Wild Lotus Evija X revealed as 1972bhp Nurburgring record-hunter
Colossal rear wing tops exposed carbonfibre bodyshell
Track version of electric hypercar has already claimed the third-fastest 'Ring time – and has more to give
Lotus has officially revealed a wild one-off reworking of its Evija electric hypercar that has already claimed the third-fastest Nurbürgring lap of all time.
The extreme track car was spotted lapping the Nordschleife last year, and Lotus has now confirmed that it achieved a lap time of 6min 24.047sec - 19sec behind the Volkswagen ID R.
The Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo remains comfortably the fastest car around the Green Hell, with a lap time of 5min 19.545sec.
Lotus claims the Evija X's time is the fastest achieved by any car with a production chassis, though, and believes it has more to give, having set its unexpectedly quick lap time on a damp day in October.
"Watch this space," the British company said, hinting at a plan to return to Germany in better conditions to shave some vital seconds off.
Lotus is understood to have partnered with Canadian firm Multimatic – builder of the Ford GT and Mercedes-AMG One and a huge name in global motorsport – on the Evija X's engineering.
Underneath its outlandish, aerodynamically optimised bodywork, the Evija X remains technically identical to the road-going Evija, with 1972bhp from a quartet of wheel-mounted motors and power supplied by a 70kWh, 800V battery mounted behind the seats.
The Evija's carbonfibre tub is unmodified, too, but various modifications have been made in pursuit of record-breaking pace: the Evija X wears Pirelli track tyres, for example, backed by fearsome carbon brake discs, and its dampers are all-new.
The carbonfibre bodywork is left unfinished in the name of saving crucial grams, while downforce is boosted with the use of a humongous carbonfibre rear wing – equipped with a drag-reduction system – and a race-style front diffuser.
The £2 million Evija recently entered production in Norfolk nearly five years after its unveiling as Lotus's first EV.
Lotus has given no suggestion that it plans to offer a track-only version of the Evija to customers.
However, it remains committed to its motorsport endeavours, having recently launched a GT4-spec version of the Emira and the 1960s Can Am-inspired Type 66 track toy.