Can-Am was an amazing racing series. Rules were loose so engineers could make almost anything for the track. Fans and manufacturers were big fans of it. The best in sports car racing were McLaren and Porsche.
McLaren was winning a lot, so Colin Chapman from Lotus tried to make something similar. The idea didn’t go very far because Lotus was busy doing well in Formula 1.
Colin Chapman, the founder of Lotus, asked draftsman Geoff Ferris to start the Type 66 project for the Can-Am Series. But since Chapman was focused on Formula 1, the project only stayed in technical drawings and models. Now, 53 years later, Lotus fulfilled the original vision as a tribute to its racing history.
If it had been made, the Type 66 car would have taken part in the 1970 Can-Am. This competition was won many times by Denny Hulme and McLaren that year. The Type 66 would have had some new ideas that were also used in our best F1 car, the Lotus Type 72.
Both cars had radiators on the sides that helped with airflow and made the front of the car lower to the ground. Clive Chapman, who is Colin Chapman’s son and has been taking care of the Type 66 designs for all these years, said this.
The car’s back has a unique tail section similar to Le Mans cars from that time. This design makes the car more stable at high speeds and faster than competitors. The Type 66 we see now is just as amazing. It’s been updated with modern technology and digital renders created from Chapman’s original drawings. Lotus design director Russell Carr led the team.
The first sketches followed Colin Chapman’s early ideas. The sketches had a cockpit cover to improve airflow to the rear wing. They made changes like moving the fuel cell, adding a sequential transmission, and including an anti-stall system. The car’s chassis and body are carbon fiber. The body underwent more than 1000 hours of CFD testing to improve airflow and generate 1760 pounds of downforce at 150 mph.
The engine is an old-fashioned V8 without a brand name, but it’s similar to the engines found in old McLarens that had Chevies. It can make 830 horsepower when it revs up to 8800 RPM. The engine is built strong with aluminum parts so it can handle 550 pounds-feet of torque.
The car’s chassis is also from the 1970s with aluminum parts that are stuck together. There’s a special braking system called ABS to help the driver stay on the track.
It’s a really old-fashioned car that’s powerful and authentic from the 1970s. It costs a lot of money – $1.2 million! Even though it’s old, it can still beat some new race cars that compete in the GT3 series today. However, it doesn’t fit in with any race car series happening today. If you want to race this car, you need to find a vintage race that will accept it.
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