The entry-level four-cylinder variant of the Lotus Emira has been unviled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, with prices set to start at £81,495.
It features the turbocharged M139 engine from Mercedes-AMG, the world’s most powerful four-pot and used in the AMG A45, C63 S E Performance and the SL 43, among others.
However, this engine has received “fundamental changes” for the Emira, including a new intake and exhaust, which reduces power outputs from the 382bhp and 354lb ft of entry-level AMG cars to 360bhp and 317lb ft.
An eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox is fitted to the AMG unit as standard.
In First Edition trim, the AMG-engined Emira is £77,795 – £4500 cheaper than one fitted with the supercharged Toyota V6.
For reference, the Japanese engine – which previously featured in the Lotus Evora and Lotus Exige – produces 400bhp and 310lb ft and can, crucially, be optioned with a manual gearbox.
Lotus Emira V6 First Edition 2022 UK first drive
Deliveries of the four-pot Emira are expected to begin in the autumn and a significantly cheaper trim level – originally pitched at £59,995 but expected to cost more on arrival – will go on sale before the end of the year.
The Emira will be Lotus’s final combustion-engined series-production sports car. All new models will adopt battery-electric powertrains sourced from Lotus's Geely group parent company.
The brand is set to radically expand its EV line-up over the next few years, launching a saloon based on the new Eletre in 2024. A high-volume rival to the Porsche Macan EV is scheduled to arrive by 2028 and is expected to contribute roughly 75,000 sales a year to Lotus's overall output.
