Lotus Wants to Raise the Roof at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed

Lotus is coming to the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed with a massive amount of cars. Not only it will display its current range of Elise, Exige, and Evora models, but it will also show the new Evora GT4 Concept race car and a vintage Type 25 Formula One car. On top of that, it will send eight different cars up the Goodwood hill climb.

A closer look at the Evora GT4 Concept

The Evora GT4 Concept is arguably the newest Lotus you'll get to see at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Unveiled at the 2019 Shanghai Auto Show in April, the Evora GT4 pretends to be a concept racing car, but it's actually a modified Evora GT430. Updates include larger cooling vents in the front, louvers in front of the rear wheels, a four-vane diffuser in the rear bumper, and an adjustable carbon-fiber wing.

While it still looks like a road car on the outside, the Evora GT4 moves into racing territory inside the cabin. Here, Lotus fitted an eight-point roll cage, a six-point FIA harness, an FIA-copliant seat, and an electrical kill switch, plus a fire extinguisher. It even features a new six-inch, digital instrument panel.

The livery is interesting as well, as it combines the British Union Flag with the Chinese flag. The latter obviously comes from Lotus' current Chinese owner, Geely. The car was built for Lotus' new Driving Academy in China, so Goodwood is a rare opportunity to see it in the metal.

See Jim Clark's Type 25 F1 car

Alongside the Evora GT4, Lotus will display a Type 25 Formula One car. But this isn't just any Type 25. If you're not familiar with F1 slang, it means winning pole position, scoring the fastest lap, leading every lap and winning all in the same race. Clark achieved all this with this specific race car at the British GP in 1964 and the French GP in 1965. The Lotus 25 was race extensively from 1962 until 1965, helping Lotus win two world championships and score two more podiums.

See iconic race cars going up the Goodwood hill

Lotus will bring a fine selection of vintage F1 cars to race up the hill, starting with the Lotus 18. Dating back to 1960, it scored two second place finishes in the world championship and it was driven by legends like Jim Clark, John Surtees, Stirling Moss, Jim Hall, and Masten Gregory. The car showcased at Goodwood is the Rob Walker Racing version that Moss drove to victory at Monte Carlo in 1961.

Next up is a Lotus 38 that the British firm just finished restoring. The 38 was Lotus' first rear-engined developed specifically for the Indianapolis 500, where it was raced from 1965 until 1966. Chassis R7, the car that you will see at Goodwood, was driven by Al Unser and Jim Clark at Indy 500 in 1966 and 1967, respectively.

Lotus is also bringing a Type 49, one of the most iconic F1 cars ever built. You're going to see chassis R10, the only car to have won the Monaco GP twice, both times with Graham Hill in 1968 and 1969. It will be driven by his son and former F1 driver, Damon Hill. The Lotus 49 is one of the most successful F1 cars, having won the world championship in 1968 and 1970, while scoring second place in 1967 and third place in 1969.

Speaking of iconic champions, you'll also see a Lotus 72 going up the hill. Raced from 1970 until 1975, the 72 has three world championships under its belt. Lotus is running chassis no. 5, the car that won the F1 titles in 1972 and 1973. It was restored following a crash at the Dutch GP. The car will be driven by F1 legends Emerson Fittipaldi and Jacky Ickx.

Finally, Lotus will also race a Type 79. The Brits will bring chassis no. 2, one of the cars that Mario Andretti raced to win the F1 championship in 1978. The car that pioneered the use of ground-effect aerodynamics, the Lotus 79 spent two years in Formula One. It was also driven by Ronnie Peterson and Jean-Pierre Jarier.

Lotus will also showcase two modern cars on the Goodwood hill, the Exige Sport 410 and the Evora GT410 Sport. Both finished in the iconic Lotus yellow color scheme, they will be driven by two of the company's dynamics engineers, Dan Peck and James Hazlehurst. The Brits also promise "one last surprise" during the Goodwood hill climb run, which could be a new special edition vehicle or a brand-new car altogether.

You can win a unique Lotus Evora

On top of watching a few classic F1 cars and some of Lotus' newer offerings, you can also enter a raffle to win a bespoke Lotus Evora. Hosted for the Jim Clark Trust, a Scotland-based charity, the raffle offers a really cool price: the 100,000th Lotus road car ever built. The car in question is an Evora GT410 Sport painted in the same colors as Jim Clark's Elan, red and silver. It also comes with a spare tailgate signed by all 20 Formula One drivers from the 2019 season. Each ticket costs £20 or €20 and the money raised will go towards supporting the Trust’s new museum in Duns, Scotland. The draw to win the car will take place in mid-August 2019.