FIRST LOOK - Lotus Type 66 – £1m, 830bhp Resto-Racer With GT3 Performance _ Top Gear

**The Lotus Type 66: A Modern Revival of a 50-Year-Old Vision**

Join us on the Lotus dam for something truly unique—a car unlike anything you’ve seen before. This is the Lotus Type 66, a brand-new track machine built with fresh components and never seen in public until now. It’s not a restoration, replica, or classic racing car; it’s a modern interpretation of a design that dates back over half a century.

### A Vision from the Late 60s

The story behind the Type 66 begins in the late 1960s and early 1970s when Colin Chapman, the legendary founder of Lotus, set his sights on the Can-Am racing series. Chapman envisioned a Lotus car for this high-powered endurance race and even went so far as to sketch designs and create models. However, as F1 took up more of his time and attention, these plans were shelved, and the project was forgotten.

Decades later, Simon Lane, the boss of Lotus Advanced Technologies, rediscovered Chapman’s old sketches and models. With the help of Chapman’s son, they dusted off the original manuscripts and set to work on a modern interpretation of Chapman’s vision. The result is the Type 66—a car that pays homage to its historical roots while incorporating cutting-edge technology.

### A Balancing Act: Old and New

The design of the Type 66 is a fascinating blend of vintage aesthetics and contemporary engineering. Its livery, in red, white, and gold, mirrors the iconic colors of the Lotus 72 F1 car from years ago, ensuring it stays true to Chapman’s original vision. However, the team behind the project faced a crucial question: how much should they modernize the design while still maintaining its classic appeal?

The answer lies in subtle updates that enhance both safety and performance without compromising the car’s retro charm. The Type 66 features a full carbon fiber shell beneath an aluminum chassis structure, combining lightweight materials with traditional techniques. Safety was not overlooked either; the car includes front and rear crash structures, a rollover hoop, and an inboard fuel tank—a far cry from the dangerous “saddle tanks” of old.

### A Beast on the Track

At its heart lies a period-correct pushrod V8 engine displacing 5.8 liters and producing an impressive 830 horsepower at 8,800 RPM. The排气 trumpets, while serving aerodynamic purposes, are primarily there to wow spectators with their bold appearance. The car’s downforce is remarkable—800 kilograms at 150 mph—making it as fast or faster than modern GT3 cars.

Despite its vintage looks, the Type 66 isn’t stuck in the past when it comes to driver comfort and safety. It boasts power steering, anti-lock brakes (ABS), an anti-slip clutch, and a sequential gearbox with optional paddle shifters or a period-correct wooden lever. These features make it a driver-friendly machine while staying true to its roots.

### A Rare and Special Machine

Only 10 examples of the Type 66 will be built, each priced at $1.2 million. This makes it an exclusive collector’s item and a unique track weapon. The car’s seating position is reminiscent of a deck chair rather than a modern racing seat, adding to its charm. However, climbing into the cockpit might require some creativity—only two people have done it so far.

The Type 66 isn’t just a car; it’s a piece of automotive history come to life. With its roaring engine and iconic design, it’s sure to turn heads and dominate track days. As one enthusiast remarked, “Keep your modern track cars—I’ll take this any day.”

### The Future of Classic-Car Revival

The Type 66 isn’t just a throwback; it’s a glimpse into what’s possible when manufacturers revisit their archives. Could this be the start of a new trend? With other brands rummaging through their old projects, we might see more such revivals in the future. For now, the Lotus Type 66 stands as a testament to Chapman’s vision and a thrilling blend of old and new.

