HETHEL, England — Lotus, which has a rich history of building racing cars and production sports cars, has contracted to tune an unexpected candidate for stage rallying and circuit racing: the Honda Civic Hybrid. 

Under the new partnership, Lotus Engineering is optimizing the hybrid's battery and motor system for racing. Part of that work includes revamping Honda's Integrated Motor Assist technology to produce more power and incorporate more aggressive regenerative braking. For racing duty, the Honda Civic Hybrid's 1.4-liter engine is mated to a continuously variable transmission. 

Oaktec, the company that has contracted Lotus for the project, has been working with Honda hybrid powertrains in racing since 2004, focusing primarily on rallies in the United Kingdom and even scoring a class championship win with a Honda Insight. The hybrid Civic will see its first racetrack action on September 28 at the Dunlop Max Sport Cup.