 The Lotus 77 on theSears Point Raceway | |||||||||||
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Team Lotus | ||||||||||
| Designers | Colin Chapman Geoff Aldridge Martin Ogilvie | ||||||||||
| Predecessor | 72 /76 | ||||||||||
| Successor | 78 | ||||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||||
| Chassis | Aluminiummonocoque | ||||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Lowerwishbone, top rocker | ||||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Single lower link with double, parallel upper; twinradius rods | ||||||||||
| Engine | Ford-Cosworth DFV 2993ccV8,naturally aspirated,mid-mounted | ||||||||||
| Transmission | Hewland FG400 5-speed manual | ||||||||||
| Power | 465 hp (347 kW) @ 10,800 rpm[1] 260 lb⋅ft (350 N⋅m)torque | ||||||||||
| Tyres | Goodyear | ||||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||||
| Notable entrants | John PlayerTeam Lotus | ||||||||||
| Notable drivers | 5. Ronnie Peterson5.  Bob Evans5./6.  Mario Andretti6. Gunnar Nilsson | ||||||||||
| Debut | 1976 Brazilian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| First win | 1976 Japanese Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last win | 1976 Japanese Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last event | 1976 Japanese Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
TheLotus 77 was aFormula One racing car designed byColin Chapman,Geoff Aldridge andMartin Ogilvie for the1976 Formula One season.
The car was a stop-gap means to an end for Lotus, who were fighting back after the failure of theLotus 76 and the obsolescence of theLotus 72 in1975. Three chassis were built and, as of 2018, all are still in existence.
The Lotus 77 featured a slimmer, lighter monocoque design over the 72, but was similarly powered by theCosworth 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.
It was quickly deemed that this suspension arrangement wasn't suitable andLen Terry was brought in to design a more orthodox system with rocker arms and outboard brakes. Later in the season Lotus hiredTony Southgate fromShadow to act as chief engineer. He moved the oil radiator to the nose to improve weight distribution and also added a cockpit-adjustable rear anti-roll bar and a lighter compressed-air starter.
All drivers 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 theLotus 78.
Andretti skipped theMonaco Grand Prix to race in theIndianapolis 500.
After a slow start to the season, the 77 proved to be best of the rest behindFerrari,McLaren andTyrrell. 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 asAnderstorp, where Andretti led easily before engine failure put him out. AtZandvoort andMosport Park tracks he finished on the podium.
Colin Chapman vetoed Andretti's request to race theLotus 78 at Zandvoort, so Mario reluctantly raced the 77 until the end of the season. The final race was run in monsoon conditions atFuji Speedway inJapan. Andretti's car was very well set-up for the track, with the car set to its narrowest width and with virtually flat rear wing;[2] Andretti drove a clever tactical race to win by a lap fromPatrick Depailler and new world championJames Hunt. Andretti was glad to put the 77 aside to concentrate on developing the 78 for the1977 Formula One season.
(key) (Results inbold indicate pole position; results initalics indicate fastest lap.)
| Year | Entrant | Engines | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | John PlayerTeam Lotus | FordCosworth DFV 3.0V8 | BRA | RSA | USW | ESP | BEL | MON | SWE | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | NED | ITA | CAN | USA | JPN | 29 | 4th | |
| Ronnie Peterson | Ret | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Bob Evans | 10 | DNQ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Mario Andretti | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 5 | Ret | 12 | 5 | 3 | Ret | 3 | Ret | 1 | ||||||||
| Gunnar Nilsson | Ret | Ret | 3 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 5 | 3 | Ret | 13 | 12 | Ret | 6 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
