Ever since I can recall having (arguably) developed something known as a sense of understanding, I remember picking up a pencil and drawing shapes that resembled a car – vaguely, or so my sister always thought. To me, they were brilliant masterpieces of art in motion. And when I was old enough to read, I started flipping through international motoring journals and made designs for the next Porsches to come. After a few years, when I’d grown up, a wonderful phenomena happened – cable TV.

Yes, the novelty has now given way to an excess of melodrama, over-acting, and the torture of reality shows and soaps, but there are some things that still glue you to the television screen – sports for example. Watching Formula One on the tele inspired me to sketch F1-looking machines. But, as I said, I’d grown up enough to know that I was rubbish, so the wannabe-designer in me was laid to rest – for good.

I’m sharing all this with you because after I saw the Type 125, these memories came flooding back in an instant. This was the very shape that I always wanted to put on paper. I had it perfectly etched in my mind, but, for lack of talent, could never translate it into actual design! So, what exactly is the Type 125? Well, a 1,000bhp/tonne race machine that you can actually own in order to satisfy your lust for outright speed during the occasional on-track experience – that’s what it is.

If you’re a motoring junkie, you’ve probably heard about Caparo T1. The Lotus Type 125 is T1, and a whole lot more. It’s even more hardcore, and looks properly purposeful. And unlike the T1, hopefully it won’t catch fire every five minutes. Formula One is the epitome of everything – engineering, design, and manufacturing. The Type 125 is an F1 inspired race-car – so there’s an orgy of carbon composite, nomex, and aluminium that results in an extremely lightweight structure – just 560kgs! But this technology excess doesn’t mean that you need a team of MIT graduates to get it fired up – like you do an F1 car. The Type 125 simply makes do with a regular starter button.

And that starter button brings to life a 3.5 litre V8 Cosworth engine that smokes out 640bhp. Mated to a six-speed semi automatic gearbox with paddle shifts, the engine revs smilingly to 10,000rpm and redlines at 10,300rpm.

Lotus will also initiate a programme called, ‘The Exos Experience.’ This will be an elite club in which the limited number of Lotus 125 owner drivers would be given assistance in form of expert one-to-one advice from former Grand Prix drivers to help them refine their driving skills and truly challenge themselves in Formula 1 inspired technology. And to help Lotus achieve their claim, Frenchman Jean Alesi – former F1 star – has been signed as the brand ambassador for the Type 125 and the Exos programme. Alesi is a good fit for Lotus, as he’s had an F1 career spanning 13 years and 202 Grands Prixs – going on to amass a total of 241 points while driving for legendary teams like Ferrari, Tyrell, Benetton, Sauber, Prost, and Jordan.

If you’ve got the feeling that the Lotus Type 125 will be expensive – yes it will be. One million Dollars, to be precise. It’s a proper race-car that makes the Ferrari 599XX and Zonda R look like meek street-legal machines. The 800bhp Ferrari FXX was about two million a couple of years, so the T125 is an offer you can’t refuse really – that is if you happen to be a self-proclaimed piston-head and/or wannabe F1 racer. Of course, you do need the million Dollars burning a hole in your back pocket.