11.12.2025Legendary combination: Senna, Lotus and Monaco

The Lotus 97T, powered by a 1.5-liter V6 Renault turbo engine, was designed by Gérard Ducarouge for the 1985 Formula 1 season. It impressed with advanced aerodynamic solutions, including early use of bargeboards and a particularly clever use of ground effect within the regulations of the time.

With its light, extremely agile character, the 97T was perfectly suited to the unique demands of the Monaco street circuit – especially in the hands of the young Brazilian Ayrton Senna, who was only in his second Formula 1 season.

The 1985 Monaco Grand Prix added another chapter to the unique relationship between car, driver, and track. Just a year earlier, Senna had made history here in the Toleman, sensationally finishing second in the most adverse conditions.

After joining the John Player Special Team Lotus for 1985, Senna celebrated his first Grand Prix victory in only the second race of the season, in Portugal. In Monaco, he once again impressively demonstrated the potential of his Lotus 97T, car number 12, securing his third consecutive pole position with an outstanding qualifying lap.

However, success eluded him in the race itself. An engine failure forced him to retire. But his future legacy on the streets of the principality was already foreshadowed at that point.

Two years later, Senna finally fulfilled his destiny. He won the Monaco Grand Prix for the first time in 1987, this time in the Lotus 99T. Between 1989 and 1993, he would repeat this triumph no fewer than five times in a row. With a total of six victories in Monaco, Senna still holds the record today – a benchmark against which generations of drivers measure themselves.

This extraordinary legacy is duly celebrated and honored with the limited-edition model in scale 1:18 from WERK83. With its authentic cockpit replica, opening hood, detailed engine compartment, and driver figure, this new model is perfect for enthusiasts of a very special era of motorsport.

Ayrton Senna Lotus 97T #12 Monaco GP Formula 1 1985 1:18 WERK83, RRP €199.95, item-no.: W18056001 / W18R001

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Ayrton Senna Lotus 97T #12 Monaco GP formule 1 1985 1:18 WERK83

179,95 €