>>Lotus 107

Lotus 107

Lotus 107

Category	Formula One
Constructor	Team Lotus
Designer(s)	Chris Murphy
Predecessor	102D
Successor	109
Technical specifications
Chassis	Carbon fibre monocoque
Suspension (front)	1992-1993: Active suspension 1994: Double wishbone, pushrod.
Suspension (rear)	1992-1993: Active suspension 1994: Double wishbone, pushrod.
Engine	1992-1993: Ford HB 3,494 cc (213.2 cu in), 75° V8, NA, mid-engine, longitudinally mounted. 1994: Mugen-Honda MF-351HC 3,500 cc (213.6 cu in), ° V10, NA, mid-engine, longitudinally mounted
Transmission	Lotus / Xtrac 6-speed semi-automatic
Fuel	BP (1992) Castrol (1992-1993) Mobil1 (1994)
Tyres	Goodyear
Competition history
Notable entrants	Team Lotus Ford Team Lotus Mugen-Honda
Notable drivers	11.  Mika Häkkinen 11. / 12.  Johnny Herbert 12.  Alessandro Zanardi 12.  Pedro Lamy
Debut	1992 San Marino Grand Prix
Races Wins Podiums Poles F.Laps 34 0 0 0 0
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	0

The Lotus 107 was a Formula One car used by Team Lotus. Designed for the 1992 Formula One season, and used throughout most of 1992, 1993 and part of 1994, it brought in a final, short-lived period of competitiveness for the team in Formula One.

Design

The 107 is often, mistakenly, attributed to the design work of Chris Murphy. However the majority of the 107 was heavily influenced by the Leyton House CG911 which had competed in the 1991 Formula One season and was largely designed by the team's technical director Gustav Brunner. What facilitated this design migration was the collapse of Leyton House Racing following owner Akira Akagi's arrest in September 1991 and the exodus of senior staff (including Chief Designer Chris Murphy and Jean Claude Martens, but significantly not Gustav Brunner) to Team Lotus.

Unquestionably beautiful the 107 had smooth sweeping lines a world away from the long developed and antiquated Lotus 102D whose heritage can be traced to the 1990 Formula One Season. Modification of the basic Leyton House CG911 to accommodate the Ford Cosworth HB V8 engines, of a similar - if older - specification to those being used by Benetton, was complete by the unveiling of the car at the 1992 San Marino Grand Prix.

Development

With a top notch driving squad of Johnny Herbert and a future double F1 World Champion Mika Häkkinen, the Lotuses were able to bring in some good results: at several races the twin cars were able to run in formation on the tail of the leading pack, at least in the early parts of the races. Reliability was limited.

Lotus 107B and 107C

The car was developed over succeeding seasons into B and C variants, the latter with Mugen-Honda power in place of the Cosworth. As was standard practice at the time, the team employed the active suspension technology that they had introduced to F1 back in 1987 on later variants, but the budget was not enough to make it really work, and besides, it was now far from being a unique capability. According to Alex Zanardi's autobiography My Story, the focus on this system was to the detriment of other aspects of the car.

The team's financial difficulties dragged it under at the end of 1994. The Lotus 109, the last Formula One car of the team, which ran in the latter part of 1994, was a further derivative of this design.

>>Lotus 104 ( Lotus Carlton)

Lotus 104 ( Lotus Carlton) 

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Lotus Carlton
Overview
Manufacturer	Lotus (General Motors)
Also called	Opel Lotus Omega Vauxhall Lotus Carlton
Production	1990–1992
Assembly	United Kingdom: Hethel, Norfolk
Body and chassis
Class	Sports saloon
Body style	4-door saloon
Layout	FR layout
Platform	V-body
Related	Opel Omega A Holden Commodore VN Holden Commodore VP
Powertrain
Engine	3.6 L C36GET I6 TT
Transmission	6-speed ZF S6-40 manual
Chronology
Predecessor	Lotus Cortina

The Lotus Carlton (other names include Vauxhall Lotus Carlton, Lotus Omega and Opel Lotus Omega) is a Vauxhall Carlton/Opel Omega A saloon upgraded by Lotus to be a 177 mph (285 km/h) sports saloon with acceleration to equal contemporary supercars. Like all Lotus vehicles, it was given a type designation—Type 104 in this case. The external differences were minimal with the addition of a rear spoiler, vents on the bonnet, Lotus badges on the front wings and bootlid, a bodykit and considerably wider wheel arches distinguishing it from a standard Carlton/Omega. The car was only sold in one colour, a shade called Imperial Green, a very dark green that in anything but direct light appears black.

