“The aerodynamics were to be based on those of the T80, with a full length body and undertray, with curved sliding skirts, and no wing as such, just a trailing edge flap on the body -- very similar aerodynamically to the T80 as it first appeared. However, the body would have to be bigger to allow the sprung masses (chassis, engine, radiators etc) to move relative to and inside the body,” Wight explained.
The secondary chassis would be the monocoque as we know it, complete with suspension, engine and transmission. It would be softly sprung so that the driver would have a comfortable ride.
The primary chassis, made of the complete bodywork, sidepods, wings, and undertray would be placed around the secondary chassis and be stiffly sprung.
“We wanted the second chassis to go down fast, and come up slowly, to ensure it stayed down if speeds dropped momentarily. It needed very soft bump damping, and very stiff rebound. We found these characteristics in the type of pressurized gas strut used for hoods and tailgates on road cars, and found a supplier who was prepared to tailor the exact characteristics we required,” Wright detailed.
The secondary chassis was to be built in carbon fibre. “Unlike McLaren’s approach to their first CFRP (Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic) monocoque, which employed the aerospace expertise of the Hercules Corporation and pre-preg CFRP, Lotus decided to develop their CFRP tub in house – there was no time to do otherwise,” Wright explained.
Initial tests of the T88 were performed on the Paul Ricard circuit in southern France. “It rained a lot, and when the T88 first ran, it was on a damp track. Alfa immediately sent out their car to “calibrate” the T88’s performance and, if I remember correctly, the T88 was about one second a lap quicker! That’s when the campaign to prevent the T88 racing really started.”
The other team directors became instantly jealous of the performance of the new Lotus car. They did everything in their power to ban it from racing. And they succeeded, as the T88 never registered an official lap time in the free practice sessions it ran. The T88 was always black flagged and was forced to return to the pits. After three trials, the Lotus T88 was banned from Formula 1.
“It’s been very frustrating for me but Colin Chapman was the most affected of all,” Wright said.
“Colin badly wanted to run this revolutionary car, but the FISA and the FOCA did not want political battles that would cause chaos in Formula 1. It was kind of unavoidable that the T88 would never race. After that, Colin lost all interest in Formula 1…”
The secondary chassis would be the monocoque as we know it, complete with suspension, engine and transmission. It would be softly sprung so that the driver would have a comfortable ride.
The primary chassis, made of the complete bodywork, sidepods, wings, and undertray would be placed around the secondary chassis and be stiffly sprung.
 |
“We wanted the second chassis to go down fast, and come up slowly, to ensure it stayed down if speeds dropped momentarily. It needed very soft bump damping, and very stiff rebound. We found these characteristics in the type of pressurized gas strut used for hoods and tailgates on road cars, and found a supplier who was prepared to tailor the exact characteristics we required,” Wright detailed.
The secondary chassis was to be built in carbon fibre. “Unlike McLaren’s approach to their first CFRP (Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic) monocoque, which employed the aerospace expertise of the Hercules Corporation and pre-preg CFRP, Lotus decided to develop their CFRP tub in house – there was no time to do otherwise,” Wright explained.
Initial tests of the T88 were performed on the Paul Ricard circuit in southern France. “It rained a lot, and when the T88 first ran, it was on a damp track. Alfa immediately sent out their car to “calibrate” the T88’s performance and, if I remember correctly, the T88 was about one second a lap quicker! That’s when the campaign to prevent the T88 racing really started.”
 |
The other team directors became instantly jealous of the performance of the new Lotus car. They did everything in their power to ban it from racing. And they succeeded, as the T88 never registered an official lap time in the free practice sessions it ran. The T88 was always black flagged and was forced to return to the pits. After three trials, the Lotus T88 was banned from Formula 1.
“It’s been very frustrating for me but Colin Chapman was the most affected of all,” Wright said.
“Colin badly wanted to run this revolutionary car, but the FISA and the FOCA did not want political battles that would cause chaos in Formula 1. It was kind of unavoidable that the T88 would never race. After that, Colin lost all interest in Formula 1…”