What is it?
This car feels important. The Lotus Emira is the final petrol-engined car that Lotus will make, but as well as an ending, it’s also the start of something, as the first new model released since Chinese conglomerate Geely took over the company five years ago.
The Emira’s direct predecessor is predominantly the Evora, a coupé brilliant to drive but a little unloved otherwise. But given Elise and Exige sports car production has also recently finished, the Emira could be expected to pick up some Exige interest. Originally a focused Elise with a roof, that had become a raw, V6-powered beast by its end, so you could consider the Emira’s remit as broad enough to be both grand tourer and sports car. Or in other words, to be a Porsche 718 Cayman.
The Emira arrives with a 3.5-litre V6 provided by Toyota and supercharged for its Lotus application, where it makes 400bhp at 6800rpm and 310lb ft at 3500rpm. You can get a six-speed manual gearbox (as tested here) or a six-speed automatic.
A Mercedes-AMG-sourced turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with 360bhp will follow at the end of the year. That will have an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic only.
At the moment, every Emira is a First Edition, priced from £75,995. It's a two-seater and, as with Lotus's other recent sports cars, based on an extruded and bonded aluminium chassis, now fabricated at a new facility in Norwich and dimensionally different to all of its relatives. That means it might not be so compromised inside, given the offset driving position of the Evora in particular.
And so it proves. The Emira feels roomier, with more space between occupants and with a fairly low sill that’s easy to step across.
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STUNNING little car. So delicate and sensual looking - the antithesis of the boorish Germans. Just lovely.
Buy the Cayman, you know its what you really want. That an older Porsche Cayman GTS, GT4 and GT4RS all spank this latest and greatest Lotus is all you need to know. Lotus was at best a two trick Pony, light weight equalling better handling. Neither figure in this last attempt, so drop the Colin Chapman nostalgia.
LoL! Comment couldn't be more boring if it tried.
Buy Porsche, fund Putin, kill Ukrainians.
Sorry to have to say this, but, this comment is I'll thought out.
substitute "bad" for I'll, or ill, either way the comment was uncalled for,and didn't even mention the actual subject, the car.
Sorry, but while German manufacturing is powered by Russian fuel it is the inevitable conclusion, however unpalatable. The relevance to the Lotus is I would rather buy that made in the UK with little funding to despots. Especially with the Japanese engine choice.
Agreed Peter, its your right Apprentice to disagree with my comments, we all respect that. The analogy to Porsche, Putin and Ukraine is however poor judgement. Be a man and acknowledge your error of judgement. And when you buy the Lotus, let us know how you feel about your choice?
Considering Lotus has not launched a version to compete with the if you meet the profile you can buy GT4 or the invite only to purchase GT4RS is hardly a comparison.
From the reviews of the 'pre production' versions against the GTS its hardly being spanked by the Porsche. Maybes when they put a German engine in it then it will be vastly better than the dull as hell 4cylinder versions of the Cayman. Lets see.
I think it looks great and if I won the lottery, I'd be paying over the odds for one of these to jump the waiting list rather than buy something from the supercar league.