Lotus Evija Electric Hypercar Will Play Sounds Inspired By The Iconic Type 49 F1 Car

Lotus has teamed up with renowned British music producer Patrick Patrikios to develop the soundscape of the upcoming Evija electric hypercar.

Patrikios, who has written and produced for stars like Olly Murs, Sia, Britney Spears, Pixie Lott, and numerous others, used the engine noise from the iconic Type 49 F1 car as a starting point for the Evija’s sound signature.

“I sat with the development team at Hethel and discussed what that should be,” Patrick Patrikios said. “We wanted something intrinsically connected to Lotus so we could set an audio blueprint for its future electric cars.”

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Patrikios took a recording of the Type 49 and digitally manipulated it, quickly realizing that when the engine note was slowed down, it created a similar frequency to the actual driving sounds coming from the Evija’s all-electric powertrain.

“I adjusted the replay speeds and digital filtering of the Type 49 to generate a soundscape for the Evija – it was a very organic process,” said Patrick. “We all wanted something to spark an emotional connection between car and driver. Sound is hugely influential when it comes to creating and forming emotions, to enrich that bond that’s such a critical part of the Lotus experience.”

While Patrick’s primary task was to create the audio signature of the Evija hypercar, he also developed all the chimes and tones for the flagship Lotus, used in everything from the activation of the indicators to the seatbelt warning.

The legendary Lotus Type 49 won at its first race, the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix at the hands of Jim Clark, and sat on pole position at every race that season. The following year Graham Hill won the F1 Drivers’ Championship in a Type 49.