Remember Lotus? The brand renowned for making the best chassis on the planet… Well, it’s back with a brand new sportscar, the Emira.

Famed for products such as the Elise, Exige and Evora. Let’s not forget the 7 either, or the limited run of Evija electric hypercars. Come to think of it, Lotus has made some seriously iconic sportscars over the years. The only real issue with them was ropey build quality and interiors that were uninspiring.

Under the new(ish) ownership of Geely, the brand is making a comeback, as an electric sportscar maker. But, that’s not what the Emira is, it’s an internal combustion engined car and in all likelihood, the last one the brand will make before switching over to batteries.

The Emira plans to compete with the Porsche 718 Cayman for mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive sportscar supremacy. The Lotus appears to use a development of the old Evora chassis with a bonded fibreglass body. It uses a similar wheelbase to the Evora but with wider tracks. 20-inch wheels sit snug within the wheel arches. The body looks free from wings and massive fins to enhance downforce but Lotus is convinced it will produce positive downforce equally at both ends of the car.

What powers the Lotus Emira?

The supercharged 3.5-litre V6 from the Evora will continue its duty in the Emira until emissions laws eventually force it out of existence. It produces 300 kW and 430 Nm of torque. Lotus has also announced it will use a 2-litre turbocharged 4-pot engine courtesy of AMG. Geely has a stakeholding in Daimler, so the partnership isn’t as unthinkable as it seems (British brands with AMG engines are a bit of a thing currently – Aston Martin uses them as well).

The AMG unit is said to deliver 270 kW and has been tuned by Lotus to suit the Emira’s characteristics. It also uses a bespoke air intake and exhaust so will likely sound different to the popping and banging of the A-Class AMGs.

No firm performance figures have been given yet, only that it will get to 100 kph in less than 4.5 seconds. Only the V6 is available with a manual gearbox while the AMG unit is going to be sold exclusively with an 8-speed dual-clutch ‘box.

Now, as for weight, after all, Lotus cars must be light as it’s the very ethos of its founder Colin Chapman. Lotus claims the lightest Emira will weigh 1 404kg (probably the AMG) which makes it almost identical to that of the Porsche 718 Cayman GTS but slightly lighter than the old Evora. That’s not wow factor stuff but it is carrying a lot more interior equipment than we are used to seeing in a Lotus.

Inside, it’s equipped with two USB ports, a 10.25-inch touchscreen, cupholders and inner door pockets. Then there’s a list of safety features and comfort features like adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning. In terms of actual load space though, there’s a storage bin behind the seats that holds 208 litres and then a smaller boot behind the engine that holds 151 litres. No mention of a frunk though…

The Emira is said to go on sale in key global markets in Q2 of 2022.

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