Memento Exclusives has confirmed that the mystery heritage project it teased earlier this year centres on the Lotus 97T, the car driven by Elio De Angelis and Ayrton Senna in the 1985 Formula 1 season.
Only 10 full-scale replicas of the car will ever be built, produced in partnership with Classic Team Lotus.
Memento Exclusives is best known as the show car supplier to F1 and as operator of the officially licensed platform F1 Authentics, having produced replicas of current-generation cars for teams on the grid since 2019.
Those creations regularly appear at livery launches, exhibitions, circuits and partner activations worldwide, with small numbers made available to private collectors.
The 97T project marks the first heritage edition the company has produced, a different challenge to replicating a modern car built from CAD data.
Classic Team Lotus has provided archive material never previously shared for this purpose, including hand-drawn designs, original build documents and heritage reference data.
The show car will be built using many of the same materials and construction techniques as the 1985 original, with input from people who worked on that car. Each of the 10 will carry an individual chassis plate, formally registering it within the Team Lotus archive.
Team Lotus
Classic Lotus set for 'forever' revival with exciting project
The 97T carried Team Lotus back to winning form three years after Colin Chapman's death, with Gérard Ducarouge arriving as technical director and the John Player black-and-gold livery retained.
De Angelis, the team's most prolific driver by grand prix starts, was partnered by a young Senna for 1985.
Senna won from pole in torrential conditions at the Portuguese Grand Prix by more than a minute, De Angelis followed up with victory at Imola, and Senna added a third win in Belgium. The car took seven pole positions across the 16-race season.
Classic Team Lotus, based at the original team factory in Hethel, Norfolk, now handles licensing along with the restoration, maintenance and operation of historic Team Lotus cars.
Clive Chapman, managing director of Classic Team Lotus, said: "The interest, excitement and emotion the Lotus 97T generates is extraordinary. To have it captured forever is exactly what we like to do at Classic Team Lotus, to preserve and to celebrate."
"That is what this project is going to do. Memento Exclusives is going the extra mile to make something that is really special. We have been impressed with their attention to detail and commitment to make a car of the highest standard and accuracy."
"I am confident the end result is going to be something we are happy with, that they are proud of and that people will enjoy."
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding as they look back on the Spanish GP! The Madring layout and lack of overtaking is a major talking point, as is Lando Norris' cruel victory loss.
Rather watch this podcast? Then click here!
Get the latest F1 news from RacingNews365 directly in your Google feed! Click on the link below and you’ll see your favourite F1 website appearing even more often. That way, you’ll never miss any news, analyses, interviews, or exclusives.
Follow RacingNews365 on GoogleMost read
In this article
Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.
Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar
A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..
Join the conversation!