The Lotus 81 was a Formula One racing car built by Colin Chapman's Lotus team for the 1980 Formula One season. Unlike many of forebears the 81 was not a terribly innovative or competitive car, coming as it did at a time when Chapman's interest in his racing activities was waning.
Lotus 81 during the 2017 FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship at the Circuit of the Americas
The Lotus 81 at Barber.
Lotus 81 engine and transmission
The 1980 Formula One season was the 34th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1980 World Championship of Drivers and the 1980 International Cup for F1 Constructors, which were contested concurrently from 13 January to 5 October over a fourteen-race series. The season also included one non-championship race, the Spanish Grand Prix.
Australian driver Alan Jones won the Drivers' Championship, driving for the Williams team.
Brazilian Nelson Piquet, driving for the Brabham team, finished runner-up to Jones.
Jones's Williams teammate, Argentine Carlos Reutemann, placed third.
Reigning champion Jody Scheckter (and his runner-up teammate Gilles Villeneuve) suffered a terrible season as the team finished tenth in the championship, causing Scheckter to retire at the end of the season.