This is not a restoration. This is not a continuation. This is a brand new , old Lotus. Let’s pray silently for the arrival of the Type 66, a 1970 project that never saw service. Until now.

We need to turn back the clock 53 years to find the origins of this car: famous designer Colin Chapman, who was busy dominating Formula 1, asked Lotus designer Geoff Ferris to come up with a design that could do the same thing in the profitable Can-Am. series across the pond.

Lotus’s success in F1 meant that the plan never went beyond the drawings and model stage, so it sat in a cupboard somewhere in the Chapman family archives for more than half a century, just waiting for the right moment.

Despite being with new Emira, Eletre and Evija, that time has come. The Type 66 retains its original design and at its heart is a period-correct pushrod V8 engine (complete with forged aluminum crank, connecting rods and pistons), which produced 830 horsepower at 8,800 rpm and 550 lb-ft at 7,400 rpm.

Clearly the lap times would make a modern GT3 racer blush. At Laguna Seca, sim thinks it could be even faster. Crikey.

It would be the work of 1,000 hours of CFD (i.e. digital wind tunnel), allowing the Type 66 to produce 800kg of downforce at 150mph. It also punches above its weight, so if you have a long enough tunnel with a flat ceiling…

The chassis is also contemporary, with extruded aluminum sections, linkage joints and aluminum honeycomb panels. However, power steering, sequential transmission with reverse gear, ABS, anti-suspension multi-disc clutch and fixed anti-roll bars are more recent inventions.

Using 3D renderings to improve airflow, the design has been adjusted – ‘refined’ – to today’s safety standards, claims Lotus. For that purpose, the cockpit has been modified, and the internal fuel cell is also new. The bodywork is entirely made of carbon fiber, as you would expect these days.

“The Type 66 is the perfect blend of past and present,” said Simon Lane, managing director of Lotus Advanced Performance. “It takes drivers back in time, returning to the iconic design, sound and pure theatricality of motorsport more than 50 years ago, while adding performance and safety of the 21st century. This is a truly unique project and in celebration of our 75th anniversary, this is the perfect gift from Lotus for fans around the world and a small number of customers. .”

He continued: “While the visual expression is very similar to what could have been – including period-specific white, red and yellow graphics – the technology and mechanical underpinnings of the Lotus Type 66 represent represents the best in advanced racing performance today.”

And Clive Chapman – son of Colin and Classic Team Lotus MD – reckons 1972 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi would have driven the Type 66 had it been built.

“The car will share many innovative features with our most successful F1 chassis, the Lotus Type 72, developed during the same period,” he explained. “These include side-mounted radiators that help reduce frontal drag, increase front downforce and channel airflow through and through the vehicle. The rear of the car incorporates a characteristic tail section, reminiscent of the Le Mans endurance cars of that period. These features will significantly increase downforce compared to competitors, aiding high-speed stability and ultimately lap times. It will be spectacular, just like the actual Type 66 we see today.”

Revealed today in Monterey, California, the Type 66 will be on display at the Concept Lawn at Pebble Beach’s Concours d’Elegance on Sunday August 20.