Lotus 95T

Lotus 95T

Category	Formula One
Constructor	Lotus
Designer(s)	Gérard Ducarouge
Predecessor	94T
Successor	97T
Technical specifications[1]
Chassis	Kevlar / Nomex honeycomb monocoque
Suspension (front)	Double wishbones, pull rod, coil springs
Suspension (rear)	Double wishbones, pull rod, coil springs
Axle track	Front: 1,800 mm (71 in) Rear: 1,700 mm (67 in)
Wheelbase	2,775 mm (109.3 in)
Engine	Renault Gordini EF4, 1,492 cc (91.0 cu in), 90° V6, turbocharger, mid-engine, longitudinally mounted
Transmission	Lotus / Hewland 5 speed manual
Weight	540 kg (1,190 lb)
Fuel	Elf
Tyres	Goodyear
Competition history
Notable entrants	John Player Team Lotus
Notable drivers	11. Elio de Angelis 12. Nigel Mansell
Debut	1984 Brazilian Grand Prix
Races Wins Podiums Poles F.Laps 16 0 6 2 0
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	0

The Lotus 95T was a Formula One racing car designed by Gérard Ducarouge for use by Team Lotus in the 1984 Formula One season. The car was powered by the Renault Gordini EF4 V6 turbo engine and ran on Goodyear tyres, after Lotus had switched from Pirelli. It was a development of the Lotus 94T, which had proved competitive at the end of 1983.

The 95T of Elio de Angelis at the 1984 Detroit Grand Prix

Cockpit of the 95T

Rear wing of the 95T

The car was driven Elio de Angelis and Nigel Mansell, both of whom were consistently competitive in a season otherwise dominated by McLaren. De Angelis finished in the top five on eleven occasions, including four podium finishes; he also took pole position at the opening race in Brazil. With 34 points, he was third in the Drivers' Championship.

Mansell, meanwhile, finished third in France and the Netherlands, and was running second in the final race in Portugal when his brakes failed (which handed Niki Lauda the Drivers' Championship by half a point from Alain Prost). However, he also crashed out of the lead at a rain-hit Monaco (which prompted team boss Peter Warr, with whom he had a difficult relationship, to famously declare, "He'll never win a Grand Prix as long as I have a hole in my arse"^[2]), and in oppressive heat at Dallas he took pole position and led the first half of the race, before his gearbox failed on the final lap and he collapsed from exhaustion trying to push the car to the finish line. He ultimately finished equal ninth in the Drivers' Championship with 13 points, the same tally as Ayrton Senna, who would replace him for 1985.

With a total of 47 points, Lotus placed third in the Constructors' Championship, its best placing since 1978. The 95T was seen by many in Formula One as being as good as the dominant McLaren MP4/2, its biggest problems being the tyres, the gearbox and the Renault engine, which despite being powerful and reliable was not as fuel-efficient as the TAG-Porsche engine in the McLaren. Nonetheless, the car had helped to re-establish Lotus as consistent front-runners, and would be succeeded for 1985 by a further development, the Lotus 97T.

After Formula One

Mansell's 95T was auctioned by Mecum Auctions in Monterey, California in August 2013, with a pre-sale estimate of between $500,000 and $600,000.^[3] However, it failed to sell.^[4]

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)

Notes

Team Lotus
Founder Colin Chapman Noted personnel Frank Dernie Gérard Ducarouge Maurice Philippe Peter Warr Peter Wright Len Terry World Champions Mario Andretti Jim Clark Emerson Fittipaldi Graham Hill Jochen Rindt Other notable drivers Elio de Angelis Martin Donnelly Mika Häkkinen Johnny Herbert Jacky Ickx Nigel Mansell Satoru Nakajima Gunnar Nilsson Ronnie Peterson Nelson Piquet Carlos Reutemann Ayrton Senna John Surtees Derek Warwick Alex Zanardi Drivers' titles 1963 1965 1968 1970 1972 1978 Constructors' titles 1963 1965 1968 1970 1972 1973 1978 Formula One cars 12 16 18 21 24 25 33 43 49 56B 63 72 76 77 78 79 80 81 86 87 88 91 92 93T 94T 95T 97T 98T 99T 100T 101 102 107 109 112 Formula Two cars 12 16 18 32 35 41 44 48 59 69 Formula Three cars 22 31 35 41 55 59 69 Formula Junior cars 18 20 22 27 Formula Ford cars 51 59 61 69 Formula 5000 cars 68 70 Tasman Series cars 32 39 67 Indianapolis 500 cars 29 34 38 42 56 64 96T Sports racing cars 15 17 19 23 30 40 47 53