After the disappointment of his innovative Lotus 88, which was not admitted by the Federation for being deemed non-compliant with regulations, Colin Chapman had to rely on the Lotus 87 single-seater to complete the 1981 season. The Lotus engineering team, led by Chapman and consisting of Martin Ogilvie, Tony Rudd, and Peter Wright, used the carbon and Kevlar monocoque chassis of the “88” to replace that of the previous “81,” which suffered from a lack of rigidity, especially when compared to the top competitors, Williams and Brabham.
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| LOTUS 87, Nigel Mansell Österreichring, Austrian GP 1981 |
However, the addition of Kevlar sheets made the chassis less resistant to stress, as demonstrated by McLaren's monocoque, which was made entirely of carbon fiber, combining greater rigidity with improved design flexibility. The mechanics of the Lotus 87 closely followed those of the previous “81,” featuring the classic Ford-Cosworth DFV V8 engine and the Hewland FGA 400 five-speed gearbox. It had a wheelbase of 2705 mm and a weight of 587 kg.
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| LOTUS 87, Elio de Angelis Monza, Italian GP 1981 |
To compensate for the loss of downforce caused by the new regulations, which required cars to have a minimum ground clearance of 6 cm—thus banning sliding skirts—Lotus resorted to the use of rather large wing surfaces, especially at the front, where a full-width overhanging wing was often applied. The shape of the Lotus 87 remained relatively smooth, adopting the short and rounded nose of the “88,” while the side pods became larger again. However, they retained what would later become a defining characteristic of all single-seaters in the following years: the bottle-neck shape, with the side panels narrowing inside the rear track rather than extending in front of the wheels.
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| LOTUS 87, Nigel Mansell Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1981 |
With the return of the historic sponsor John Player Special, Lotus once again sported the stunning black and gold livery that had characterized the team for many years. However, for the Monaco Grand Prix, the blue and red livery of the other sponsor, Essex, was reinstated. Hastily designed, the “87” proved to be uncompetitive, mainly due to its excessive weight, despite the use of carbon fiber and Kevlar.
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| LOTUS 87, Nigel Mansell Silverstone, British GP 1981 |
The car made its debut at the Monaco Grand Prix, the sixth race of the championship, driven during the season by the two main drivers, Elio de Angelis and Nigel Mansell. However, they only managed a few placements without ever reaching the podium, scoring a total of 13 points. When combined with the 9 points obtained in the first part of the championship with the “81,” this allowed the British team to finish the championship in seventh place.
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