Lotus 77

Lotus 77 (John Player Special Mk.II)

Category	Formula One
Constructor	Team Lotus
Designer(s)	Colin Chapman Geoff Aldridge Martin Ogilvie
Predecessor	72 / 76
Successor	78
Technical specifications
Chassis	Aluminium monocoque
Suspension (front)	Lower wishbone, top rocker.
Suspension (rear)	Single lower link with double, parallel upper. Twin radius rods.
Engine	Ford-Cosworth DFV 2993cc V8, naturally aspirated, mid-mounted.
Transmission	Hewland FG400 5-speed manual.
Tyres	Goodyear
Competition history
Notable entrants	John Player Team Lotus
Notable drivers	Mario Andretti Gunnar Nilsson Ronnie Peterson (one race)
Debut	1976 Brazilian Grand Prix
Races Wins Podiums Poles F.Laps 16 1 5 1 1
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	0

The Lotus 77 was a Formula One racing car designed by Colin Chapman, Geoff Aldridge and Martin Ogilvie for the 1976 Formula One season. The car was a stop-gap means to an end for Lotus, who were fighting back after the failure of the Lotus 76 and the obsolescence of the Lotus 72 in 1975.

The Lotus 77 featured a slimmer, lighter monocoque design over the 72, but was similarly powered by the Cosworth DFV. It featured improved aerodynamics and repositioned radiators to aid better cooling. The front brakes were initially inboard, in line with its predecessors, but were moved outboard in a more conventional design part-way through the season. The suspension was designed around a series of rocker arms instead of the usual set up of wishbones. The idea behind the new system was to set the suspension up for a specific track, taking into account ride height and road surface, and the 77 was dubbed 'The Adjustacar' as a result. It worked in a fashion, but inexperience with such an infinitely adjustable car meant that optimum settings were often not achieved. Drivers Mario Andretti and Gunnar Nilsson reported the steering and ride were occasionally vague and unresponsive and that the car lacked straight-line speed. Andretti did not care for the car, proclaiming it to be a 'dog.' This motivated Lotus to accelerate research and create the Lotus 78. Andretti skipped the Monaco Grand Prix to race in the Indianapolis 500.

Lotus 77 in an exhibition

Front end of the Lotus 77

After a slow start to the season, the 77 proved to be best of the rest behind Ferrari, McLaren and Tyrrell. Andretti worked hard to develop the car, and from mid season onwards, the 77's performance picked up. It was however best suited to tracks with long corners such as Anderstorp, where Andretti led easily before engine failure put him out. At Zandvoort and Mosport Park tracks he finished on the podium.

Colin Chapman vetoed Andretti's request to race the Lotus 78 at Zandvoort, so Mario reluctantly raced the 77 until the end of the season. The final race was run in monsoon conditions at Fuji Speedway in Japan. Andretti drove a clever tactical race to win by a lap from Patrick Depailler and new world champion James Hunt. Andretti was glad to put the 77 aside to concentrate on developing the 78 for the 1977 Formula One season.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key) (Results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap.)

References

• Franey, Matthew. 1999. Turning Point. Motor Sport, 75/1 (January 1999), 78-85
• Tipler, John (2003). Lotus 78 and 79: The Ground Effects Cars. The Crowood Press Ltd. ISBN 978-1-86126-586-9. 
• "Car Model: Lotus 77". ChicaneF1.com. Retrieved 2007-08-01. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lotus 77.

Team Lotus
Founder Colin Chapman Noted personnel Frank Dernie Gérard Ducarouge Maurice Philippe Peter Warr Peter Wright Len Terry World Champions Mario Andretti Jim Clark Emerson Fittipaldi Graham Hill Jochen Rindt Other notable drivers Elio de Angelis Martin Donnelly Mika Häkkinen Johnny Herbert Jacky Ickx Nigel Mansell Satoru Nakajima Gunnar Nilsson Ronnie Peterson Nelson Piquet Carlos Reutemann Ayrton Senna John Surtees Derek Warwick Alex Zanardi Drivers' titles 1963 1965 1968 1970 1972 1978 Constructors' titles 1963 1965 1968 1970 1972 1973 1978 Formula One cars 12 16 18 21 24 25 33 43 49 56B 63 72 76 77 78 79 80 81 86 87 88 91 92 93T 94T 95T 97T 98T 99T 100T 101 102 107 109 112 Formula Two cars 12 16 18 32 35 41 44 48 59 69 Formula Three cars 22 31 35 41 55 59 69 Formula Junior cars 18 20 22 27 Formula Ford cars 51 59 61 69 Formula 5000 cars 68 70 Tasman Series cars 32 39 67 Indianapolis 500 cars 29 34 38 42 56 64 96T Sports racing cars 15 17 19 23 30 40 47 53