Engine and drivetrain

Carlton engine bay

Lotus Omega

Performance modifications started with an upgraded engine, which was enhanced by Lotus from the standard Opel 2969 cc 24v straight six unit (used in the GSi). The engine was enlarged to a capacity of 3615 cc. Lotus then added twin Garrett T25 turbochargers, which provide up to 0.7 bar of boost from about 1500 rpm. The original distributor ignition system of the engine was replaced with a three-coil wasted spark system. The distributor drive was re-purposed as a water pump drive for the water-air intercooler circuit. The intercooler itself is manufactured by Behr and is capable of reducing the temperature of the compressed charge from 120 °C to 60 °C.

In addition to fitting two turbochargers and an intercooler system, Lotus directed a number of engineering changes to the engine so that it would perform reliably with the higher power output. To cope with the higher cylinder pressures (about 95 bar), the external webbing on the engine block was reinforced. The crankshaft was replaced as well; early development crankshafts were machined from billet steel in Italy, but the production units were forged by Opel and sent to Maschinenfabrik Alfing Kessler for machining. The cylinder head was left mostly the same as the 24-valve head from the Opel Omega, although the combustion chamber was milled to reduce the static compression ratio to 8.2:1 (from 10.0:1). The engine is fitted with forged slipper pistons produced by Mahle. Piston connecting rods were replaced with new units made to an original Lotus design.

The same six-speed manual ZF transmission as fitted to a contemporary Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 was used to transfer this power to the rear wheels via a rear limited-slip differential from the V8 Holden Commodore.

Chassis, brakes, and steering

The multi-link suspension of the Omega, already praised by the automotive press, was modified by Lotus for better high-speed stability and improved handling dynamics. To combat the problem of significant camber change (seen with the car at high speed and when fully laden), the self-leveling suspension from the Opel Senator was fitted. Also borrowed from the Senator was the Servotronic power steering system, which provides full power assist at parking speeds, and reduces the power assist as the road speed increases. The Lotus engineers would have preferred using a rack and pinion steering arrangement, but cost and space constraints limited them to the worm-and-roller arrangement.

Initial sketches for the wheels showed a split-rim composite design, but this was ultimately abandoned in favor of a monoblock wheel design, with cited concerns over the durability of the wheels in poor road conditions. The final design for the 17" wheels was manufactured by Ronal, along with wider tyres than those used on the Opel Omega. The Omega is fitted with Goodyear Eagle tyres. The tyre compound used is the same as that on the Lotus Esprit Turbo SE, with a combination of oils and low hysteresis. This allows for improved high-speed stability and better performance in wet conditions.

The car is fitted with 12.9 in (328 mm) brake discs with four-piston AP calipers at the front and 11.8 in (300 mm) discs with two-piston calipers at the rear.

Performance

The Lotus Carlton produced 377 bhp (281 kW; 382 PS) and 419 lb⋅ft (568 N⋅m) (of which 350 lb⋅ft (470 N⋅m) was available from 2000 rpm.) The car is capable of 0–60 mph in 5.2 seconds and achieve 0–100-0 mph in less than 17 seconds. Tall gearing allows it to achieve approximately 55 mph (89 km/h) in first gear. The Lotus Carlton/Omega held the title of the second fastest four-door saloon car for some years, after Alpina B10 Bi-Turbo.

In the United Kingdom, the Carltons/Omegas were a favorite target of joyriders and other thieves. This posed a problem for the police, who had nothing quicker than the 24V Senator Bs. A gang of robbers used one in a string of ram-raids of off-licence liquor stores and newsagents, stealing tens of thousands of pounds worth of cigarettes and alcohol. The small 'panda cars' used in urban policing were limited to just 90 miles per hour (140 km/h), leaving police unable to give chase.

