- New Lotus Emira 420 Sport launched
- Most powerful Emira ever
- Power of 420 PS, 500 Nm torque
- 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds
- Lower ride height, aggressive aero
- Priced from £105,900
Lotus has revealed its lightest and most powerful Emira yet, as its junior supercar becomes even more capable.
The Emira 420 Sport is being billed as a ‘pure expression of the Lotus DNA’, with the British firm having long been driven by an ethos of ‘simplify, then add lightness’.
Tipping the scales at around 1,430kg, the Emira 420 Sport is 25kg lighter than the Emira Turbo and generates 25kg of additional downforce.
It sits 5mm lower to the ground than other Emira models and also boasts aggressive new aero, including a front splitter, revised front vents, extended side sills, larger air intakes, a lip spoiler and a louvred tailgate.
That kit results in better airflow to the radiators, improved brake cooling and increases in exhaust valve airflow - all of which means the Emira 420 Sport is honed for track use.
How powerful is the Lotus Emira 420 Sport?
The wider Lotus Emira range gives you a choice of two engines; a 3.5-litre V6 or a 2.0-litre four-cylinder mill.
Both options have, up until now, given you a max power output of 400 PS and a 0-62mph time that tops out at 4.0 seconds.
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The new Lotus Emira 420 Sport, however, gets the existing 2.0-litre turbo powertrain (paired with an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission) but ups the power to (as the name suggests) 420 PS.
It shaves 0.1 of a second off the 0-62mph time, which is now down to 3.9 seconds.
That’s not blisteringly-quick (some electric family SUVs will keep up with it) but it’s an identical sprint time to the range-topping Alpine A110, which is one of the Emira’s key rivals.
Lotus Emira 420 Sport chassis and cabin changes
The lowered ride height of the 420 Sport works in conjunction with revised suspension settings and high-performance tyres, giving you better confidence on road or track.
Meanwhile the cabin gets new carbon fibre gearshift paddles for added sportiness.
Gavin Kershaw, Director of Attributes at Lotus Cars said: “Adjustable dampers, increased downforce, sharper responses, reduced roll - every detail obsessively engineered to put the driver more in control.”
While Qingfeng Feng, CEO, Lotus Group said, adds: “Emira 420 Sport is proof of our commitment to Focus 2030, and we’re listening to our customers. This is what obsessive engineering looks like. We've built on everything Emira has achieved to date to deliver a car that is even more connected, more intuitive, and more rewarding to drive. It is a car for the drivers.”
In a week where a certain electric supercar has been dominating headlines, those words will probably ring true for a lot of sports car enthusiasts.
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