Andretti’s championship‑winning Lotus up for grabs

Known better and more affectionately by its nickname ‘Black Beauty’, the car surely was a beauty to drive, with six wins and five podium places at the 11 grands prix it started. It also scored five fastest laps, of which two were set by Andretti. All in it racked up an incredible four one-two finishes, its absolutely prodigious performance earning it the title of most dominant F1 car since Mercedes' ‘Silver Arrows’ of the mid-1950s.

The car of course owes its ‘Black Beauty’ nickname to its distinctive looks and unmistakable black and gold John Player Special racing livery. Those looks are what delivered the 79 its performance, with the car’s bodywork and dimensions dictated by the pursuit of ground effect aerodynamics.

Pairing enormous side pods, sprawling venturis and sliding skirts, the 79 weaponized the air that passed through and underneath it as it raced, with downforce only increasing as the speed grew. This was Lotus’s great innovation of the era and all rivals either sought to emulate, or outlaw it.

The cherry on the cake of course is that this car, chassis 79/4, is the car Andretti drove to dominate the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, claiming the title as his own. He was the first (and only) American to claim the F1 driver’s title since Phil Hill in 1961, which brings us on to the real reason we describe this Lotus 79 as an inimitable piece of F1 history. 

As Hill's original Sharknose Ferraris were scrapped after their contemporary relevance elapsed, 79/4 is the only American F1 champion’s car in existence. As such, it’s as much a piece of American racing history as it is a piece of F1 history and a car whose significance numbers it among the most desirable F1 chassis in existence.

“I vividly remember, as a boy, being perched on the edge of my seat watching the 'Mario and Ronnie Train' of Colin Chapman's beautiful black and gold cars dominating the 1978 Formula 1 World Championship with victory after victory,” said Mark Osborne, Bonhams’ Global Director of Motorsport and consignor of this Lotus 79.

“I have been hooked on Formula 1 ever since. This car, 79/4 or JPS22 as the sponsors preferred, ticks every conceivable box. From its 'Superstar' driver and crown-clinching Grand Prix success to its JPS livery and pivotal trend-setting innovation, Mario's Championship winner from 1978 stands not only as one of the most significant cars of the 3.0-litre F1 era, but of Formula 1 itself."

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images