Because the Carlton/Omega could equal or exceed the performance of many contemporary sports cars while also carrying four passengers, it generated some controversy among the automotive and general press. Bob Murray, then editor of Autocar magazine, wrote: "Nobody buying this car could possibly argue he either needs or will be able to use a top whack which is claimed to be around 180 mph." Murray went on to suggest that Vauxhall should follow the example set by German automakers (who had begun electronically limiting the top speed of their high-performance cars to 155 mph.) This sentiment was picked up by newspapers and talk radio stations, who would interview people calling for the car's ban. Ultimately, the Opel executives associated with the project voted unanimously to not restrict the car's top speed, and it was released to acclaim from the motoring press.

Production

Production of the Lotus Carlton/Omega began in 1990, four years after the original Omega went on sale. Opel had hoped to build 1,100 cars in total, but owing to the recession of the early 1990s, the £48,000 cars were not selling as well as anticipated and production at Lotus was halted in December 1992. Only 950 cars were completed: 320 Carltons and 630 Omegas, 150 short of the original target. The cars are now starting to become modern classics as low-mileage, well-looked-after examples become rare. As of 2007, UK values ranged between approximately £12,000 and £20,000.

In 1991, the design house Pininfarina produced a styling concept named the "Chronos" that was designed to accept the drivetrain from the Lotus Omega. The single example of the Chronos (sans engine) was displayed at the 1991 Detroit Auto Show.

Other Markets

While the base Omega A and the Lotus Omega were never federalized for sale in the USA, the Lotus Omega was cleared for grey import under the DOT's "Show or Display" exemption in 2011. By the end of 2017, all model years of the Carlton were past the 25 year mark, making them exempt from NTSA import restrictions. By the end of 2018, all Omega As (base model and otherwise) will be exempt.

Specifications

• Top speed - +176 mph (283 km/h)
• Peak power - 377 bhp (281 kW; 382 PS) @ 5200 rpm
• Acceleration - 0-60 mph (97 km/h) : 5.1 sec., 0-100 mph (160 km/h) : 11.1 sec.
• Peak torque - 419 lb⋅ft (568 N⋅m) @ 4200 rpm
• Engine displacement - 3615 cc
• Engine type - Twin turbocharged straight six-cylinder
• Configuration - Front-engined, rear-wheel drive
• Transmission - Six-speed ZF S6-40 manual
• Weight - 3,666 lb (1,663 kg)
• Production - 950 units
• Price - £48,000

>>Lotus 102

Lotus 102

Lotus 102
Lotus 102B
Lotus 102D

Category	Formula One
Constructor	Lotus
Designer(s)	Frank Dernie
Predecessor	101
Successor	107
Technical specifications
Chassis	Carbon fibre monocoque
Suspension (front)	Double wishbones, pull-rod dampers
Suspension (rear)	Double wishbones, push-rod dampers
Engine	1990: Lamborghini 3512, 3,496 cc (213.3 cu in), mid-engine, longitudinally mounted, NA 80° V12 1991: Judd EV, 3,496 cc (213.3 cu in), mid-engine, longitudinally mounted, NA 76° V8 1992: Ford HB, 3,494 cc (213.2 cu in), mid-engine, longitudinally mounted, 75° NA V8
Transmission	Lotus / Lamborghini 6 speed manual
Fuel	BP
Tyres	Goodyear
Competition history
Notable entrants	Team Lotus
Notable drivers	Derek Warwick  Martin Donnelly  Johnny Herbert  Mika Häkkinen  Julian Bailey  Michael Bartels
Debut	1990 United States Grand Prix
Races Wins Podiums Poles F.Laps 37 0 0 0 0
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	0

The Lotus 102 was a Formula One racing car designed by Lotus for use in the 1990 Formula One season. The 102 was an evolution of the Lotus 101 and would eventually go on to compete in 37 races spanning three seasons from 1990 until 1992.

Development

Using the 101 as its basis Frank Dernie incorporated the 640 bhp (477 kW; 649 PS) Lamborghini V12 engine that had been used by the Larrousse Lola team during 1989. Its use made the 102 the only Lotus to race with a V12 engine. The engine had several drawbacks, principally its size, weight and fuel economy. However, it was believed that the increases in power would offset these drawbacks. The engine's size meant it had to be located lower in the chassis, which also had to be designed to its widest permitted dimensions in order to incorporate larger fuel tanks. Furthermore, due to the engine's mass every component on the car had to be scrutinised to investigate whether any further weight reductions could be made elsewhere.

