Earlier this year, Lotus announced the demise of its Elise, Exige and Evora in a bid to ready itself for a brand-new series of sports cars and a few months later, the Emira was born.
The Norfolk carmaker has now announced the price and full specification of the all-new Emira First Edition that boasts some very distinctive features.
The new Lotus Emira First Edition is based on the range-topping V6 model that wields a mid-mounted supercharged 3.5-litre engine sourced from Toyota. The engine churns out 296 kW of power and a maximum torque figure of 430 Nm accessed via a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox.
Its 0-100 km/h sprint time is dispatched in 4.3 seconds for the manual variant and 4.2 seconds for the automatic while top speed is capped at 290 km/h.
Lotus offers its Emira Launch Edition with 20″ V-spoke forged alloy wheels that are also available in silver or gloss black as a no-cost option. As part of the First Edition package, the two-piece brake discs with branded callipers as well as Tyre Pressure Monitoring System are available.
It can be had in one of six vibrant paint hues; Seneca Blue, Magma Red, Hethel Yellow, Dark Verdant, Shadow Grey and Nimbus Grey. Lotus promises to add more colours in 2022.
The exterior features include LED head and tail lights, rear parking sensors, power-fold door mirrors, titanium exhaust finisher and a standard Lower Black Package that adds gloss black treatment on the front bumper air blades, front splitter, side sills and rear diffuser.
On the interior, there are seven colour choices at no added charge. There are heated seats with 12-way adjustability and memory function, climate control, cruise control, keyless start and selectable drive models.
The infotainment system consists of a 10.25″ centrally mounted touchscreen that supports Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, satellite navigation, Bluetooth and USB. There is also a 12.3″ TFT instrument cluster and a multi-function steering wheel.
The new Lotus Emira Launch Edition comes standard with option packs; Drivers Pack, Design Pack and Convenience Pack.
The Drivers Pack includes Tour or Sport suspension with Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport tyres, or Sport suspension with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres. The Design Pack bolsters the Emira with privacy glass, sports pedals, a black Alcantara headliner, the choice of black, red, yellow or silver-painted brake callipers and a Lotus-branded footwell while the latter adds front parking sensors, reverse camera, rain-sensing wipers with aero blades, auto-dimming mirrors plus a rear luggage storage net.
Lotus will launch the Emira models with an AMG four-cylinder powertrain in 2022 followed by the Base Edition sometime in 2023. Pricing for the Lotus Emira Launch Edition is set for around R1,200,000 ex. VAT based on current exchange rates.
