To mark the 50th anniversary of Emerson Fittipaldi and Team Lotus' F1 driver and constructor title in 1972, Lotus has unveiled a special edition of its flagship Evija. The Evija Fittipaldi comes with a black and gold retro livery with an exclusive production of just eight, all of which have been sold.
The Evija Fittipaldi Is All About The Lotus Type 72
The Evija Fittipaldi is dressed all in black and decorated with hand-painted gold stripes. This scheme recalls the legendary John Player Special livery of the winning Lotus Type 72 F1 single-seater. This color combination extends to the alloy wheels, brake calipers, and a special carbon and gold Lotus badge at the front. To commemorate Fittipaldi's F1 victories in the 1972 season, there are markers on the active rear wing with Fittipaldi's name and No. 8 on the profile of the special edition sports car.
The two-tone color scheme also wraps the interior. The pedals, the surrounds of the air vents, and the start-stop button are all gold. Beyond that, accents are found on the steering wheel and seat backs, where gold stitching contrasts with black leather and visible carbon fiber. Other eye-catching features include Fittipaldi's hand-embroidered signature on the dashboard, a schematic representation of the Type 72 on the interior headliner, and the gear selector lift, which was made from the single-seater's recycled aluminum.
The Special Features Of The Evija Fittipaldi Are Limited To Its Appearance
The underpinnings and power plant of the Evija remain untouched. The electric supercar retains its four electric motors with the sheer power of over 1,973 horsepower (1471 kilowatts) and 1,254 pound-feet (1700 Newton-meters) of torque. This allows the Evija Fittipaldi to sprint to 60 mph in under three seconds and reach an electronically limited top speed of 217 mph (350 km/h).
The Evija Fittipaldi was developed by the Lotus Advanced Performance Division, which is responsible for special Lotus projects. At the premiere at the headquarters in Hethel, Emerson Fittipaldi was invited as a guest of honor and was allowed to chase both the Type 72 and the Evija named after him around the Lotus test track.
Emerson Fittipaldi Secured The F1 Title For Lotus In 1972
To commemorate the eight surviving Type 72 race cars, Lotus is building exactly eight copies of the Evija Fittipaldi. Emerson Fittipaldi secured the F1 championship drivers' title on the Type 72 in the 1972 season, the same year in which Lotus captured the constructors' title. The first deliveries of the Evija Fittipaldi are scheduled for early 2023. Since all examples are already sold out, Lotus did not publicly announce a price, but it was likely higher than the Evija's already staggering price tag of over $2 million.