Lotus has revealed a new track-only, limited-edition sports car called the Type 66 as part of the Monterey Car Week celebrations in California. Only 10 examples of the Type 66 will be sold to the public at a price approaching €1.5 million each.
Reborn Can-Am racer
Motorsport fans and those of a certain age may notice that the new Type 66 takes more than a little influence from the muscular Can-Am racers of the 1970s. In fact, the Type 66 project began under Colin Chapman's (the famous founder of Lotus) reign ahead of the 1970 season to investigate what a Lotus-developed Can-Am car would look like. It never went beyond the scale-model stage, but now that project has been brought to life as a modern-day track car for wealthy collectors.
Retro styling intact
Today's design director at Lotus, Russell Carr and his team digitised the scale drawings to keep the new car as close as possible to the original in appearance. At a glance, it looks like a racetrack refugee from the 1970s, but the bodywork is all carbon fibre, the single-seat cabin is relatively modern and spacious and there's lots of cutting-edge technology underneath, including an anti-stall system, a sequential gearbox and even electric power steering.
The engineers at Lotus also modernised the Type 66's aerodynamics using computer modelling to enhance its performance at speed. A distinctive high-mounted rear wing was retained, but detail work under the car helps balance the aerodynamic load and allow up to 800kg of downforce at 240km/h. That's more than the car itself weighs.
Staying true to the Can-Am concept, the Type 66 is powered by a mid-mounted V8 petrol engine. It uses 'period-representative' pushrod construction, though there's nothing old-fashioned about its targets of 830hp and 746Nm of torque. The former is produced at 8,800rpm, so it's expected to be a naturally-aspirated engine. And Lotus reckons the car should be able to lap as fast as a GT3 racer on some circuits.
Milking the history
Brazilian Lotus F1 legend Emerson Fittipaldi was on hand in California to unveil the Type 66 and it was suggested that he would have been one of the drivers drafted in to drive the original racer if it came to fruition. Clive Chapman (Colin's son and Managing Director of Classic Team Lotus) is said to have been instrumental in bringing the project back to life: "The car would have shared many innovative features with our most successful F1 chassis, the Lotus Type 72, which was developed during the same era. These include side-mounted radiators which helped reduce front drag, increase front downforce and channel airflow through and over the car. The rear of the car incorporates a distinctive tail section, resembling the Le Mans endurance cars of the period. These features would have boosted its downforce considerably, compared to rivals, aiding high-speed stability and ultimately its lap times. It would have been spectacular, as is the actual Type 66 we see today."