So, whether you’re a collector, a racer, or just a car enthusiast, the Type 66 is a must-see—and if you can afford it, a must-have. It’s not just a car; it’s a piece of history that’s been reimagined for the modern age.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enokay so you join us on the Lotus dam for something completely different there's nothing like this a quail this year in fact I've never really seen anything like this before because this thing behind me it's called the Lotus type 66. it's not a Resto mod it's not a restored old classic racing car it's not a replica this is a brand new car built with brand new components it's never been seen before this car except it's faithful to a design that's over 50 years old it is the Lost Lotus track car um so the basics of this it is a track toy you can buy it for 1.2 million dollars each they're only going to build 10 of them it's about as fast as a modern um GT3 car around a track but the story behind it and how it came to be that is much more interesting that's what you want to hear so basically back in the late 60s early 70s Colin Chapman was looking at the Can-Am series and thinking yeah I fancy a bit of that so he did some sketches made some models of what a Lotus Can-Am car could look like using all the Lotus technology and know-how of the day and then well he got a bit busy with F1 so those plans those models got shelved and everyone moved on with their lives until recently when Lotus advanced technology the boss Simon Lane discovered this project he found the drawings he got Colin Chapman's son to dig out the actual manuscripts and the models and everything and started to get an idea and that idea was could we build this car using modern Technologies but faithful to that design that Chapman wanted to make but got a little bit sidetracked all those years ago and this is the result it is well pretty spectacular actually um the livery red white and gold so that is faithful to the Livery that they had on the Lotus 72 F1 car back in the day um and the whole push and pull with this project the whole way along has been at what point do you stay totally faithful to the original design and at what point do you modernize and update things because let's face it they want it to look old and cool and reflect Chapman's ideas but they don't want people turning into a fireball in this thing so it has a full carbon fiber shell underneath it's got a traditional chassis structure so aluminum extrusions bonded joints aluminum honeycomb panels um but then they're safety measures as well front and rear crash structures you've got a rollover hoop here you've got an inboard fuel tank rather than a saddle tank so you know there's no point in cutting Corners when it comes to safety because it still looks gorgeous it's still got that Can-Am silhouette and I haven't even talked about the engine yet I was supposed to talk about that at the beginning this thing so it is a period correct pushrod V8 5.8 liters producing 830 horsepower at eight thousand eight 800 RPM which is quite a lot and the trumpets you've probably noticed the trumpets apparently these do have aerodynamic benefits for the intakes but really they just look absolutely Bonkers I mean how can you look at anything else and the downforce on this car proper down Force 800 kilograms of downforce at 150 miles an hour as I said this thing is as quick if not quicker than a modern GT3 car and what a flex turning up to a track day of one of these anyone can buy a GT3 car this thing is special it's a story it looks gorgeous and wait until people find out that it's brand new and it's going to blow them off the track um and then you've got the modern comfort so power steering you've got abs in this thing you've got an anti-still clutch so you don't make a fool of yourself you've got a sequential gearbox you can have paddles optionally or this gorgeous little wooden lever which is the one you want to go for period correct it's just one thing I've got to do with this car I've got to get in it I mean come and have a look at this seat here the seating position is interesting to say the least it looks more like a deck chair than a racing chair um from a modern racing car but it's gorgeous look at all this stitching here I have no idea how to get in other than taking a running leap is there somebody that knows how to take the uh anyone knows how to take the door off this I'm told I'm the only only the second bum that's been in this thank you very much do you can stand on this you heard him he said I could stand on it right okay here I go off from my 70s Can-Am racing adventure oh man oh yeah you can keep your modern track cars this thing is on another level it's so wide so the engine I mean it's it's there I'm I'm touching it the noise of this thing behind your head must be absolutely off the chart in fact they fired it up earlier Huck did you get a shot of it firing up you did good man because it sounds absolutely brutal I mean it's a story isn't it it's cool it's a toy I told you it's a toy but people are getting so creative with ways of getting million two million quid out of people's hands these days is this the start of something new are we gonna see a load of other manufacturers rummaging around in the archive for projects that were discarded years ago and resurrecting them I hope sookay so you join us on the Lotus dam for something completely different there's nothing like this a quail this year in fact I've never really seen anything like this before because this thing behind me it's called the Lotus type 66. it's not a Resto mod it's not a restored old classic racing car it's not a replica this is a brand new car built with brand new components it's never been seen before this car except it's faithful to a design that's over 50 years old it is the Lost Lotus track car um so the basics of this it is a track toy you can buy it for 1.2 million dollars each they're only going to build 10 of them it's about as fast as a modern um GT3 car around a track but the story behind it and how it came to be that is much more interesting that's what you want to hear so basically back in the late 60s early 70s Colin Chapman was looking at the Can-Am series and thinking yeah I fancy a bit of that so he did some sketches made some models of what a Lotus Can-Am car could look like using all the Lotus technology and know-how of the day and then well he got a bit busy with F1 so those plans those models got shelved and everyone moved on with their lives until recently when Lotus advanced technology the boss Simon Lane discovered this project he found the drawings he got Colin Chapman's son to dig out the actual manuscripts and the models and everything and started to get an idea and that idea was could we build this car using modern Technologies but faithful to that design that Chapman wanted to make but got a little bit sidetracked all those years ago and this is the result it is well pretty spectacular actually um the livery red white and gold so that is faithful to the Livery that they had on the Lotus 72 F1 car back in the day um and the whole push and pull with this project the whole way along has been at what point do you stay totally faithful to the original design and at what point do you modernize and update things because let's face it they want it to look old and cool and reflect Chapman's ideas but they don't want people turning into a fireball in this thing so it has a full carbon fiber shell underneath it's got a traditional chassis structure so aluminum extrusions bonded joints aluminum honeycomb panels um but then they're safety measures as well front and rear crash structures you've got a rollover hoop here you've got an inboard fuel tank rather than a saddle tank so you know there's no point in cutting Corners when it comes to safety because it still looks gorgeous it's still got that Can-Am silhouette and I haven't even talked about the engine yet I was supposed to talk about that at the beginning this thing so it is a period correct pushrod V8 5.8 liters producing 830 horsepower at eight thousand eight 800 RPM which is quite a lot and the trumpets you've probably noticed the trumpets apparently these do have aerodynamic benefits for the intakes but really they just look absolutely Bonkers I mean how can you look at anything else and the downforce on this car proper down Force 800 kilograms of downforce at 150 miles an hour as I said this thing is as quick if not quicker than a modern GT3 car and what a flex turning up to a track day of one of these anyone can buy a GT3 car this thing is special it's a story it looks gorgeous and wait until people find out that it's brand new and it's going to blow them off the track um and then you've got the modern comfort so power steering you've got abs in this thing you've got an anti-still clutch so you don't make a fool of yourself you've got a sequential gearbox you can have paddles optionally or this gorgeous little wooden lever which is the one you want to go for period correct it's just one thing I've got to do with this car I've got to get in it I mean come and have a look at this seat here the seating position is interesting to say the least it looks more like a deck chair than a racing chair um from a modern racing car but it's gorgeous look at all this stitching here I have no idea how to get in other than taking a running leap is there somebody that knows how to take the uh anyone knows how to take the door off this I'm told I'm the only only the second bum that's been in this thank you very much do you can stand on this you heard him he said I could stand on it right okay here I go off from my 70s Can-Am racing adventure oh man oh yeah you can keep your modern track cars this thing is on another level it's so wide so the engine I mean it's it's there I'm I'm touching it the noise of this thing behind your head must be absolutely off the chart in fact they fired it up earlier Huck did you get a shot of it firing up you did good man because it sounds absolutely brutal I mean it's a story isn't it it's cool it's a toy I told you it's a toy but people are getting so creative with ways of getting million two million quid out of people's hands these days is this the start of something new are we gonna see a load of other manufacturers rummaging around in the archive for projects that were discarded years ago and resurrecting them I hope so\n"