Lotus Type 66 Blends Past And Present

Lotus Delves Into the Archives to Finally Produce the Type 66

From either side, the Lotus Type 66 looks like a perfectly designed car from the future. Yet the Type 66 is in fact a continuation of a model first designed in 1970 that failed to reach fruition.

Time has been kind to the curvy space-age design and it’s only now, 53 years later, that this unique model gets to live.

Lotus Type 66 Brings History Back To Life

The Type 66 is a lost Lotus as such and will become a limited-edition model borne from the Lotus archives, where designer Colin Chapman had requested a design that never saw full daylight.

Limited Edition Type 66

Now, Colin’s son Clive has revealed the new performance car which is said to be able to match a modern GT3 race car. Only 10 will be built.

Clive has kept the design as close to the original, meaning that the engine comprises of a powerful mid-mounted 830bhp V8 push-rod with 550lb ft of torque.

The engine design itself is ‘rediscovered’ too and only 10 of these will be built for each vehicle.

Each engine features Can-Am inspired air intake trumpets that sit at the top of each engine, improving driveability with smoother air intake.

Engine and car itself had never previously managed to go further than initial technical drawings and sketches in the past.

Considering the original design, the Type 66 shares a few features with the Lotus Type 2 F1 chassis, which began development in the same period.

This means that the Type 66 gets side-mounted radiators reducing drag, and similar increased front downforce with fast moving air channelled through and over the curvy car.

High Speed Stability

The Type 66 has a period-style Le Mans endurance car tail section which also increases its grip on the ground.
Overall, these things increase the car’s stability at high speeds; something that a car built like the Type 66 really needs.

Lotus Period Design With Modern Day Technology

Clive Chapman has managed to create this vehicle almost as a restomod; with the original design taking precedence, but with a few modern safety features and modern-day performance enhancements – in fact, it’s clear that fifty plus years of safety and performance technical progression has now come to benefit the original design.

The new Type 66 sits with pride at the top of the Lotus 75th anniversary celebrations.

The car was recently revealed at The Quail Motorsport Gathering in Monterey, California, where Brazilian F1 driver Emerson Fittipaldi was guest of honour.

This was a nice touch, as Fittipaldi would have very likely been the man who would have driven the Lotus Type 66 if it had been built in 1970.

Now, each of the ten Lotus Type 66 models will go on sale for in excess of £1 million.