For the English team founded by the late Colin Chapman, 1987 marked a turning point, as they abandoned the beautiful and iconic black and gold livery of sponsor JPS in favor of the flashy yellow of new sponsor Camel. More importantly, it was also the year they switched from Renault to Honda engines. Following the withdrawal of the French manufacturer at the end of 1986, Lotus was forced to seek a new engine supplier capable of maintaining the strong performances of recent seasons, when with Brazilian champion Ayrton Senna, they had returned to winning ways.
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| LOTUS 99T, Ayrton Senna Imola, San Marino GP 1987 |
Sporting director Peter Warr managed to secure a deal with Honda, who offered the 1986 RA166E V6 turbo engine, as their latest RA167E was exclusively reserved for Williams. The deal came with a condition: the signing of Satoru Nakajima, Honda's test driver. Lotus accepted the proposal, essentially killing two birds with one stone, gaining one of the best engines available and a second-tier driver to support Senna.
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| LOTUS 99T, Ayrton Senna Monza, Italian GP 1987 |
Technical director Gérard Ducarouge, together with colleagues Martin Ogilvie and Tim Feast, designed the new Lotus 99T based on the already excellent 98T. The 99T retained the carbon monocoque chassis of 1986, with minor revisions to the engine mounts and a reduction in fuel tank capacity from 195 to 180 liters. The suspension geometry remained unchanged from the 98T, but the active suspension system was further developed. This system eliminated roll and pitch, maintaining consistent ride height and lowering the car’s center of gravity through corners. However, it came at a cost: the system added about 25 kg to the car’s weight and absorbed roughly 5% of the turbocharged Honda engine’s power. With the boost pressure limited to 4 bar by the pop-off valve, the engine produced around 910 hp in race trim.
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| LOTUS 99T, Ayrton Senna Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1987 |
To offset the performance loss, Ducarouge spent extensive time in the wind tunnel refining the car’s aerodynamics. As a result, the 99T was often the fastest car on the straights, able to run with less wing due to its already high aerodynamic downforce. It also benefited from reduced tire wear, thanks in large part to the active suspension. Unlike the 98T, the Lotus 99T was less effective over a single qualifying lap, Senna managed just one pole position, but it was more balanced and, above all, reliable, finishing 24 out of 32 race starts. As in the previous season, nearly all of the team’s points came from Senna, who finished third in the championship with 57 points, the result of 2 wins, 4 second places, and 2 third places. Nakajima contributed just 7 points, but this was enough for Lotus to finish third in the Constructors' Championship, behind Williams-Honda and McLaren-TAG Porsche.
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| LOTUS 99T, Satoru Nakajima Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1987 |
The 99T is also remembered as the last Lotus car to win a Formula 1 race, excluding the two wins by Kimi Raikkonen in 2012 and 2013 with the E20 and E21 of the “Lotus F1 Team.” That team, having obtained the rights to use the Lotus name after a long legal battle, had no real connection to the historic British constructor.
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