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After a design study by Chapman into new composite materials, the decision was taken to build the car in [[carbon fibre]] and [[Kevlar]], making it, after the [[McLaren MP4/1]], the second F1 car to race to be built from the material - the Lotus 88 not having raced before it was banned.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/5042/Lotus-91-Cosworth.html|title=1982 Lotus 91 Cosworth - Images, Specifications and Information|website=Ultimatecarpage.com|accessdate=13 December 2019}}</ref>
Under the direction of [[Peter Warr]], the team worked hard to make the car as competitive as possible. The lightweight chassis gave the 91 a fighting chance against the far more powerful turbo engined cars and Cosworth worked on a short stroke version of the DFV purely for Lotus' use.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/july-2007/44/cosworth-dfv-horses-courses|title=Cosworth DFV – Horses for courses|date=7 July 2014|website=Motor Sport Magazine|access-date=21 December 2019}}</ref> The sidepods were full length units, extending to the very back of the car to take full advantage of the ground effect aerodynamics. However the 91 was quite pitch sensitive, making it tricky to drive.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=w8lZFqaEJBM |title=Lotus 91: The F1 Car That Sticks Like Spiderman |publisher=YouTube |date=2016-03-15 |accessdate=2022-02-11}}</ref> The Lotus 91 was the basis for the Lotus 92 - which pioneered active suspension in Formula 1. This suspension was revolutionary, using an on-board system to control the ride height and behaviour of the suspension, thus the Lotus 92 was the first car to be fitted with [[active suspension]]. The system was partially controlled by computers but at this early stage was mostly operated by hydro-pneumatic valves.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gglotus.org/ggtech/activesusp/body-activesusp.htm |title=Lotus Active Suspension |website=gglotus.org |access-date=21 December 2019}}</ref>
== Racing history ==
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