The departure of Nelson Piquet to Benetton and Satoru Nakajima to Tyrrell at the end of 1989 brought in the experienced Derek Warwick, and promoted test driver Martin Donnelly to fill the other vacant drivers seat. The inclusion of these drivers, who were taller than Piquet and Nakajima, incurred another design compromise as the car had to be taller than was desired.

The Lamborghini 3512 V12 engine as used in the Lotus 102 in 1990

Team Lotus's manager Rupert Mainwarring confidently predicted that the team would score 40 championship points. By the first round of the championship it was apparent that this confidence was sadly misplaced.

Racing history

1990

Team Lotus were to struggle throughout the season to score three points, its lowest score since 1958. Warwick scored all three points with a 6th place in Canada and a 5th-place finish in Hungary, while Donnelly failed to score at all. More often than not, it was the unreliability of the Lamborghini 3512 engine which cost Lotus in 1990. Ultimately this performance was to witness the departure of the lucrative Camel sponsorship the team had enjoyed since 1987 and almost cost the team its existence. Ironically, the planned use of the Lamborghini V12 was also the major reason why triple World Champion Nelson Piquet chose not to re-sign with the team after 1989 with the Brazilian correctly predicting that the under-developed engine would hamper both his and the team's chances. While the Lamborghini, one of only two V12 engines in Formula One at the time (the other being Ferrari), had shown promise with the Larrousse team in its debut season 1989, it still lagged behind the V12 Ferrari, the V10 engines from Honda and Renault, and even the Cosworth built and developed Ford V8 engine in both power and more importantly reliability.

The 102 ultimately saw the end of Martin Donnelly's brief F1 career in a crash which almost cost him his life. During the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez, Donnelly had a horrific crash during Friday practice when he left the circuit in the fast right hand turn behind the pits and the car hit the barriers at speed. The 102 broke in half and the seat of the car broke free and was flung clear of the wreck with Martin still strapped in. Donnelly, who ended up laying in the middle of the track, received serious injuries that took months of recovery. Two races previous in Italy, Warwick also had a monumental crash on the first lap of the race at Monza when he ran wide on the exit to the Parabolica and clouted the barriers at speed. Despite the car overturning and sliding down the middle of the circuit upside down, Warwick was thankfully unharmed. He climbed out of his car, which thankfully was avoided by following cars, ran back to the pits (where he told the team and reporters that the crash was his own fault for running too wide at the Parabolica) and started the race in the spare car.

After Donnelly's career ending crash at Jerez, he was replaced for the final two races in Japan and Australia by British driver Johnny Herbert.

In December 1990, Peter Collins and Peter Wright headed a consortium which bought the team. Due to the eleventh hour nature of the takeover the team were unable to start the season with sufficient sponsorship. In addition, the planned introduction of Dernie's type 103 was shelved, the team instead opting to refresh the 102 to B standards.

In a 2014 interview when talking about his time at Lotus and with the Lamborghini engine, Derek Warwick said that the car was poor and that it would "flex all over the place, it would break, it was unreliable" before adding that the V12 engine was "all noise and no go".

1991

Lotus 102B

The Lotus 102B was Team Lotus's entry to the 1991 season. Despite having over 800 new components incorporated the new car was not sufficiently different from the 102 to justify a new type designation. This continued the precedent set by Lotus 30 years previously, whereby the Type 25 was almost completely redesigned, but was still designated the 25B.

The heavy and ultimately unreliable (in Lotus usage at least; the Larrouse-Lola outfit found better results having used the engine since 1989) Lamborghini engine was replaced by the Judd EV V8 and the driver line-up was also changed. Mika Häkkinen and Julian Bailey filled the seats vacated by a frustrated Derek Warwick and injured Martin Donnelly. It was apparent that the car was nowhere near the pace setters of the McLaren MP4/6 and the Williams FW14 at the opening round in Phoenix. Häkkinen would go on to describe that during this race his steering wheel actually came off. Bailey's failure to qualify for the Monaco Grand Prix prompted his departure and replacement with test driver Johnny Herbert for the remainder of the season. Due to Herbert's International Formula 3000 commitments the German driver Michael Bartels raced in his absence but failed to qualify.

