Lotus Evija Fittipaldi celebrates British firm's Formula 1 heritage

Lotus has revealed an ultra-limited variant of its electric hypercar that pays homage to the firm’s legendary racing driver Emerson Fittipaldi on the 50th anniversary of the Brazillian’s Formula 1 world championship victory. 

The special-edition Lotus Evija Fittipaldi is the most recent car to come from the firm’s bespoke Advanced Performance division. 

It features a hand-painted, black and gold colour scheme resembling that of the famous Lotus Type 72 race car, as well as several other unique design features.

Each car is equipped with a set of black and gold ‘Type 72’ wheels. The car has anodised centre lock surrounds, coloured red on the right and green on the left. The brake calipers are also finished in black and gold. 

Decals celebrating the 1972 title victory feature around the car, while '8', the number used on Fittipaldi’s car during that race reason, has been printed onto the B-pillar. 

The 2011bhp Evija also gains a bespoke interior, with black leather upholstery and gold stitching. The roof liner stitching is also exclusive to the special-edition model, as are the gold finishes to the air vent surrounds, start-stop button and pedals. 

A hand-tinted plan view of the Type 72 has been etched onto the model’s carbonfibre roof and the Evija’s rotary dial has been hand-crafted from recycled Type 72 aluminium, meaning each of the eight cars has its own piece of F1 history. 

The car was launched at an event featuring Fittipaldi, Jenson Button and Lotus directors Simon Lane and Clive Chapman, among others.

Fittipaldi said: “It’s fantastic to be back at Hethel for such a special occasion.

“I’ve really enjoyed being a part of this project and it’s been a wonderful experience revealing the car to some of the new owners. Having the opportunity to drive both the Evija Fittipaldi and my championship-winning Type 72 Formula 1 car on the test track at Hethel has been an incredible experience.”