Lotus turns the screws on the Emira: 420 hp, 3.9 seconds to 100 and a corner-first mindset
Lotus unveiled the Emira 420 Sport — a lighter and sharper coupe based on the Emira Turbo, with 420 hp, 0–100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and a standard Lightweight Handling Pack.
Lotus has unveiled the Emira 420 Sport — a lighter and sharper version of the coupe based on the Emira Turbo. The model gets a 2.0-litre Mercedes-AMG engine boosted to 420 hp and moves noticeably closer to a track format, although it remains a road-going sports car.
The power bump is substantial: 54 hp more than the standard Emira Turbo and 14 hp more than the SE. The Emira 420 Sport sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and tops out at 299 km/h. But Lotus, as ever, isn’t selling raw straight-line numbers alone. The main bet is on how the car turns, brakes and stays glued to the tarmac.
The 420 Sport comes standard with the Lightweight Handling Pack — on other Emiras it’s optional. The pack trims 25 kg off the weight — down to 1421 kg — and at the same time adds 25 kg of downforce. To achieve that, the aerodynamics were reworked: there’s a new front splitter, revised air vents, a rear spoiler, extended side sills and larger air intakes. Airflow to the radiators is up by as much as 15 %, and brake cooling is improved by 10 %.
The suspension is tuned specifically for the 420 Sport, and the body sits 5 mm lower. The car also gets high-performance tyres and carbon-fibre shift paddles. An optional carbon-fibre pack is available for the splitter, sills, vents, side elements, wing and diffuser. Another touch for fans of the brand — a removable roof panel and a louvred engine cover in the spirit of the Esprit Turbo.
Starting price in the UK is £105 900, in Europe — €129 900, in the US — $122 900. That’s already the territory of very expensive sports cars, but Lotus is banking not on luxury but on a rare combination of compact size, low weight and analogue feel.
Lotus has previously announced that it’s preparing an update for the Emira and an expansion of its hybrid line-up under the Focus 2030 plan. The Emira 420 Sport therefore looks like an important gesture toward buyers who still choose a sports car not by screen diagonal, but by how it enters a corner.