The Lotus 79 is a British Formula 1 car that made its track debut at the 1978 Belgian Grand Prix and competed in F1 races until the 1979 season. Its designers were Colin Chapman, Geoff Aldridge, Martin Ogilvie and Peter Wright. The Lotus 79 was powered by a single Ford Cosworth DFV 8-cylinder engine with a displacement of 3 liters.

The Lotus 79 was developed to complement and later replace another Lotus car: the 78 model. Like its predecessor, it used an aluminum monocoque and the same engine, as well as the surface effect, but differed from it on many other levels. . First of all, it did not have a honeycomb body, which was very light, but highly emergency. The layout of the fuel tanks was also changed, which turned out to have a positive effect on the balance of the car's center of gravity. Ultimately, a successful car was created that was less reliable than its predecessor. He contributed to Mario Andretti winning the world title in 1978. The most famous drivers driving this car were, among others, Mario Andretti and Ronnie Petterson. In total, Lotus 79 took part in 26 F1 races, of which 7 won.

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