Tamiya 12037 Lotus type 78 (w/Photo Etched Parts)

The Lotus 78 is a British Formula 1 car that made its track debut at the 1977 Argentine Grand Prix and competed in F1 races until the 1978 season. Its designers were Colin Chapman, Ralph Bellami, Martin Ogilvie and Peter Wright. The Lotus 78 was powered by a single Ford Cosworth DFV 8-cylinder engine with a displacement of 3 liters.

The Lotus 78 was developed to replace another Lotus car: the model 77. Like its predecessor, it used an aluminum monocoque and the same engine, but on many other levels it was an avant-garde vehicle in F1 racing. First of all, it was the first in the history of these races to use the so-called the surface effect associated with the circulation of air under a moving car. Thanks to the appropriate floor profile, the car had better grip on the track. The structure of the body was also changed, which took on a honeycomb structure, which allowed to reduce its weight. Finally, a car was created with very good performance, but extremely difficult to drive and unreliable. Despite this, Mario Andretti won the world title in 1978. The most famous drivers driving this car were, among others, Mario Andretti and Ronnie Petterson. In total, Lotus 78 took part in 33 F1 races, seven of which were won.