The
Lotus 100T was a
Formula One car designed by
Gérard Ducarouge and
Martin Ogilvie for
Team Lotus, used during the
1988 Formula One season. The 100T was an update of the previous
Lotus 99T model; the car technically was virtually unchanged, except for a redesigned nose section and rear bodywork. The car was powered by the same 1.5L
turbocharged Honda V6 engine that powered the
McLaren team to 15 wins in 16 races in 1988.
In common with its progenitor model, the 100T was fitted with electronic
active suspension, still an advanced system despite having been introduced the previous year. However, with the loss of
Ayrton Senna to McLaren, and despite signing three-time and current
World Champion Nelson Piquet, Lotus were very much an also-ran team during much of 1988. Piquet picked up a number of points, including three third-placed finishes, during the season, but the car's lack of ultimate speed resulted in Lotus's first season without a win or
pole position since .
At the end of the 1988 season turbocharged engines were outlawed, rendering the 100T chassis obsolete. It was replaced by the conventionally aspirated
Lotus 101 for the
1989 Formula One season.
During the 1988 season, former World Champion
Jackie Stewart test drove the 100T at the
Snetterton Circuit which was Lotus's test track at the time. Within a few short laps he identified the car's basic problems. He said that the car lacked rigidity despite its
carbon fibre and
kevlar monocoque and that the chassis couldn't...
Read More