Red marquis at 16:49, 23 June 2010

2010-06-23T16:49:22Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:49, 23 June 2010
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	{{Racing Car Infobox \|		{{Racing Car Infobox \|
	\|Image = ~~'''place image here in 300 pixels'''~~		\|Image = [[Image:Lotus 77 sears pointsmall.jpg]]
	\|Category = [[Formula One]]		\|Category = [[Formula One]]
	\|Marque/Constructor = [[Lotus]]		\|Marque/Constructor = [[Lotus]]
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	==Gallery==		==Gallery==
	<gallery>		<gallery>
			Image:Lotus 77 sears point.jpg
			Image:Img 0249.jpg
	</gallery>		</gallery>
	{{-}}		{{-}}

Red marquis at 16:36, 23 June 2010

2010-06-23T16:36:51Z

New page

{{Racing Car Infobox |
|Image = '''place image here in 300 pixels'''
|Category = [[Formula One]]
|Marque/Constructor = [[Lotus]]
|Chassis = Aluminium [[monocoque]]
|Front Suspension = Lower [[A-arm|wishbone]], top rocker
|Rear Suspension = Single lower link with double, parallel upper. Twin [[radius rod]]s
|Engine = 3.0 litre (2993cc) [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]-[[Cosworth DFV]] ''[[naturally aspirated]]'' [[V8]]
|Power = N/A hp @ N/A rpm N/A lb-ft. of [[torque]] @ N/A rpm
|Transmission = 5-speed [[Hewland]] FG400 Manual
|Fuel =
|Tyres = [[Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company|Goodyear]]
|Notable Entrants = [[Team Lotus|John Player Team Lotus]]
|Notable Drivers = {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mario Andretti]] {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Gunnar Nilsson]] {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Ronnie Peterson]] ([[1976 Brazilian Grand Prix|one race]])
|Debut = [[1976 Brazilian Grand Prix]]
|Races Competed = 16
|Race Victories = 1
|Constructor's Championships = 0
|Driver's Championships = 0
|Pole Positions = 1
|Fastest Laps = 1
|Designer = [[Colin Chapman]] [[Geoff Aldridge]] [[Martin Ogilvie]]
}}
The '''Lotus 77''' was a [[Formula One]] racing car designed by [[Colin Chapman]], [[Geoff Aldridge]] and [[Martin Ogilvie]] for the [[1976 Formula One season]]. The car was a stop-gap means to an end for Lotus, who were fighting back after the failure of the [[Lotus 76]] and the obsolescence of the [[Lotus 72]] in 1975.

The Lotus 77 featured a slimmer, lighter monocoque design over the 72, but was similarly powered by the [[Cosworth 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. Drivers [[Mario Andretti]] and [[Gunnar Nilsson]] reported the steering and ride were occasionally vague and unresponsive. Andretti did not care for the car, proclaiming it to be a 'dog.' This motivated Lotus to accelerate research and create the stunning [[Lotus 78]].

After a slow start to the season, the 77 proved to be best of the rest behind [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]], [[McLaren (racing)|McLaren]] and [[Tyrrell Racing|Tyrrell]]. 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 as [[Scandinavian Raceway|Anderstorp]], where Andretti led easily before engine failure put him out, [[Circuit Park Zandvoort|Zandvoort]], and [[Mosport Park]] both tracks where he finished on the podium.

Colin Chapman vetoed Andretti's request to race the Lotus 78 at Zandvoort, so Mario reluctantly raced the 77 until the end of the season. The final race was run in monsoon conditions at [[Fuji Speedway]] in Japan. Andretti drove a clever tactical race to win by a lap from [[Patrick Depailler]] and new world champion [[James Hunt]]. Andretti was thankful to put the 77 aside to concentrate on developing the 78 for the [[1977 Formula One season]].

==Gallery==
<gallery>
</gallery>
{{-}}

==Complete Racing Results==
([[:Template:F1 driver results legend 2|key]]) (results in bold indicate '''pole position''')
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%"
! Year
! Team
! Engine
! Tyres
! Drivers
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! 12
! 13
! 14
! 15
! 16
! 17
! Points
! WCC
|-
|rowspan="3"| {{F1|YYYY}}
|rowspan="3"| (Constructor)
|rowspan="3"| (Engine)
|rowspan="3"| (Tyre code)
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|rowspan="3"|''' '''
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==Notes and references==
* Franey, Matthew. 1999. ''Turning Point''. '''Motor Sport''', 75/1 (January 1999), 78-85

==See Also==

{{Lotus}}
{{F1 cars 1976}}

==External links==
{{commonscat|Lotus 77}}
Please include any external sites that were used in collaborating this data, including manufacturer sites, in this section.

'''''News and References'''''

'''''Enthusiast Sites and Discussion Forums'''''

[[Category:Lotus Formula One cars|Lotus 077]]
[[Category:1976 Formula One season cars]]

Lotus 77 - Revision history

Red marquis at 16:49, 23 June 2010

Red marquis at 16:36, 23 June 2010