Video: Dario Franchitti drives the banned Lotus 88
While Dario Franchitti’s professional motorsport career came to an end after a big accident at Houston in 2013 (he made his return to racing at the 2019 Revival), the four-time IndyCar Champion and three-time Indy 500 winner spent the intervening years popping down to Goodwood every now and then to sample one legendary machine or another. At the 74th Members’ Meeting it was the Lotus 88.
The Lotus 88 was one of the many genius Formula 1 designs to leave the brain of Colin Chapman. It was so advanced, with a twin-chassis design, that it was immediately banned. Thankfully the Lotus 88 wasn’t broken up or parked in a shed somewhere never to be seen again, but instead carefully maintained by Colin’s son Clive Chapman and Classic Team Lotus. Thanks to their hard work the 88 was able to be driven by Dario at 74MM, alongside other ground effect F1 cars from the late 1970s and early ‘80s. When it comes to working around the Formula 1 rulebook, there are few cars that have done it quite so well.
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74MM
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Members Meeting
Lotus
88
Formula 1
Dario Franchitti
