Ayrton Senna LOTUS 97T '85

The Ayrton Senna LOTUS 97T '85 is a Formula One car designed by Gérard Ducarouge and built by Team Lotus for the 1985 Formula One season. It only appears in Gran Turismo 6 as part of Update 1.08, along with Senna's kart from 1980 and his British Formula 3 car from 1983.
As implied by the car's in-game manufacturer, the car represented in the game is the #12 driven by Ayrton Senna. During the season, Senna won the Portuguese and Belgian Grands Prix, and finished 4th in the Driver's Championship. Team Lotus finished 4th in the Constructor's Championship behind McLaren, Ferrari and Williams.
In the game, there are two liveries to choose from for this car: the first is a fictitious non-tobacco rendition of the John Player Special livery, with "John Player Special" and "JPS" logos being replaced with "Team Lotus Special" and "Lotus" logos, while the second is a replica of the livery used at the British, German and European Grands Prix, where due to tobacco advertising restrictions in Germany and United Kingdom, the "John Player Special" logos were replaced with laurels designs.
==In-game description==
"The legendary racecar in which Ayrton Senna achieved his first F1 Victory."
1985 - In Ayrton Senna's second year in the F1, he changed teams seeking a seat that would bring him closer to the championship crown. The new team he joined was the legendary Lotus, a team that his personal hero Jim Clark had once race with.
This year's F1 was expected to be tougher in terms of fuel efficiency due to a restriction in fuel capacity and refuelling prohibition incorporated from the previous year. In response to this issue, Lotus introduced a new machine, the 97T. The 97T was designed by Gérard Ducarouge, who also designed the previous 95T. In addition to changing the aerodynamics around the radiator in consideration for the heat produced by the turbocharged engine, he also designed a deflector to go behind the front tires to reduce drag in front of the body. This deflector marked the beginnings of advanced aerodynamics in F1 racing.
The engine for the machine was the Renault V6 turbo, now in its 3rd year of application. But because the 1985 model EF15 was designed more for fuel economy, the EF4 of the previous year was quite often used during qualifying. The 97T with prominent gold lettering on a pitch black body left a strong impression on those who laid eyes on the car.
Senna was the secondary driver this year, but as soon as the season opened, he quickly proved that he was faster than the primary driver Elio de Angelis. He showed exceptional ability in the 2nd round at the Portuguese GP, dominating the qualifying round and finishing laps ahead of 3rd place and lower in the final race, despite the pouring rain. He was also over a minute ahead of Ferrari in second place. This was Senna's first F1 victory, and he lived up to his reputation from his Kart racing years, where he honed his driving skill under wet conditions.
Senna won another race in round 13 at the Belgian GP, and achieved pole position a total of 7 times during the 1985 season. He ended the season at 4th in drivers rankings, and the 97T became famous as the machine that led the Brazilian driver to his first victory, on his early voyages into the world of F1 racing.
==Acquisition==
==Trivia==
*In Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, the F687/S features similarities to the 97T in livery, both bearing the John Player Special-style paint scheme, although the primary intended similarity is to the Camel-sponsored, Honda-powered 99T.
*In GT Auto, parts can be purchased that alter the aero parts, rear wings, and vent decoration.
*The Gran Turismo F1500T-A's model is based on this car, although some differences were made.
*This is one of seven licensed Formula 1 cars in the series, the others being the Mercedes AMG F1 W08 EQ Power+ 2017, Ferrari F10, F2007, McLaren MP4/4, the Honda RA272, and the Mercedes-Benz W 196 R.
==Notes==
Category:GT6 Cars
Category:GT6 DLC Cars
Category:Lotus Race Cars
Category:1980s race cars
Category:Formula Cars
Category:Turbocharged Cars
Category:Open Cockpit Cars
Category:Ayrton Senna Cars
Category:Cars without headlights
Category:Cars with PWR above unity
Category:1000 PS
Category:Vehicles with unique racing suit