Lotus got lost for a bit. Chasing EVs, bowing to emissions regs, drifting away from its soul. But they’re back. And the new Emira 420 Sports feels like coming home.
Light. Titanium exhaust. Sticky tires. It’s aggressive, and it starts at £105,905. Yes. That high.
Power with Purpose
It sits on the backbone of the Emira Turbo SE. That means the 2.0-liter Mercedes-AMG four-cylinder. Good stuff. They tweaked the tune, bumped output to 414 horsepower, 500 Nm of torque. It shaves 0.1 seconds off the SE’s sprint.
3.9 seconds to 62 mph. Top speed holds at 186 mph. There’s no manual option here, just an eight-speed dual-clutch auto.
“More consistent performance in demanding conditions”
Lotus claims airflow improvements by 15 percent. How? A new splitter. Bigger vents. Larger intakes. Extended sills. A sharper rear spoiler. All of it channels air better. Better cooling means you can hammer the car harder on track without it screaming heat. They dropped the ride height 5mm. Tighter. Lower. More serious.
Inside Out
It’s not just for the racers. The cabin stays plush. Twelve-way electric seats. Carbon fiber paddles that click satisfyingly when you shift. Luxury didn’t vanish while they focused on aerodynamics.
There is an option. A Lightweight Handling Pack. Drops 25kg. Adds 25kg of downforce. Yes, really. You get Multimatic dampers—two-way adjustable—titanium exhaust again, lithium-ion battery, more carbon bits. It turns the car into something sharper. Faster to think, faster to react. You’ll also get access to the ‘Lotus Track Performance’ app to time your laps.
Maybe that’s overkill. Or maybe it’s just what the sport needs.
The Look
Want it uglier? Or sexier? The Carbon Fibre Exterior Pack adds another splitter, sills, wheelarch vents, spoiler, diffuser surround. It changes the face entirely. There are sixteen paints, nine wheel designs. The new 20-inch forged alloy in satin dark grey stands out. Spoked. Heavy on presence.
Then there’s the roof. Or the lack of it. For the first time you can order a removable glass targa top. Take it off, stack it behind the seats, drive like the wind is your passenger. Price unknown. Lotus keeping that secret.
The Price of Entry
Here’s the rub. At over £105,000 it’s expensive. It’s £16,000 more than the regular Turbo SE. Nearly £10k above the old V6 model—the one with the six-speed manual that still exists.
People will buy it. Enthusiasts will forgive the cost for the purity of driving feel. Others will shrug at the price tag and keep scrolling. The choice remains open, much like that roof.
