Lotus 80

Lotus 80

Category	Formula One
Constructor	Team Lotus
Designer(s)	Colin Chapman Martin Ogilvie Peter Wright Tony Rudd
Predecessor	Lotus 79
Successor	Lotus 81
Technical specifications
Chassis	Aluminium monocoque
Suspension (front)	Lower wishbone and upper rocker-arms, with inboard coilover spring / damper units
Suspension (rear)	Lower wishbone and upper rocker-arms, with inboard coilover spring / damper units
Axle track	Front: 70 in (1,778 mm) Rrea: 64 in (1,626 mm)
Wheelbase	108 in (2,743 mm)
Engine	Ford-Cosworth DFV 2,993 cc (182.6 cu in) 90° V8 NA, mid-engine, longitudinally mounted
Transmission	Lotus / Hewland FGA400 5-speed
Weight	625 kg (1,378 lb)
Fuel	Essex
Tyres	Goodyear
Competition history
Notable entrants	Martini Racing Team Lotus
Notable drivers	1. Mario Andretti
Debut	1979 Spanish Grand Prix
Races Wins Podiums Poles F.Laps 3 0 1 0 0
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	0
n.b. Unless otherwise stated, all data refer to Formula One World Championship Grands Prix only.

The Lotus 80 was a Formula One car used by Team Lotus in 1979. The car, designed by Colin Chapman, Martin Ogilvie, Peter Wright and Tony Rudd was an attempt to take ground effect as far as possible.

Design

Ogilvie and Rudd reasoned that to take a further step ahead of the competition, the new car should be designed as one huge ground effect system, starting just behind the nose and extending all the way to the back of the car beyond the rear wheels. An additional ground effect system was built into the nose, in an effort to turn the whole chassis into an aerodynamic device. In theory this would create a tremendous amount of downforce, so the chassis would have to be built to be more structurally rigid than that of the Lotus 79. The 80 also would not need wings due to the massive downforce. Chapman approved the idea at once.

The car appeared resplendent in British racing green, since John Player Special had pulled out of F1. The car featured 'coke bottle' sidepods, something that would become familiar in the 1980s. However, a serious problem was encountered during testing. Mario Andretti reported that at speed the car behaved very well, but in braking and cornering, where speeds were lower, the car lost downforce alarmingly then regained it unexpectedly. It was discovered the car was generating too much downforce for the driver to cope with. The problem was twofold: firstly, the ground effect's low pressure area under the car was moving around with the car's centre of gravity. The phenomenon was known as porpoising, as the car appeared to be lifting and squatting at different speeds, causing it to lurch violently through corners. Secondly, the slightest difference in track ride height including off cambered corners, kerbs, etc. affected the undercar pressure hugely. The team experimented by fitting the car with wings, but this had little effect on the way the car behaved. Andretti persevered with the car, but his new team mate Carlos Reutemann refused to drive it and stayed with the Lotus 79.

Competition history

Chapman eventually had to admit the 80 was not the wondercar he had planned, and after a reasonable third place for Andretti in the 1979 Spanish Grand Prix,^[1] the problems with the Lotus 80 became obvious in Monaco^[2] and France.^[3] The Lotus 79 was modified and pressed back into service.

It was a massive setback for the team, and for the car which had appeared so promising, however Chapman persevered with the concept of a full length ground effect chassis in the Lotus 88.

Lotus 80

Complete Formula One results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Points	WCC
1979	Martini Racing Team Lotus	Ford Cosworth DFV	G		ARG	BRA	RSA	USW	ESP	BEL	MON	FRA	GBR	GER	AUT	NED	ITA	CAN	USA	39*	4th
				Mario Andretti					3		Ret	Ret

* Only 4 of the 39 points were scored with the Lotus 80; the remainder were scored with the Lotus 79

References

Footnotes

1. "Grand Prix results, Spanish GP 1979". grandprix.com. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
2. "Grand Prix results, Monaco GP 1979". grandprix.com. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
3. "Grand Prix results, French GP 1979". grandprix.com. Retrieved 20 December 2015.

Sources

• Walsh, M. (June 1998). "Seat of Power". Classic & Sports Car 4 (17): 88–93.
• "Lotus 80 (1979)". www.jpslotus.org. Retrieved 2007-10-14. (Specifications.)
• Lotus 80 (article, photos, technical details and results)
• Lotus 80 (scanned launch photos and comments, in context of ground effect story)