A superb original period Kodachrome II 35mm colour transparency featuring Mario Andretti in the No. 5 John Player Team Lotus 79 during the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp.
The photograph captures Andretti's iconic black-and-gold John Player Special Lotus 79 at speed, with the packed Swedish crowd and wonderful period advertising banners providing an excellent backdrop.
The car can be identified as Lotus 79 chassis 79/3, also known as JPS-21, powered by the legendary naturally aspirated Ford-Cosworth DFV 3-litre V8. This was one of Andretti's principal cars during his successful 1978 World Championship campaign.
Driver: Mario Andretti
Team: John Player Team Lotus
Car: Lotus 79
Chassis: 79/3 – JPS-21
Race No.: 5
Engine: Ford-Cosworth DFV 2993cc V8
Tyres: Goodyear
Event: Swedish Grand Prix
Circuit: Scandinavian Raceway, Anderstorp
Date: 17 June 1978
Qualifying: Pole position – 1:22.058
Race result: DNF
Format: Original period Kodachrome II 35mm colour transparency
Andretti produced a superb qualifying performance, taking pole position with a 1:22.058 lap, more than six-tenths of a second ahead of John Watson's Brabham-Alfa Romeo. His Lotus teammate and Swedish hero Ronnie Peterson qualified fourth.
Andretti's race ended after 46 laps with an engine-related failure, while Peterson brought the sister Lotus 79 home in third. Niki Lauda won in the extraordinary Brabham BT46B “fan car”, its only Formula One race appearance.
Chassis 79/3 JPS-21 has particularly significant history. Andretti had driven this same car to victory at the Spanish Grand Prix just two weeks before Anderstorp, and after Sweden he would win again with it in the French and German Grands Prix.
The Lotus 79 was one of Formula One's landmark designs, developing the ground-effect principles pioneered by the Lotus 78. Andretti went on to become 1978 Formula One World Champion, making an original period image of him in one of his championship-winning Lotus 79 chassis especially desirable to collectors.
Condition: Good original vintage condition with minor age-related marks consistent with an original period transparency. Please study the supplied scans carefully.