Lotus has been teasing a new Emira for around half a year, but the track-only speed machine is finally here.
The British marque debuted the new Emira GT4 on the famous Hethel test track in England last week. The racecar completed laps of the legendary 2.2-mile circuit with a Lotus exec and former British GT championship winner at the wheel. Basically, it was a flex of the four-wheeler’s sheer power and speed.
The new Emira was built exclusively for national and international GT4 class competitions. It will be the automaker’s final gas-engined model, and thus the team’s gone all out on the mill. Under the hood lies a tuned 3.5-liter Toyota 2GR engine with a Harrop TVS 1900 supercharger. The V-6 is mated to a paddle-shifted Xtrac 6-speed sequential transmission and churns out 400 hp at 7,200 rpm. The Lotus can reportedly soar from zero to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds on its way to a top speed of about 180 mph.
The tuned Toyota V-6 can churn out 400 hp at 7,200 rpm. Lotus
The sleek beast, which measures a fraction over 14 feet, weighs a scant 2,866 pounds dry. That’s all thanks to the marque’s signature aluminum chassis and lightweight composite bodywork. Naturally, the car’s equipped with an aero kit that features a front splitter, a rear diffuser and a giant rear wing to help it cut through the air. It’s also fitted with a forged aluminum double-wishbone suspension setup, competition-spec brakes with six-piston front calipers and adjustable Bosch Motorsport ABS for improved handling and stopping power. All of that rides on aluminum wheels wrapped in Pirelli GT4 rubber.
Inside, meanwhile, the racer is fitted with a six-point roll-cage, a certified racing seat with a six-point harness and a high-tech Motec display with data-logging capabilities.
The Emira will set you back $203,750. Lotus
As mentioned, the Emira will be the only non-EV in the Lotus lineup from 2022 and beyond as the marque focuses on zero-emissions rides like the electric hypercar Evija.
Priced at $203,750 (£165,000), the 2023 Lotus Emira GT4 has sold out for the first year of production. The automaker is aiming to fulfill all the current customer orders this year at the new $140 million facility in Hethel. The marque will also be increasing production in 2023 in line with global demand. In other words, let Lotus know if you’re interested via motorsport@lotuscars.com.
