LOTUS

Emira: it is the new sports car of the English brand with the DNA of Mercedes-AMG

Last July, as part of the great Goodwood Festival of Speed, Lotus presented its new model, the Lotus Emira, but at the time it offered very few details of the sports car. A few months later, in September, we had a little more information.

Until now the British brand had not provided data on the Emira's access engine, and we now know that it is a 4-cylinder turbo engine of Mercedes-AMG origin, which will complement the top-of-the-line Emira's 3.5-liter V6 Toyota.

This engine from the Affalterbach brand is logically the well-known M139, that is, the same 2.0-litre turbocharged block that equips the Mercedes-AMG compact family, although in this case with 360 hp and 420 Nm of maximum torque, figures lower. to the German models (421 hp in the 45 S versions).

According to Lotus, this M139 engine is a “tailor-made” version of the AMG powerplant, which includes components designed to help integrate it into this mid-engined model. In addition, the block is coupled to an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, which sends power to the rear axle.

However, the brand did not comment on why the 4-cylinder engine lost 61 hp along the way. The most likely thing is that Lotus wanted to 'decaffeinate' the 2.0-litre turbocharged engine so as not to step on the terrain of the 3.5-liter V6 with supercharger of Toyota origin, which offers 400 hp of power and the same maximum torque as the German, of 420 Nm.

The launch edition catalogue, the Emira First Edition, will feature six body colors to choose from (Seneca Blue, Magma Red, Hethel Yellow, Dark Verdant, Shadow Gray and Nimbus Gray), 20-inch forged alloy wheels with Bitom, and brake calipers painted red, black, yellow or silver.

In the cabin there are seven colors available, in addition to satin moldings, white interior lighting, heated and electrically adjustable seats, and a multimedia system compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, for example.

In principle, the model can be booked from the 8th of April, with deliveries scheduled for this autumn, although the V6 version will not arrive until January 2023. Regarding prices, the V6 will cost £71,995 in the UK, while the 4-cylinder will start from 59,995 pounds sterling.

Autonews