As if Lotus's F1 return wasn't enough good news to keep us smiling far into the new year, the Hethel carmaker has just launched a model celebrating its most successful racer of all time, the Lotus Type 72 F1 car.
With the famous black and gold John Player Special livery, the car achieved 20 victories between 1970 and 1975 driven by legends such as Jochen Rindt, Emerson Fittipaldi, Ronnie Peterson and Jacky Ickx. And now it's back, at least in spiritual paintjob form, looking all retro too. For this new Exige S Type 72, Lotus even went as far as getting the same sign writer who painted the original racing cars to put his touch to the commemorative model.
Underneath the fancy colours, it's still an Exige S, which means low weight and a Toyota engine mounted in the middle. So the 935kg Exige S Type 72 sprints to 100kph in 4.7 seconds and runs out of its 220bhp at 233kph. Supercharging through an intercooler enables instant power delivery, wherever you are in the 8,500rpm band.
Besides the gold and black, the Exige S Type 72 is made more special thanks to the Sport Pack which comes standard on the car. It brings with it a bespoke interior including micro fibre sports seats with gold stitching and a plaque commemorating one of the F1 car's 20 Grand Prix victories — there will be 20 cars released in the UK market (one for each victory), 20 more to the rest of Europe and a limited run of Type 72s to Japan and other selected markets.
Outside, the Type 72 is adorned with black and gold lightweight wheels, while the technical bits benefit from the Sport Pack's roll hoop, Lotus traction control, twin oil coolers and an adjustable front anti-roll bar.
Clive Chapman, director of Classic Team Lotus and son of Lotus founder Colin, said, "The Type 72 was a very significant car for Team Lotus and indeed for the world of F1.
"It was a revolutionary design that pioneered the use of side mounted radiators to achieve its distinctive 'wedge' profile, which delivered a significant aerodynamic advantage. Furthermore, by minimising unsprung weight and using a torsion bar [with] rising rate suspension, tyre performance was excellent. "The Lotus Type 72 design was so advanced that it was competitive for an extraordinary six years."
The road car may not bring that much to the fore — indeed, not much more than a beautiful paint job and standard equipment that's otherwise optional — but it's still a welcome addition to the low-volume sportscar fraternity.
If the JPS livery isn't enough and you want your Type 72 to stand out even more than it already does, you can spec it with 238bhp, a limited slip differential, larger AP Racing brakes, a bigger roof scoop and Lotus launch control.
For the exclusivity and immediate rights to wear outlandish Fittipaldi-style sunglasses, set aside at least Dh211,000.
