Lotus reveals new Type 66 Can-Am racer

Lotus has revealed the first details of its latest Type 66 track-only car.

The original Type 66 is said to have been designed by Colin Chapman, who penned the initial designs as he entertained the idea of competing in the Can-Am Series in the 1970s.

The front of the car has been designed to channel air through and underneath the rear wings, allowing it to create a total of 800kg of downforce at 241km/h

However, the project never went beyond the initial technical drawings and scale models, as the firm opted to focus instead on Formula One. Today, Lotus has finally been able to bring the original vision of Chapman to life, 53 years after the first designs of the car was originally put onto paper.

Lotus states that only 10 examples of this Type 66 will be built, in commemoration of the number of races that the car would have competed in during the 1970 season. Each example, is said to cost in excess of $1.7million (£1million).

This modern Type 66 makes another nod to Lotus' racing heritage with its red, white, and gold livery – just as Lotus used on its Type 72 Formula One car.

The Lotus Type 66 gets Can-Am-inspired air intake 'trumpets' at the top of its engine

The car is said to have remained true to the original vision of Chapman, featuring a cockpit enclosure that would reduce drag and improve airflow to the rear wing. The car does, however, get a modern driver compartment, inboard fuel cell, sequential transmission and anti-stall system - concessions made to conform to modern safety standards. All these are contained within the full carbon fibre bodyshell of the car.

More than 1,000 hours of Computational Fluid Dynamics work has been said to go into the design of the Type 66, resulting in the car generating a total downforce of 800kg at 241km/h.

Paired with a period-representative pushrod V8 that delivers more than 830bhp at 8,800rpm and 746Nm of torque at 7,400rpm, the Type 66 is claimed to deliver performance and lap times that can rival a modern GT3 race car.