The view from the front of this mean machine is really something special. If you are a fan of vintage race cars of any kind, you’ll dig this Type 66 Lotus. Thanks to the Goodwood Road and Racing channel, we are getting a look at this rare bird like none other. This is the Can-Am racer from Lotus that never actually happened, and man is this thing sexy.
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Here’s one they didn’t make earlier. In 1969, Lotus explored the idea of entering Can-Am for the 1970 season and got as far as making technical drawings of what would have become the Type 66. The plans, however, were shelved in favour of focusing on Formula One. And when we say ‘shelved’, we mean put in a drawer and forgotten about.
Let’s rewind to 1969. Colin Chapman was coming under pressure from the American market to enter Can-Am, so he handed draughtsman Geoff Ferris the task of designing a car suitable for the no-holds-barred championship. At the time, though, much of Team Lotus’s resources were being used for its highly successful F1 proposal. The Type 66 drawings were filed away and not thought about until Clive Chapman happened to find them while looking for something else.
Fast forward to the 81st Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport, and we have the car in the flesh, lined up with in-period Can-Am cars. We had a strong feeling of ‘what could have been?’
