1978 Lotus 79
The previous year's car - the Lotus 78 was the first ground effect car seen in Formula 1. The concept revolutionised race car design for ever, the underbody venturi tunnels delivering far more downforce and grip the anything that could be achieved with wings alone. The 78 was flawed however - the team had not fully optimised the system - a small defect which was promptly corrected for the 79.
The main new development was the use of sliding skirts along the outer edge of the sidepods - resulting in a much improved seal and more efficient ground effect. The Lotus 79 totally dominated the 1978 grand prix season, winning 8 of the 16 races - 6 wins for Mario Andretti and 2 wins for Ronnie Peterson.
This delivered the World Drivers Championship to Mario (the last time an American won), the World Championship for Constructors to JPS Lotus and second place in the Drivers' (posthumously after he was tragically killed at Monza) to Ronnie.
The car shown is Andretti's Dutch Grand Prix winner - the last time an American driver won an F1 race.
This print can be supplied in square or landscape formats in the sizes indicated below, with or without the driver.
Small - 30 x 30cm / 30 x 40cm
Medium - 40 x 40cm / 40 x 50cm
Large - 50 x 50cm / 50 x 70cm