The Lotus 101 Formula One car from 1989 will make its Lotus Festival return at Brands Hatch this August.
The car, owned by enthusiast Steve Griffiths, was the first normally-aspirated Lotus for five years. The Judd V8-powered car, designed by ex-Williams aerodynamicist Frank Dernie, was driven by Nelson Piquet and Satoru Nakajima. With turbo engines banned, the 101 reintroduced high-revving screamers to the sport.
The tightly-packaged 101 was originally shaken down at Snetterton by then test driver Martin Donnelly. Steve’s 101 was first raced in April of that year by Piquet, before being campaigned by Satoru Nakajima for the rest of the season. The Japanese driver scored a best result of fourth in the Australian GP.
The following year the car was tested by Johnny Herbert before being sold by Team Lotus. After spending the next 20 years in storage it was purchased by Steve Griffiths, who restored the car to original condition in time for the 2010 Lotus Festival, including a rebuild of the Judd V8.