The 102B enabled the team to equal their 1990 points total of three points. With increased sponsorship and the delay of the 107 it was to continue racing for the first four races of the 1992 season in D specification. The C specification incorporated an Isuzu P799WE (Japanese edition) V12 engine that had been developed throughout the season but never raced.

1992

Lotus 102D

The final incarnation of the 102, was the makeshift 102D that represented Team Lotus's for the start of the 1992 season. Outwardly similar to the 102B, the car had a Cosworth HB V8 in place of the Judd EV V8. In an attempt to gain exposure a 102D driven by Johnny Herbert broke the Brands Hatch Indy circuit record for the BBC Record Breakers programme.

>>Lotus 101

Lotus 101

Lotus 101

Category	Formula One
Constructor	Lotus
Designer(s)	Frank Dernie Mike Coughlan
Predecessor	100T
Successor	102
Technical specifications
Chassis	Carbon fibre and Kevlar monocoque
Suspension (front)	Double wishbones, pull-rod dampers
Suspension (rear)	Double wishbones, push-rod dampers
Axle track	Front: 1,800 mm (71 in) Rear: 1,650 mm (65 in)
Wheelbase	2,900 mm (110 in)
Engine	Judd CV 3,496 cc (213.3 cu in) 76° V8 NA mid-engine, longitudinally mounted
Transmission	Lotus 6 speed manual
Weight	500 kg (1,100 lb)
Fuel	Elf
Tyres	Goodyear
Competition history
Notable entrants	Camel Team Lotus
Notable drivers	11.  Nelson Piquet 12.  Satoru Nakajima
Debut	1989 Brazilian Grand Prix
Races Wins Podiums Poles F.Laps 16 0 0 0 1
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	0

The Experimental Tickford 5 Valve Engine

The Lotus 101 was Team Lotus's entry for the 1989 Formula One season. Gérard Ducarouge's departure during 1988 had necessitated the former Williams aerodynamicist Frank Dernie to be appointed as Technical Director in November 1988. Despite his appointment the majority of the work for the 101 had been conducted by chief designer Mike Coughlan. The 101 was to be a rushed design built within weeks and to a series of constraints.

Ducarouge's departure coincided with end of the 1,500 cc turbocharged era. Lotus, along with other competitors, now had to incorporate 3,500 cc normally aspirated engines into their cars. Judd were therefore enlisted to supply their CV 32 valve V8 engine, but as Lotus were only a "customer" (Judd's principal contact was the supply of their latest EV V8 engine to the March team) solutions were sought to make up the power deficiency by appointing Tickford to research and develop a version of the Judd engine with a five-valve-per-cylinder head. The use of the Judd engine did permit Dernie and Coughlan to design a smaller and lighter car than before; indeed the narrowness of the cockpit required Momo to build a special steering wheel to allow the drivers to fit their hands between the wheel and bodywork of the car.

The initial optimism and favourable reception by management and driver alike shortly evaporated, as the 101 proved to be a disaster. Not only were the customer Judd engines rated at around 610 bhp (455 kW) (about 80 bhp (60 kW) less than the dominant Honda V10 engine used by McLaren), but it was apparent that the Goodyear tyres that the team were using had been designed principally for use by the McLaren and Ferrari teams, who were able to test and tune their chassis to work better with the compounds.

The 101 failed to collect significant results as the season progressed, culminating in the events following the British Grand Prix where Nelson Piquet had driven to a fighting fourth-placed finish. The Chapman family, who were still the shareholders in Team Lotus International, persuaded Peter Warr and Chairman Fred Bushell (who was about to face charges arising from the De Lorean affair) to leave. Tony Rudd, who was at the time working for Group Lotus, was appointed executive chairman. Also the Tickford head was abandoned.

The renewed optimism briefly helped to improve results; however, at Spa both Lotuses failed to qualify for a Grand Prix for the first time since 1958. The season ended with two fourth-place finishes for Nelson Piquet and Satoru Nakajima in Japan and Australia respectively.

Given the dreadful start to the season (Lotus only scored points in one of the first seven races), the total points tally of 15 points was almost a positive Lotus could take out of the 1989 season. Indeed, it would prove to be the highest number of points Lotus were to score in a season during the normally aspirated engine era until the team's collapse at the end of the 1994 season.

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