1987 Lotus Type 99T Honda Active Suspension Formula One
Explore the 1987 Lotus Type 99T Honda Active Suspension Formula One: programme history, design, verified rarity scope, specifications and credited photography.
The Lotus Type 99T combines the new Honda partnership and yellow Camel presentation with electronic active suspension. It revisits a technical theme explored by the Type 92 while remaining a different 1987 Formula One programme.
History and verified programme identity
Classic Team Lotus identifies the Type 99T as the first Team Lotus car powered by Honda and the first to display Camel livery. The custodian also describes it as the second Lotus with electronic active suspension after the Type 92 experiment. Six entries appear in its register. Those programme facts establish a distinct physical design and partnership, rather than a repaint of the preceding Renault-powered car. Lotus’s manufacturer timeline separately associates it with the 1987 Monaco and Detroit victories. The supplied photograph records a later Autosport International exhibit, not either original race.
Engineering and design
The active-suspension relationship provides continuity with the Type 92, but not proof of identical hardware or control logic. The Honda engine partnership also changes the powertrain context from the preceding Type 98T. The exterior photograph shows the yellow body, sidepods, narrow cockpit and wings; it cannot reveal the active system’s software or establish whether it operates in the displayed car. The primary record defines the original programme, while a chassis-specific technical file is needed for current installation and restoration status. Colour makes the transition visible, but engineering identity comes from more than the sponsor theme.
The physical car in the supplied photograph
Tony Hisgett’s photograph shows a yellow 1987 Lotus 99T at Autosport International in January 2012. The front-quarter view includes the number 12, low nose, sidepods and rear wing, with a Senna-themed display behind it. The caption retains the exhibit setting and does not certify operation of the hidden active-suspension hardware.
A closer look at the design
The yellow display car makes the 1987 sponsor and engine-era transition immediately visible beside the black-and-gold machines that preceded it. Its substantial side body and separate wings still need technical records to explain their function, and the active system remains hidden from the exterior view. The primary account therefore supplies the essential model identity and its relationship to the earlier experiment. For a collector archive, this combination is more useful than relying on colour or a famous driver poster alone. It allows the reader to recognize the exact model and understand the active-suspension theme, while leaving individual race provenance and current hardware to a dated chassis file. The Type 99T becomes a distinct endpoint for this batch rather than an interchangeable illustration of every Lotus active-suspension project.
Collecting and chassis evidence
An individual Type 99T record should connect its register identity to original race use, active-system development and later preservation. Hydraulic and electronic equipment can require restoration or substitution, making dated technical records important alongside ownership history. The six register entries are not a present survivor census. A famous driver display and the yellow livery help a reader recognize the model, but do not alone establish which chassis won a particular Grand Prix. The exact photograph supports the model profile while the car’s individual engine and active-system continuity remain documentary questions.
Related Lotus designs and meaningful comparisons
The Type 92 supplies the earlier active-suspension experiment, and the Type 98T supplies the preceding Renault-powered competition comparison. Linking both makes the technological return and engine transition readable. Each retains its own register and period, so a shared active theme or Formula One role cannot create a duplicate programme count.
Reading the sources
The programme sources and the photograph answer different questions. Manufacturer and custodial records establish the original model, Type, category and published production scope. The creator’s file establishes the pictured subject, setting and image permission. An individual chassis history can then add ownership, competition entries and dated repairs without changing the scope of the original programme. Build references are not survivor counts, and a later specification does not automatically become an additional newly manufactured vehicle. Where primary evidence does not establish a complete fabrication census, that field remains unassigned.
Specifications and rarity evidence
| Programme reference year | 1987 |
|---|---|
| Model / Type | Type 99T Honda Active Suspension Formula One — Type 99T |
| Body / competition role | Honda-powered electronically active Grand Prix single-seater |
| Programme year | 1987 |
| Powertrain partnership | Honda |
| Sponsor presentation | First Team Lotus Camel livery |
| Technology reference | Electronic active suspension |
| Earlier active comparison | Type 92 |
| Photo event | Autosport International, January 2012 |
| Published build / register reference | 6 listed register entries |
| Independently audited completed tally | Not assigned |
| Count scope | Published reference: 6 listed register entries. The named programme scope is retained independently of audited completed output and current survivor counts. |
| Original inventory status | LOT-099 — Verified |
Frequently asked questions
Is the Type 99T simply the Type 92 active car with a new livery?
No. The custodian identifies a separate 1987 Honda-powered programme and describes the earlier Type 92 experiment as its active-suspension predecessor. Shared technology themes do not establish identical cars or systems.
How is Type 99T Honda Active Suspension Formula One classified?
This is a Team Lotus competition Type archive. It remains separate from Lotus road-car production. Customer cars, works entries and converted chassis need a reconciled scope before any complete fabrication tally is assigned.
Which technical details are established for the programme?
The primary record supports programme year: 1987; powertrain partnership: Honda; sponsor presentation: First Team Lotus Camel livery. These are programme or explicitly attributed photo references. A particular surviving car’s engine, chassis repairs and competition preparation require its own dated documentation.
Does the photographed appearance establish factory originality?
The caption records a real creator-identified Type 99T Honda Active Suspension Formula One subject and its later setting. It establishes the illustration’s scope, while original components, restoration work and individual race provenance require chassis-specific evidence. A competition number, current paint or museum display is not used as an originality certificate.
What rarity or archive scope is verified?
Published reference: 6 listed register entries. The named programme scope is retained independently of audited completed output and current survivor counts.
Who photographed the supplied image?
Tony Hisgett via Wikimedia Commons, under CC BY 2.0. The original file and licence are linked with the image. Retain the creator, source and licence when uploading, exporting or reusing it; local retouching and synthetic enlargement have not been performed.
Related Lotus profiles
Sources and photo credits
Photograph: Tony Hisgett via Wikimedia Commons original source, CC BY 2.0. Source-provided thumbnail supplied without local cropping, retouching or synthetic enlargement.
Built in limited numbers
Published reference: 6 listed register entries. The named programme scope is retained independently of audited completed output and current survivor counts.
Gallery
Specifications
Factory specifications may vary by model year, market and configuration.
Identity & production
- Official model
- Type 99T Honda Active Suspension Formula One
