The Lotus Emira 420 Sport starts at $125,400 in the US. The sticker has crept right up to Porsche 911 territory. And yet there's no six-cylinder engine under the hood — just a 2.0-liter Mercedes-AMG turbo-four.
The engine makes 416 hp (about 420PS) and 500Nm of torque. It only pairs with an eight-speed dual-clutch “robot”: a manual gearbox remains the privilege of the cheaper Emira V6 SE. The 420 Sport hits 100 km/h in a claimed 3.9 seconds, with a top speed of 299 km/h.
The power bump wasn't the whole story. The body gets a new splitter, larger intakes, fender vents and a rear spoiler. Lotus claims an extra 25kg of downforce with no drag penalty, and the chassis sits 5mm lower.
The optional Lightweight Handling Pack shaves off another 25kg. It bundles adjustable Multimatic dampers, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, a titanium exhaust, a lithium-ion battery and a composite panel in place of the rear glass.
Car and Driver's testers particularly liked the hydraulic power steering: the responses stayed natural and communicative, and the lowered ride height didn't cause any scraping on normal roads or speed bumps. It wasn't without complaints, though. After an extended track session the writers noticed the brakes fading, and in the road-oriented Tour mode the gearbox was slow to kick down, creating a lag under acceleration. That's one test's observations, not a confirmed widespread flaw.
Here's the paradox. The Emira 420 Sport's most “analog” component — hydraulic steering — only comes paired with an automated transmission. Buyers who care about a clutch pedal have to settle for the less powerful V6 SE, which costs $10,000 less in the US.
