Lotus 95T

The Lotus 95T was a Formula One racing car designed by Gérard Ducarouge for use by Team Lotus in the 1984 Formula [One World Championship]. The car brought Lotus its best results for several seasons, frequently reaching the podium.

Design

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.
The chassis of the 95T was praised by the editor of the AUTOCOURSE annual in 1984 as the best handling of the season during the annual's team by team review. The technical review of the 95T was particularly positive of the Lotus mechanical grip in slow corners, mentioning that it was equal, if not slightly better than the McLaren MP4/2. The AUTOCOURSE editor reported that the McLaren was more aerodynamically efficient and was better in fast corners, but netherless praised the leadership of Gerard Ducarouge's technical directorship in reviving Lotus in 1984 after a dismal 1983 season.

Season summary

The car was driven by 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. However, he also crashed out of the lead at a rain-hit Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco], and in oppressive heat at Dallas Grand Prix|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.
With a total of 47 points, Lotus placed third in the Constructors' Championship, its best placing since. 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. However, it failed to sell.

Complete Formula One results

Year	Team	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Points	WCC
	John Player Team Lotus	Renault Gordini EF4 V6 tc			BRA	1984 [South African Grand Prix\|RSA]	BEL	1984 [San Marino Grand Prix\|SMR]	FRA	MON	CAN	DET	DAL	GBR	1984 [German Grand Prix\|GER]	AUT	NED	ITA	EUR	POR	47	3rd
	John Player Team Lotus	Renault Gordini EF4 V6 tc		Elio de Angelis	3	7	5	3	5	5	4	2	3	4	Ret	Ret	4	Ret	Ret	5	47	3rd
	John Player Team Lotus	Renault Gordini EF4 V6 tc		Nigel Mansell	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	3	Ret	6	Ret	6	Ret	4	Ret	3	Ret	Ret	Ret	47	3rd