Has it really been 30 years?

With the Formula 1 season in full bloom (traction control out, FIA sex scandal in), it bears unfortunate mention that the sport is, once again, without an American pilot. Colin Chapman's revolutionary Lotus 79, resplendent in black-and-gold JPS livery, is one of the most important cogs in the wheel of motorsport innovation history, as it made the notion of "ground effects" really work and translate to race wins. Mario Andretti nearly won the championship in 1977 and came into the 1978 season determined. The new Lotus was runaway fast, also thanks to its Cosworth V-8 engine, by then a proven power source for more than a decade. In the end, it came down to Andretti and mega-talented Ronnie Peterson for the title. It was a bittersweet achievement for Mario, who won the crown but lost his teammate and friend Peterson three races from the season's end. In any case, Andretti calls his F1 championship the high point of his career. It was a high point for American motorsport fans as well.

Coverage: March 1974

"Cars To Own in a Gas Crisis." There's a timely cover line -- then and now. Gas prices were rising, and everyone was looking for more economical transportation solutions. "Can the rotary engine replace the piston?" Not thus far. 1974's young, petite, brunette, pre-Danica hot shoe was a championship-winning drag racer named Shirley Muldowney, one of nine women that were highlighted in our Photo Quiz about women in racing.