To replace the disappointing Lotus 76 from 1974, Colin Chapman's team had to hastily put the now outdated but revised and updated Lotus 72 back on track for the 1975 season. However, during that same year, Chapman, along with his trusted engineers Geoff Aldridge and Martin Ogilvie, was already working on designing what would become the team's 1976 car, the innovative Lotus 77. Once again, Chapman's genius led to the creation of a remarkable car. The new 77 was designed with the goal of being adaptable to different circuits by allowing adjustments to wheelbase, track width, weight distribution, and, most importantly, suspension settings. For this reason, the British press nicknamed the car "The Adjustcar." The monocoque aluminum chassis, onto which the Ford-Cosworth DFV V8 engine was mounted, weighed just 23 kg, and the radiators were placed in the sidepods, which were short and positioned towards the rear.
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| 1 LOTUS 77, Gunnar Nilsson Long Beach, USA-West GP 1976 |
The most distinctive features of the Lotus 77 were its suspension and braking system. The brake calipers were not mounted conventionally on the wheels but were instead attached to the chassis via support subframes. The front suspension, designed by Ogilvie, had mounting points fixed to these brake caliper subframes rather than directly to the chassis, while the rear suspension was attached directly to the gearbox casing. From a side view, the 77 appeared sleek and elegant, but from the front, the bulky outboard-mounted brakes and shock absorbers disrupted the car's slim profile, also interfering with airflow directed towards the sidepod intakes that cooled the radiators.
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| LOTUS 77, Gunnar Nilsson Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1976 |
The official drivers for the team in 1975 were Italian-American Mario Andretti and Swedish driver Ronnie Peterson. However, the new car proved difficult to fine-tune, leading to early struggles in the season. After the Brazilian Grand Prix, Peterson left the team and was replaced by fellow Swede Gunnar Nilsson. In an attempt to improve the project, Chapman brought in Tony Southgate from the Shadow team as chief engineer. Southgate immediately made modifications, including relocating the oil radiator to the nose to improve weight distribution.
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| LOTUS 77, Mario Andretti Nürburgring, German GP 1976 |
At the same time, the suspension system was completely redesigned with input from suspension expert Len Terry. The front suspension was moved inboard, and the brake calipers were repositioned inside the wheel rims for a more conventional setup. Additionally, a rear anti-roll bar was introduced, which the driver could adjust from inside the cockpit.
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| LOTUS 77, Mario Andretti Zeltweg, Austrian GP 1976 |
After a disastrous start to the season, where both cars only finished three of the first nine races, things improved significantly in the second half of the championship. Mario Andretti played a crucial role in developing the car, and his efforts paid off. He secured the only victory for the Lotus 77 in the final race of the season in Japan, along with two third-place finishes, ending the year sixth in the drivers' standings. Nilsson also achieved two third-place finishes and additional points finishes. By the end of the 1976 season, the Lotus 77 had accumulated 29 points, securing fourth place for the team in the constructors' championship.
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