Lotus: Esprit 25th Anniversary on 2040-cars

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Lotus Emira First Edition starts at $85,900

Last October, Lotus priced the Emira V6 First Edition at $93,900 before destination and taxes. That coupe comes with a Toyota-sourced 3.5-liter supercharged six-cylinder making 400 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque when fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox, or 317 lb-ft when fitted with a six-speed automatic. Now, the automaker's finally put numbers to the Emira First Edition with the AMG-sourced four-cylinder; it makes 360 hp and 310 lb-ft and costs $85,900 before incidentals. The MSRP is $8,000 less than the forerunner, but $3,000 more than the standard series Emira V6. Copying the template of the Emira V6 First Edition, the four-pot throws in a bunch of extra gear at no cost. The Lower Black Pack, Drivers Pack, Design Pack, and Convenience Pack are included. Twenty-inch diamond-cut two-tone wheels are standard, but silver or gloss black finishes are no-cost options, as are brake calipers in either black, red, silver, or yellow. All the mod-cons in the Emira V6 are here in the Emira, from the 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and 10.25-inch infotainment screen to the climate control, navigation, and 340-watt KEF audio. Six exterior colors include Dark Verdant, Hethel Yellow, Magma Red, Nimbus Grey, Seneca Blue, and Shadow Grey. The interior offers seven hues, four in various leather shades and three in Alcantara with contrasting stitching. The meat of the matter is that inline-four bought from Germany. Lotus said the AMG M139 motor's been tuned at Hethel for the Emira, its hardware and software tweaked for placement in the middle of the vehicle and to provide a proper Lotus experience. The exhaust is also a Lotus design. It's mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission that's also seen English revision for work in a rear-wheel-drive sports car.  The only way to tell the Emira apart from the Emira V6 would be to get close enough examine the engine cover or read the badge on the C-Pillar. Perhaps handling or exhaust tuning will put them farther apart, but the initial performance specs don't. The Emira is 0.1 second slower to 60 miles per hour than the Emira V6, and maxes out 4 mph short of the Emira V6's 180-mph top speed. That's not a lot of daylight for an $8,000 price difference. The configurator is up now, so shoppers can make up their own minds.

Lotus Emira V6 First Edition Road Test: The most fun for $100,000

You really couldn’t script it more perfectly. The Lotus Emira is a dream sports car. ItÂ’s good that we all recognize that here and now, as far too often in the super- and sports car world, the market doesnÂ’t realize what an astounding thing it has until sales have gone cold, and the manufacturer kills it off. Cough, Acura NSX. In a way, the Emira is a love letter to everything enthusiasts desire about driving. Lotus is in a state of transition – the EVs are coming! The whole automotive industry is changing, and cars like the Emira are the ones weÂ’ll point to as high-water marks for this era. Not because it has a 0-60 mph time that can embarrass competitors. Not because it pioneers any particular technology in general. Truthfully, itÂ’s not remarkably pushing any boundaries on paper, but IÂ’d argue, who cares? It has an aged 3.5-liter supercharged V6 borrowed from Toyota that makes a fine – but not eyebrow-raising – 400 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque. ThatÂ’s actually less horsepower than Evora variants like the GT and Sport 410 made, which is the opposite direction sports cars typically go in for a new generation. It has hydraulic steering, and there isnÂ’t a single driver assistance nag in sight (donÂ’t worry, it still has cruise control). You pick your suspension setting from the factory: Tour or Sport. It does have a few drive modes, but they donÂ’t adjust the suspension or steering. An automatic transmission is available, but please skip that to enjoy one of the best-shifting gearboxes in the world. And oh yes, you can watch the exposed linkage work its mechanical joy. Same goes for the visible throttle actuator that can be seen in the rearview mirror through the glass separating driver from engine. Yeah, Lotus gets us. If youÂ’re salivating and frothing at the mouth by now, then youÂ’re just the sort of person Lotus has in mind for the Emira. Of course, the catch with anything wearing a Lotus badge in the past was the uncertainty around buying a car from a low-production British outfit and the accompanying lack of modern amenities. Even though the Evora was a step toward Porsche in so many ways, it still felt and acted like a classy kit car with its Alpine head unit, borrowed parts and general lack of polish. The last Evora GT test car we had leaked from both A-pillars with the windows up while driving in a rainstorm. Would a factory-fresh 718 Cayman ever do such a thing? I would think not.

Banned Lotus 88 F1 car explained by Colin Chapman's son

Racing teams are always looking for ways to gain speed through creative interpretations of the rule book, but speed-obsessed engineers were a little too clever with the twin-chassis design for the Lotus 88 Formula One car. Colin Chapman's son, Clive, gave Goodwood the racer's fascinating story and why the organizers banned it. Lotus' innovation with the 88 was a novel twin-chassis layout. The outer chassis supported the aerodynamic elements and the body, and the inner one held the driver, engine, and transmission. The separate pieces allowed the car to meet the rules in the pits, but the outer chassis would create a seal with the track at speed to preserve the ground effect downforce. The organizers decided this ingenious solution went contrary to the rules against side skirts, and they banned the 88. However, this Lotus was important for a second reason. The inner chassis was F1's first carbon fiber monocoque. The lightweight material is common in racing and performance cars today, but it was a cutting-edge innovation for 1981. Get the full story from Clive Chapman in this clip. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.