Lotus has lastly revealed the Sort 66 – a Can-Am-inspired observe automobile that has been within the information for greater than a 12 months.

Based on the corporate, the Sort 66 is a “misplaced Lotus” observe automobile, rediscovered and reimagined from the corporate’s archives. Solely 10 automobiles can be accessible, every with a price ticket of over $1.27 million.

Again within the day, Lotus founder Colin Chapman and group draughtsman Geoff Ferris launched the Sort 66 challenge to guage how Lotus design rules might be utilized to the Can-Am Collection. Nevertheless, the challenge by no means went past the technical drawings and scale mannequin part.

53 years later, Lotus has determined to revisit the unique designs and reimagine the Sort 66 as a contemporary Can-Am racer. The manufacturing quantity commemorates the variety of races the automobile would have competed in through the 1970 season.

With a view to conform to trendy security requirements, the unique designs have been reinterpreted. The automobile incorporates a modernised driver compartment, inboard gasoline cell, sequential transmission and anti-stall system. It has a full carbon fibre bodyshell, that includes a entrance wing that’s designed to channel air from the entrance of the automobile, by way of and beneath the rear wings, producing extra downforce. Lotus claims that greater than 1,000 hours of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) work has gone into the programme, leading to downforce in extra of 800kg at 150mph.

The Sort 66 is powered by a V8 push-rod engine that produces 819 hp @ 8800 rpm and 550 lb-ft of torque @ 7400 rpm. Based on the corporate, the Sort 66 matches the efficiency and lap occasions of a contemporary GT3 race automobile.