By 1981, ground effect cars had become exceptionally fast, but the resulting cornering and braking forces were causing concern for driver safety. In response, the FIA banned moveable skirts – vital components for maintaining consistent ground effect – and mandated a minimum ground clearance of 6 cm. Brabham circumvented this rule with hydropneumatic suspension, lowering the car onto the track surface, but at the cost of ride quality. Chapman sought a different solution.
The Lotus 88 evolved from the earlier Lotus 86, which had been designed while skirts were still legal. Although only one prototype of the 86 was built, it demonstrated significant performance gains over conventional ground effect cars. When skirts were outlawed, Peter Wright analyzed the 86’s performance and found the loss in performance to be negligible, prompting the quick development of the 88 as a re-engineered version.
The core innovation of the Lotus 88 lay in its twin-chassis design. An inner chassis housed the cockpit and was independently sprung from an outer chassis, designed to withstand the pressures generated by the ground effect system. The outer chassis lacked conventional wings, functioning instead as a single, large ground effect device extending from behind the car's nose to within the rear wheels, creating substantial downforce.
The car was powered by a Ford Cosworth DFV engine. Extensive use of carbon fibre in the car’s construction – a first for Formula One in large quantity, quickly followed by the McLaren MP4 – was intended to manage the immense aerodynamic loads. Lotus drivers Nigel Mansell and Elio de Angelis found the car to be responsive and enjoyable to drive.
The Lotus 88’s racing career was effectively over before it began. Despite debuting at the 1981 US Grand Prix West, protests were immediately lodged with the FIA by rival teams. These protests argued that the twin-chassis design violated regulations concerning moveable aerodynamic devices. The FIA upheld the protests, banning the car from competition.
Colin Chapman vigorously contested the decision, but the FIA remained firm. The situation escalated to the point where entering the car at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone) would have resulted in the loss of Lotus’s championship points and the removal of the race from the championship calendar. Forced to concede, Chapman updated two existing Lotus 87 chassis to replace the 88. All points scored during the 1981 season were attributed to the Lotus 81B and Lotus 87.
The Lotus 88 was banned from racing after protests to the FIA, which determined that the twin chassis tub breached regulations regarding moveable aerodynamic devices. The FIA upheld the protests, preventing the car from competing.
Despite its short-lived existence, the Lotus 88 was not without influence. Some of the aerodynamic concepts and layout features pioneered in the 88 were incorporated into the successful Lotus 91, which debuted in 1982. The Lotus 88 remains a notable example of innovative design from a distinctive era in Formula One history.
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