The Lotus 79 is part of an elite group that Giorgio Piola considers to be milestone machines, with each of these cars incorporating designs, solutions or systems that would be widely adopted by their rivals such was their potency.
The search for performance in Formula 1 requires a little bit of genius, some lateral thinking and sometimes a willingness to push the boundaries of the regulations.
At the height of Renault's success in the mid 2000s, the French car manufacturer utilised a solution known as the 'mass damper', and started a development war that had every chance of getting out of hand if the FIA had not stepped in.
Colin Chapman enjoyed massive success throughout the 1960s and 1970s with his Lotus team, going on to maximise the advantage it earned by being first to introduce and develop cars that took advantage of ground effect.
