The New Lotus Emira

Lotus makes a splash with an awesome sports car at a very competitive price

British sports cars were once known around the world thanks to Lotus, MG, TVR, Jaguar, Aston Martin and the McLaren F1. Nowadays, McLaren has exited dormancy with their growing range of supercars, Jaguar and Aston Martin also remain active, MG is soon to reveal a new range of sports cars and Lotus is also aiming for a resurgence.

Lotus’ Evija hypercar has already caught the attention of the car industry with its absurd power (and price tag!) and now, a more affordable Lotus is on the way. Introducing, the all-new Lotus Emira.

It’s a mid-engine sports car that Lotus hasn’t quite shared all the details for just yet but we do know enough about it to say it sounds like a very competitive package. Two engines will be available, the more powerful one being the 3.5-litre supercharged V6 from the Lotus Evora and Exige. The other engine is actually the AMG unit taken from the AMG A45 which is a 2.0-litre I4 and comes with a dual-clutch 8-speed automatic transmission with launch control.

Lotus has not yet released exact power figures for each specification but they have divulged that the Emira will have between 360-400 horsepower. This may be seen as slightly confusing considering that both the Lotus Evora and AMG A45 produce between 400 and 415 horsepower so why would the Emira produce as low a number as 360 hp?

The Lotus Emira is capable of 0-62 mph in less than 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph. Also, to appeal to the so-called ‘enthusiast’, the Emira will be available with a manual transmission as well as the dual-clutch AMG 8-speed auto and standard automatic transmission.

All Emira models will come with a rear limited-slip differential, 20” wheels as standard, double wishbone suspension all round (very impressive!) and hydraulic steering for greater steering feel instead of electric power steering.

Although it may not be the lightest Lotus weighing in at 1,405kg at its lightest, at Colin Chapman’s dismay, the Emira does feature Lotus’ bonded extruded aluminium chassis technology which has been applied to a new platform. The weight also comes from the many luxuries that the Emira comes with, making it more of an everyday driver than a track-focused or weekend-only kind of car, which is exactly what Lotus needs in order to sell more units and become a fierce competitor in the sports car market once again.

The exterior takes clear inspirations from the flagship Evija hypercar, with the vented bonnet, side vents and rear vents. Interior wise, plenty of comfort has been added in the form of soundproofing, digital gauge cluster, large 12.3-inch digital infotainment screen, premium sound system and good visibility for everyday driving.

Most shockingly, this mid-engine, complete-package sports car will be available from just £60,000. Let us know what you think of the Emira, in the comments.

If you enjoyed this, you may also like: ‘Lotus Evija Tested: What Reviewers Think’