1978 Lotus Type 79 chassis 79/3

Black Beauty: Recognised as the most beautiful F1 car ever

• The Type 79 featured many aerodynamic, chassis and mechanical innovations which revolutionised the design of the modern F1 car
• 3-litre, V8 Ford-Cosworth DFV
• Horsepower: 495bhp
• Weight: 588kg
• Top speed: 180mph
• Drivers: Andretti, Peterson, Jarier, Reutemann
• Ground effect: The 79 revolutionised F1 aerodynamics with the underside of the car. The sidepods created a Venturi profile between car and track, together with side skirts, creating a low-pressure area between car and track. (Ground Effect continues to be used by F1 designers today.)
• Drive across ceiling: Downforce was greater than weight of car; with ground effect, the 79 sucked itself onto the track. At 300kph it was the first F1 car that could drive across the ceiling, in theory
• Something for Nothing: The ground effect design created high downforce for relatively low drag. Colin Chapman called it his ‘Something for Nothing’ car. ‘Something’ (high downforce) for ‘Nothing’ (low drag)
• Sand Bagging: The Lotus 79s were two seconds a lap quicker than the competition. Colin Chapman would ‘sandbag’ the cars by increasing their weight with extra fuel, to slow them down
• Unfair Advantage: Effectively, the Lotus 79 gave Team Lotus an unfair advantage over its competitors. Initially the other F1 teams did not understand the innovation
• Work of Art: The livery of the Type 79 is painted by hand by a signwriter. This made the livery more visible on television
• Team Lotus constructed four black & gold Lotus Type 79s. All four cars are surviving today
• Classic Team Lotus constructed this Type 79 for exhibition using original parts from its archive stores.