Discussion
Deesee said:
Mark Gillies will be delighted to learn that he's won 4 championships.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl4mskPDhx0
Isuzu making sounds every bit as good as Ferrari, Honda, Yamaha and Lamborghini back in 1991.
Isuzu making sounds every bit as good as Ferrari, Honda, Yamaha and Lamborghini back in 1991.
F1GTRUeno said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl4mskPDhx0
Isuzu making sounds every bit as good as Ferrari, Honda, Yamaha and Lamborghini back in 1991.
Thanks for this; they somehow managed to make the 102C look ever more ungainly with the V12! Great sound though.Isuzu making sounds every bit as good as Ferrari, Honda, Yamaha and Lamborghini back in 1991.
I’m trying to work out where they tested. 1st one is Hethel I think, but no idea on the 2nd test. Snetterton maybe?
Piginapoke said:
Thanks for this; they somehow managed to make the 102C look ever more ungainly with the V12! Great sound though.
I’m trying to work out where they tested. 1st one is Hethel I think, but no idea on the 2nd test. Snetterton maybe?
Silverstone short circuit for one of them definitnely.I’m trying to work out where they tested. 1st one is Hethel I think, but no idea on the 2nd test. Snetterton maybe?
UnracedF1 said:
In 1991 Team Lotus was looking for new fresh input to lift the team. Just like in the present, in the 1990s the best way to stay in Formula One was to be backed by a big engine manufacturer.
Lotus tried to bring back Honda power for their cars, the last time the team drove with Honda engines was in 1987. On this occasion sadly Honda had no interest in supplying the team with engines for 1992.
What many didn’t know was that Isuzu was secretly developing a V12 F1 engine, after they designed a supercar V8 engine. Only four employees had the task of designing the engine. During the season team manager Peter Collins came into contact with Isuzu and they mentioned that they were working on a F1 V12 engine. For Team Lotus, this could have been the support they needed.
Isuzu quickly produced the first results from the test bench. The engine, named the ‘P799WE’ produced 637HP. After more tests and more tweaks the engineers managed to give the engine 755HP, an impressive figure for the time. Isuzu made the decision in July to send one engine to Silverstone to have it fitted in a Lotus 102, and have it tested. The test took place on the 2nd August 1991. Hakkinen was the lucky one to test the Isuzu engine.
The fitting didn’t go well. The Lotus 102 was designed for a Lamborghini V12 engine, which was heavier, and the team had to create a new engine cover and place larger radiators and better cooling.
Team Lotus also had a problem with the alternator which resulted in the driver having to turn off several electrical systems, and thus could only run a limited numbers of laps at a time. After the engine was fitted the car was named the Lotus-Isuzu 102C. The 102C managed a best lap time of 1:30, well down on Ayrton Senna’s time of 1:24.7 in the McLaren-Honda on the same day. The slow time can be partially explained because the engine wasn’t filled with racing fuel, and was on different tyres then the others had that day. In addition the car was 80Kg heavier, due to the extra batteries that were needed. Nevertheless the potential was there with the engine.
But the Lotus-Isuzu seemed to be only an illusion, while it was tested. The management behind Isuzu didn’t want to continue with their F1 project and Team Manager Peter Collins later would say it would be a leap into the unknown, having a brand new barely tested V12 in the back. The climate would be dramatically changed in the years to come. Thank God we still have the footage of that single test day in August 1991
https://www.unracedf1.com/the-last-twenty-five-years-team-lotus-the-formula-one-part-1/Lotus tried to bring back Honda power for their cars, the last time the team drove with Honda engines was in 1987. On this occasion sadly Honda had no interest in supplying the team with engines for 1992.
What many didn’t know was that Isuzu was secretly developing a V12 F1 engine, after they designed a supercar V8 engine. Only four employees had the task of designing the engine. During the season team manager Peter Collins came into contact with Isuzu and they mentioned that they were working on a F1 V12 engine. For Team Lotus, this could have been the support they needed.
Isuzu quickly produced the first results from the test bench. The engine, named the ‘P799WE’ produced 637HP. After more tests and more tweaks the engineers managed to give the engine 755HP, an impressive figure for the time. Isuzu made the decision in July to send one engine to Silverstone to have it fitted in a Lotus 102, and have it tested. The test took place on the 2nd August 1991. Hakkinen was the lucky one to test the Isuzu engine.
The fitting didn’t go well. The Lotus 102 was designed for a Lamborghini V12 engine, which was heavier, and the team had to create a new engine cover and place larger radiators and better cooling.
Team Lotus also had a problem with the alternator which resulted in the driver having to turn off several electrical systems, and thus could only run a limited numbers of laps at a time. After the engine was fitted the car was named the Lotus-Isuzu 102C. The 102C managed a best lap time of 1:30, well down on Ayrton Senna’s time of 1:24.7 in the McLaren-Honda on the same day. The slow time can be partially explained because the engine wasn’t filled with racing fuel, and was on different tyres then the others had that day. In addition the car was 80Kg heavier, due to the extra batteries that were needed. Nevertheless the potential was there with the engine.
But the Lotus-Isuzu seemed to be only an illusion, while it was tested. The management behind Isuzu didn’t want to continue with their F1 project and Team Manager Peter Collins later would say it would be a leap into the unknown, having a brand new barely tested V12 in the back. The climate would be dramatically changed in the years to come. Thank God we still have the footage of that single test day in August 1991
Piginapoke said:
F1GTRUeno said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl4mskPDhx0
Isuzu making sounds every bit as good as Ferrari, Honda, Yamaha and Lamborghini back in 1991.
Thanks for this; they somehow managed to make the 102C look ever more ungainly with the V12! Great sound though.Isuzu making sounds every bit as good as Ferrari, Honda, Yamaha and Lamborghini back in 1991.
I’m trying to work out where they tested. 1st one is Hethel I think, but no idea on the 2nd test. Snetterton maybe?
LukeBrown66 said:
Was it not just a rebadged Lambo?
The quote above would suggest not:"The Lotus 102 was designed for a Lamborghini V12 engine, which was heavier, and the team had to create a new engine cover and place larger radiators and better cooling. "
I guess this was around the time that Isuzu were providing the engines for the M100 Elan.
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