The Lotus 87 is one of the Lotus entries the open record knows by name, and by little else. That is not nothing: a name in the catalogue is where a car's story starts to be recoverable. Its designer of record is Colin Chapman (Technical Director) / Martin Ogilvie (Chief Designer) / Peter Wright (Head of Aerodynamics).
The background
The Lotus 87 was a Formula One racing car used by Team Lotus in the second part of the 1981 Formula One season and in the first race of the 1982 season.
Where it sits
Where it sits in Lotus's history is not in doubt: the 81 / 86 came before it; the 88 / 91 followed it. Its Lotus stablemates include the Lotus 100T and the Lotus 101.