Never-seen classic Lotus race car to go into limited production

British sports-car specialist Lotus has dug up 50-year-old plans for a classic race car that never left the drawing board for a new, limited-production track machine – priced from $AU2 million each.

Lotus says it will produce 10 examples of the Type 66, which is based on shelved drawings from 1970 of a vehicle planned to enter North America's Can-Am racing series.

However the modern vehicle based on the classic sketches is produced from carbon-fibre, and was refined using modern advanced 3D modelling programs and more than 1000 hours of 'computational fluid dynamics' aerodynamic testing on a computer.

Lotus has claims more than 800kg of downforce, the equivalent of the car's total weight, at high speed.

The company created the vehicle using original sketches – drawn by Formula One designer Geoff Ferris – and blueprints from 1970 preserved by Clive Chapman, son of Lotus founder Colin Chapman.

"[Colin] Chapman's primary focus on Formula One meant the innovative [Can-Am] project never went beyond technical drawings and scale models," Lotus says in its media release.

While new technology has been used in some areas, underneath the Type 66 lies an old-school pushrod V8 engine with forged aluminium components, generating 619kW at 8800rpm, and 745Nm.

For context that is 774kW per tonne, almost three times that of the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS.

The engine is connected to a modern sequential transmission equipped with an anti-stall clutch system.

A motorsport-grade electric power steering rack enhances response on the track, while modern-day anti-lock brakes are fitted.

This limited-production model set to be limited to 10 examples priced in excess of £1 million ($AU2 million). The example unveiled in the US wears a red, white and gold livery inspired by the 1970 Lotus F1 car.