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The Lotus Elise GT1 (also known as the Lotus GT1 and known internally as Type-115) is a race car developed for grand tourer-style sports car racing starting in 1997.
Debuting at Hockenheim, on 13 April (first round of the 1997 FIA GT Championship season), the three factory Elise GT1s and the privateer GBF car took to the grid. Their debut was short lived, as all four cars failed to finish, all due to alternator problems in the engine. For race two (Silverstone, 11 May), privateer GBF UK received their second car (an untested chassis bearing number 06 driven by Andrea Boldrini and Mauro Martini). Again the three factory cars suffered, failing to finish because of gearbox difficulty. GBF's Elise GT1s fared slightly better, with one of their entries actually finishing, although classified last and 25 laps down from the winner.
The third race of the season in Helsinki was a shorter race, featuring a smaller field (23 cars). Only three Elise GT1s were entered, but GBF was able to succeed in taking 5th place, earning them points in the championship. The other two Elise GT1s also finished the race as well, an improvement for the company.
As the season progressed, the teams began to suffer. After Helsinki was the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in which only a lone GT1 was entered due to concern over the car's ability to last 24 hours. The car had an oil pump failure after 121 laps. Returning to the FIA championship at the Nürburgring, the full complement of five cars managed a best result of only 11th, while at Spa they achieved 8th, but at Zeltweg all five cars failed to finish again. The teams did not attempt the Suzuka round and again could only earn 12th place at Donington and 11th at Mugello when the series returned to Europe. The final two races in the United States saw only the factory team bring two cars, in which they managed finishes of 13th and 9th-place. The factory squad ended the season without any points, while GBF's points finish at Helsinki earned them 8th place in the championship.
Following the 1997 season, Lotus and its parent company, Proton, decided that the GT1 was not only lacking in pace in comparison to Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and the older McLarens, but that it was also extremely expensive. The Chevrolet V8 was not a custom built race engine like its competitors, leaving it lacking in top speed while the Lotus twin-turbocharged V8 was faring even worse. The chassis was also too similar to a production car to compete with the exotic designs of other cars. The project was therefore cancelled and the factory team folded. The privateer teams also either folded or bought more capable cars.
SPECIFICATIONS
OVERVIEW
• Manufacturer: Lotus
• Team: GT1 Lotus Racing
• Series: 24 Hours of Le Mans / FIA GT Championship - GT1
• Country: United Kingdom
• Year: 1997
• Type: Race car
• Division: Gr.2
ENGINE
• Engine: Chevrolet LT5 90° V8
• Power: 608 HP / 7200 rpm
• Torque: 726 Nm / 3600 rpm
• Engine location: Mid
• Displacement: 5993 cc
• Construction: Aluminium block and head
• Valvetrain: 4 valves / cylinder, DOHC
• Aspiration: Naturally Aspirated (NA)
PERFORMANCE
• 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) Time: 3.2 seconds
• Top Speed: 320 km/h (199 mph)
• Power-to-weight ratio: 0.64 hp/kg
DRIVETRAIN
• Layout: MR
• Drive: Rear wheel drive
• Gearbox: Hewland 6-speed sequential manual transmission
• Suspension: Double wishbone suspension
• Brakes: Carbon-fiber ceramic brakes
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT
• Lenght: 4491 mm
• Width: 2070 mm
• Height: 1100 mm
• Weight: 950 kg
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