Lotus Type 49 and 79 Exige unveiled; Inspired by vintage Formula 1 racing car

MANILA: Lotus has unveiled two unique Exige Cup-based celebration cars on the occasion of its 70th anniversary in the form of the Exige Type 49 and Exige Type 79 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. This is believed to have been done with an intention to pay homage to two of its widely renowned vintage racing cars.

The first car draws its inspiration from the Type 49 racer that was driven by Graham Hill to win both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ World Championship 50 years back. The vehicle is enveloped in iconic gold leaf and red paint as a tribute to that achievement. The Type 79 single-seater is believed to inspire the second car and it too is a proud achiever of both F1 titles at the helm around 40 years back. The 79 single-seater was driven by Mario Andretti.

The 49 and 79 Exige come in solid red and motorsport black colour respectively. The celebration cars feature subtle yet prominent contrasting stripes on the front access panels, front splitters and roof panel. The rear wings are in Championship Gold. Both the cars are designed with air curtains, hard top roof, carbon fibre front splitters, side intakes, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres etc.

Lotus Exige 49 and 79 are based on the Exige Cup 430. The cars come equipped with an aggressive 3.5 litre V6 powertrain that can generate a peak power of 430 hp at 7,000 rpm and a maximum torque reading 440 Nm at 4,000 rpm. There are superchargers incorporated as well. Both the 49 and 79 celebration automobiles offer an impressive acceleration from 0-100 kmph in just 3.3 seconds before reaching a maximum speed of 290 kmph.

Feng Qingfeng, Group Lotus CEO, stated that these celebration cars are fitting homage to the yesteryear racing cars and that they are committed to offering the best possible luxury sports cars to date.