1. The designer continues the production concepts of The company original files.

2. The assembly of Lotus 99T is mainly used the real construction and also the modelling.

3. It is used metal to assemble the components.

4. The color of decals is quite bright and they can compare to Cartograt company.

5. Ready to assemble Precsiion model

6. Detailing the carbon mixed special material suspension

7. Highly detailed V-6 turbo engine with all exhaust system 

8. Removable Cowling

9. Rubber slick racing tyres replicas

10. Seatbelts in fibre.

11. Allow to separate top cover body form the model.

12. All detailed waterdecals . Camel logos to sell in separate PE upgrde set. (ref. EX12001) 

13. PE grade up parts including replacement in metal for motor hose , air filters, anthenas, paintmask, metal wing profiles are available separately as EX12001

14. Recommended for experienced modelers

1987 saw many changes at Team Lotus.A new main sponsor meant a livery change from black to yellow. With Renault having withdrawn from Formula 1 at the end of the 1986 season, the Lotuses were now powered by Honda engines. Satoru Nakajima, became the first full-time Japanese driver in Formula 1 as Ayrton Senna’ s teammate. An onboard camera was fitted to Nakajima’s car for the entire season, a world-first that opened the door to the onboard cameras of today.

■A new-generation machine: Type 99T

For the 1987 season Team Lotus introduced a new-generation machine―Type 99T. At first glance, it looked similar to the Type 97T and Type 98T that were raced in 1985 and 1986. But looks can be deceiving. Under the skin, a completely new car had been designed by the development team led by Gérard Ducarouge and Martin Ogilvie.In 1981, Team Lotus brought out Type 88, the very first F1 car with a carbon composite chassis. It was made using a process developed by Lotus which involved making a flat sheet of carbon composite material which was then cut out and folded into the monocoque. The joints were then reinforced, and bulkheads were bolted on to form the desired three-dimensional structure.  When looking at the naked monocoque, lines of metal bobbins are clearly visible where the carbon composite is bolted onto the various bulkheads. The same construction method, albeit further improved, was used for the monocoque of Type 99T. As Renault’s 90-degree V6 engine was replaced by Honda’s 80-degree V6, new engine mounts had to be developed. Lotus further went to the trouble of designing a new gearbox to best match the characteristics of the Honda engine. On the suspension side, this was the year Lotus’ proprietary Lotus Active Suspension was introduced and raced over the entire season. Aerodynamic development continued throughout the season with a variety of new wing designs appearing on Type 99T. From the Hungary GP onward, a trendy, low and flat bodywork was adopted.

■Two trump cards

Type 99T had two trump cards―its engine and its suspension. On the engine side was Honda’s RA167E twin-turbo V6. For 1987, fuel tank capacity was reduced to 195 liters (with no refueling allowed) and turbocharging pressure was restricted to a maximum of 4 bars. In response to these new rules, Honda focused on further improving combustion efficiency on the way to both high power and low fuel consumption. To this end, one main development effort centered on intake air temperature control while also perfecting such proprietary technologies as the PGM-FI electronically controlled fuel injection system, and a new Telemeter Communication System providing the pit with real-time engine data. Special fuel blends with high toluene and n-heptane contents were also devised to further help increase power. With a maximum power output said to be in excess of 1,000 horsepower, RA167E was considered to be one of the more powerful, if not the most powerful, F1 engine in 1987. Beyond sheer power, its broad powerband also proved a valuable tool in the hands of the drivers. On the suspension side was Team Lotus’ proprietary electro-hydraulically controlled Lotus Active Suspension.In 1977, Team Lotus introduced the first ground effect F1 car and was immediately faced with severe porpoising―an aerodynamically induced, violent vertical bouncing phenomenon. Peter Wright, the very person credited with the idea of ground effect, then came up with a first solution―designing a twin chassis car―which became Type 88 of 1981. He also had another solution involving active suspension. The idea behind active suspension was to actively control suspension movement using a computer and hydraulic actuators to eliminate pitch and roll and thus achieve the constant ride height required for maximum, yet stable, downforce.Peter Wright pioneered the use of active suspension in F1 with the 1983 Lotus Type 92. But its then analog-type computer control system was still a work in progress and was eventually removed. But development work continued at Lotus Engineering―another entity within the Lotus Group―coming to fruition in the form of a now fully digital computer control system which was fitted to the Type 99T of 1987.Active suspension was no lightweight, adding ten to 12 kilos as a whole. It also was a power drain with its hydraulic pump driven by the exhaust-side camshaft on the left bank of the engine. But there also were other advantages beside sheer downforce.Active suspension was kind to the tires, a valuable weapon on tracks with severe tire wear. It also helped the tires stay in contact with the track surface. This proved most valuable on public road courses like Monaco and Detroit where active suspension helped better cope with the uneven surface and thus provide better vehicle control.Another advantage of active suspension was the ability to alter suspension settings in a moment by simply connecting a laptop computer to the onboard system and inputting the data with a few strokes on the keyboard. Active suspension clearly signaled the beginning of a new age.As revolutionary as the Lotus Active Suspension was, computers in 1987 simply could not deliver the processing speeds needed to provide an overwhelming performance advantage over the other cars. But by the early 1990’s, active suspension had become a key feature for victory in F1. The Lotus 99T and its Lotus Active Suspension system were the pioneers of the day.

■Type 99T: Mixed results despite a historical win in Monaco

Type 99T was raced from the 1987 season opener in Brazil where Satoru Nakajima, in his first race in F1, finished in seventh position.In the second round of the season at the San Marino GP, Ayrton Senna took pole position on the way to a second-place finish. Nakajima, who had to switch to his spare car at the last minute, nevertheless finished in sixth position to become the first Japanese driver to mark points in F1. In the following Belgium GP Nakajima did one better, finishing in fifth position.The fourth round of the season at the Monaco GP and the following Detroit GP saw Senna take full advantage of the performance provided by the Lotus Active Suspension on uneven public road surfaces, marking two wins in a row.Round six of the season at the French GP saw Senna finish sixth. Round seven at the British GP saw Senna come in third with teammate Nakajima following in fourth behind the two Williams, thus contributing to a 1-2-3-4 finish for the Honda engine. Senna followed this with a third place in Germany, a second place in Hungary and a fifth place in Austria. In round 11 at the Italian GP, Senna was in the lead until he lost time going off-course while lapping a slower car and thus had to make do with a second-place finish. In round 15 at the Japanese GP, Senna finished second with Nakajima following in fifth giving Honda its two best placements at its maiden race on home ground. The last race of the season at the Australian GP saw Senna cross the finish line in second place only to be later disqualified for an oversized front brake cooling duct. This did not prevent Type 99T from showing, once again, its speed when driven by Ayrton Senna on a public road course.Overall, Senna finished third in the driver’s ranking with Nakajima coming in 12th.Team Lotus finished third in the constructors’ ranking.  The ambitious Type 99T raced in 1987 epitomizes the concerted effort of Lotus and Honda to bring new, step-changing technologies to bear in F1. Type 99T’s victories in Monaco and Detroit also marked a glorious end to Team Lotus' winning history.This kit represents Type 99T as raced to victory by Ayrton Senna at the 1987 Monaco GP. After having won his first Monaco GP in 1984, it also is the car that allowed Senna to return to winning ways at Monaco on his way to a record six Monaco wins in total. Similarly, this is the car that gave Honda its second F1 win since 1965 and its first GP win in Monaco. It goes without saying that it also gave Lotus Active Suspension its first GP win. (Commentator：Shigenori Ogura)