The Can-Am racing series, a platform known for its largely unrestricted rules, allowed designers and engineers to push the boundaries of racing innovation. It was a playground where vehicles with seat belts were unleashed onto the track with minimal limitations. Notably, the series witnessed dominance from renowned names in sports car racing, with McLaren and Porsche leading the charge.
Colin Chapman, the visionary founder of Lotus, once contemplated entering the Can-Am arena, seeking to extend Lotus' design philosophy to this exhilarating category. Unfortunately, Lotus' prevailing triumphs in another popular racing domain, Formula 1, took precedence, causing Chapman's ambitious Can-Am project to remain on the drawing board.
With an eye on the commercially promising Can-Am Series, Chapman tasked Team Lotus draftsman Geoff Ferris to initiate the Type 66 project. The goal was to explore how Lotus' design principles could be translated into the Can-Am context. Although the project never advanced beyond technical drawings and scale models, Lotus has now resurrected the original vision, paying tribute to its rich racing heritage 53 years later.
The hypothetical Type 66, had it come to fruition, would have contended in the 1970 Can-Am season, a period largely dominated by Denny Hulme and McLaren. This conceptual race car would have incorporated several groundbreaking features inspired by Lotus' successful F1 chassis, the Type 72. These innovations included side-mounted radiators for improved aerodynamics and airflow management.
Lotus Design Director Russell Carr and his team breathed life into the long-lost Type 66 designs using modern CAD and CAM technologies. They meticulously digitized original drawings and created 3D renders, providing a fresh perspective on this unrealized gem. The concept's design, reminiscent of Colin Chapman's early visions, featured a cockpit enclosure to reduce drag and enhance rear-wing airflow.
The modern rendition of the Type 66 showcases the integration of cutting-edge technology with the nostalgia of the 1970s. The chassis and body boast carbon-fiber construction, with over 1000 hours of computational fluid dynamics optimization resulting in 1760 pounds of downforce at 150 mph. Under the hood lies a "period-representative" pushrod V8 engine, generating 830 hp at 8800 rpm.
It employs extruded aluminum, bonded joints, and aluminum honeycomb panels. While embodying the spirit of the past, the Type 66 does not comply with current racing series specifications. Its price tag of $1.2 million reflects its exclusivity, and Lotus claims it could outperform modern GT3 race cars, offering a thrilling glimpse into what might have been in the world of Can-Am racing.
