Jaw-dropping £1.7million hypercar starts race at Goodwood – but it all ends in seconds
The Lotus Evija X is a prototype with immense downforce and power, with massive wings to help transfer immense torque to the tarmac.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed was interrupted on Thursday when a British hypercar crashed just seconds after starting its run.
The Evija X, built by the eponymous automotive manufacturer Lotus, was being driven up Goodwood’s famous hill when it speared into the haybales lining the circuit.
The car, worth around $2.3m (£1.78m), bounced off the haybales and into the middle of the circuit where it came to a rest, blocking the track.
Fortunately, the accident saw no injury come to the driver aboard the Evija X and running was resumed shortly after. The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an annual automotive festival that attracts hundreds of thousands of fans every year.
While the Lotus Evija X was being demonstrated on Goodwood’s famous hill, like most of the other cars on display, its home is on the circuits of the world.
The prototype was revealed to great aplomb last year when it was seen testing at the famous Nurburgring in Germany.
In a statement released to Autocar, a spokesperson for Lotus said it was “an all-new technology concept” and “the ultimate expression of Evija”.
The car is based on the electric Evija hypercar and comes with close to 2,000bhp and massive wings to generate downforce in order to press it into the tarmac to maximise speed through the corners.
Whilst the Evija X is grabbing headlines because of the incident at Goodwood, its road-going cousin has the praise of current racing legends including 2009 Formula 1 Champion Jenson Button who revealed his personal Evija last year.
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Speaking about his bespoke Brawn GP-inspired Evija, Mr Button said: “The car looks sensational and in a colour scheme which means so much to me.
“The Lotus team has done an amazing job to deliver the design proposal we dreamed up together – they’ve created a real head-turner.”
Director of Lotus Advanced Performance Simon Lane added: “I’m delighted to be with Jenson in California as he reveals his Lotus Evija to the world for the first time.
“It’s a fantastic moment for the whole team, which has worked so hard to bring Jenson’s vision to life.”
