Lotus founder Colin Chapman aspired to compete towards the dominant McLaren vehicles in Can-Am however by no means progressed additional than the design stage. However, the Lotus Type 66 will lastly see the observe 53 years later as a limited-edition track-day particular.
For a technology of motorsports followers, the Can-Am Challenge Cup was the best racing collection on the planet. The championship operated on the premise that every little thing goes. Can-Am had subsequent to no technical rules and solely required that vehicles be fitted with a windscreen, a roll bar, fenders and two seats.
Chapman tasked Team Lotus draughtsman Geoff Ferris with designing a racing machine that utilized the racing producer’s precept of “simplify and then add lightness” to Can-Am’s lax ruleset. The Type 66 was what was created in technical drawings and scale fashions, however Lotus by no means constructed a completely working prototype.
Lotus revealed a accomplished Type 66 throughout Monterey Car Week. The misplaced Can-Am machine is fitted with a pushrod V8 engine, much like the Ford-Cosworth DFV that Lotus would have been utilizing in Formula 1 within the early Nineteen Seventies. Harkening to the class’s unrestricted engine guidelines, the V8 engine produces over 830 horsepower, almost double the DFV’s in-period output. However, the block makes use of trendy solid elements.
The Type 66 is predicated off an early Nineteen Seventies plan however designed to trendy security and technical requirements. Over a 1,000 hours of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) work went into maximizing the downforce produced by the Type 66. The Twenty first-century Can-Am racer additionally options an inboard gasoline cell, a sequential gearbox, an anti-stall system and a contemporary driver compartment to make sure the automotive is protected to drive.
True to interval, the Lotus Type 66 will come painted within the iconic Gold Leaf Cigarettes pink, white and gold livery utilized by the Lotus 72. Simon Lane, Executive Director of Lotus Advanced Performance, mentioned in a launch:
“While the visual expression is strikingly similar to what could have been – including the period-correct white, red and gold graphics – the technology and mechanical underpinnings of the Lotus Type 66 represent the very best in today’s advanced racing performance.”
Lotus tasks that the Type 66 can be on tempo with trendy GT3 racing equipment. However, will probably be extraordinarily troublesome to get your arms on the Can-Am racer. The British sports activities automotive producer is just constructing a run of ten Type 66s that can be offered for £1 million ($1.27 million) every.
Source: jalopnik.com