Lotus Goes Turbo is a 30 minute documentary covering the Lotus Formula One teams switch from naturally aspirated to turbo V6 engines in the 1983 season. It’s a fantastic little piece of history, seeing engineers designing a Formula One car on a drafting table with a pencil and slide rule is a reminder of just how brilliant these guys actually were.
As Formula One will be returning to turbo engines next year, this film is both a look back and a look forward. The shift to forced-induction engines has been met with derision from many sectors of the F1 world but I’m looking forward to it – there’s nothing like a major shake up in the regulations to knock top teams down a peg and reward mid-level teams who are willing to take a few innovative risks.
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