Future classic: Lotus Emira V6

By Alastair Clements

| 7 Oct 2024

Classic & Sports Car – Future classic: Lotus Emira V6

Apologies to snapper John, but I’ve yet to see a photo of the Emira that captures how dramatic it looks in the metal (sorry, thermoplastic).

Russell Carr’s final combustion-engined Lotus design has something of a baby McLaren to it, yet less aggressive, more delicate – and, as far as I could tell, universally adored.

Dismissed by some as just an Evora facelift, the Emira is indeed an evolution of its 2+2 predecessor, but the bonded-aluminium tub has been reworked and it feels like a far more thoroughly finished product.

The Lotus Emira trumps the Evora in terms of interior fit and finish (left); exposed gearshift linkage

For a start, their driving positions are night and day: you sit in not on the Emira, with seats, wheel and pedals sensibly placed.

The fit and finish are streets ahead, and you’ll find electric memory seats, a proper infotainment system and quality trim; it’s not a stretch to call it the most complete-feeling Lotus ever, yet crucially it doesn’t lose that Hethel DNA, the purity of purpose that dominates the very best driver’s cars.

The steering is wonderful, feeling unassisted in its clarity of feedback as it gently writhes in your hands with chatter in much the same way the original Elise did.

‘The steering is wonderful, feeling unassisted in its clarity of feedback as it gently writhes in your hands’

The compact dimensions mean that you get all the supercar drama yet it feels more wieldy, more approachable, but at the same time so much more solid and stable – as you might expect when, at 1440kg, it’s almost twice the weight of an S1 Elise.

You can feel every nuance of the road surface, but at speed it’s comfortable and compliant, when engine noise fades away and it is relaxed and relatively refined.

Tune into it and it flows beautifully with the road, dancing along challenging cross-country routes aided by a fantastic brake pedal that’s full of feel and easy to modulate.

The Lotus Emira’s Toyota-sourced V6 sounds great when revved (left); big brakes scrub off speed quickly

There’s a 2-litre turbo with a paddleshift auto available, but the Mercedes-sourced drivetrain hasn’t been greeted with universal acclaim.

And anyway, if we’re going for the last ‘pure’ Lotus, we’d rather enjoy it with a supercharged 3.5-litre V6 and six-speed ’box (both Toyota, and revised carry-overs from the Evora).

It chunters a bit at low speeds, but spins up to a delicious howl at the upper end of the rev range, where it’s easy to bump into the limiter.

You need to work the notchy gearshift to make the most of all 400 horses, but that only adds to the sense of involvement and, ultimately, reward.

The last petrol-powered Lotus is going out with a bang

Emiras haven’t flown out of the new Hethel factory as quickly as its maker had hoped, despite offering a more mainstream-friendly rival to Porsche’s dominance, but that scarcity only reinforces its Future classic credentials.

As for the future of Lotus, that looks bold, fast, heavy and expensive.

To be a success, however, it would do well to try not to forget the ingredients that make the Emira such a delight.

Images: John Bradshaw