Building 100,000 units isn’t a big deal for most
automakers, but Lotus celebrated the occasion by building a one-off model to
pay tribute to racing driver Jim Clark. Designed to commemorate his
tragic death 50 years ago, the Evora GT410 Sport was unveiled over the weekend
at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Since it draws inspiration from an Elan S2
that Clark drove in the 1960s, the Evora has a red exterior with a contrasting
silver roof and bright wheels. The car has also been equipped with silver
mirrors, tartan upholstery and Clark’s signature on the buttresses.
One thing the cars don’t have in common is the
Evora’s supercharged 3.5-liter V6 engine that develops 410 hp and 569 Nm of torque. Thanks to the powerful engine and the
extensive use of carbon fiber composites, the model accelerates from 0-96 km/h in 4.0 seconds before topping out at 305 km/h.
While the Evora is certainly faster, Clark’s Elan
wasn’t just any regular model. It was the first S2 built and it was given to
him by Lotus founder Colin Chapman. Clark used the car extensively and after
just one year of use, he had already logged over 24,140 km behind the wheel.
Over the course of his racing career, Clark won the
Indianapolis 500 and was crowned Formula 1 World Champion twice. Out of the 72
Grand Prix races that he competed in, Clark took 25 wins and 33 pole positions
– all while driving a Lotus.
Unfortunately, Clark’s life was cut tragically short
in 1968. Clark was competing in a race at the Hockenheimring, when he lost
control and crashed into some trees. The one-off Evora GT410 Sport is
being raffled off to raise funds for a new Jim Clark Museum in his hometown of
Duns. Tickets cost £ 20 (US$ 26.37) and the raffle is open to a global audience.
