotus 99T model; technically the car was virtually unchanged, except for redesigned nose and rear bodywork. The car was powered by the same, 640 bhp (477 kW; 649 PS), 1.5L turbocharged Honda V6 engine that powered the McLaren team to 15 wins in 16 races in 1988. The car was driven by reigning World Champion Nelson Piquet, and Japanese driver Satoru Nakajima.

Unlike its predecessor, the 100T wasn't fitted with electronic active suspension, still an advanced system despite having been introduced on the 99T at the insistence of 1987 lead driver Ayrton Senna who was looking for an advantage. Lotus felt that the weight of the system (approx 25kg or 55lb), along with the Honda having lost around 300 bhp (224 kW; 304 PS) from 1987's figures thanks to the FIA's lowering of the turbo boost limit from 4.0 bar to 2.5 bar, the further loss of approximately 5% of engine power to run the active system was not worth it and reverted to a conventional suspension setup with dampers supplied by Bilstein. However, with the loss of Senna to McLaren, and despite signing triple and reigning World Champion Nelson Piquet as his replacement, Lotus were very much an also-ran team during much of 1988. Piquet picked up a number of points, including three third-placed finishes, during the season, but the car's lack of ultimate speed resulted in Lotus's first season without a win or pole position since 1981. Indeed, when Nakajima failed to qualify the car at Monaco, it became the first (and only) F1 car powered by a Honda turbo engine which failed to qualify for a race. Nakajima actually failed to qualify twice in 1988, also failing to make the grid in Detroit.


...
Wikipedia

...