Lotus Emira

[GG.]

They absolutely can and it is just one of many factors - I'm just saying that is a tick in the negative column over a car with an engine designed and built in house. It's another thing that will put people off if they're cross shopping against other cars. A Lotus with a tuned engine from a Camry doesn't tick the same boxes for me (and many others) as a car with a bespoke engine, even if the Toyota engine does the job - I know a lot of it is psychological, but in this segment it matters.

Even taking the top echelon examples you were quoting, a Carrera GT is more desirable to me than a Pagani Zonda because of that engine - despite the fact the Pagani sounds fantastic, as an engineering exercise it ranks lower. Of course it is ironic that the Pagani has a fully bespoke interior (other than the climate controls which I think were from a Rover 45 ) and the Carrera GT is a 996 on steriods inside - thing is though - the engine is the heart of the car so it really matters.

[speedingfine]

Harry's Emira i4 video out tonight midnight

[Rich B]

I don't think it's anything to do with the engines, I think it's simply that Lotus did too well at making affordable sports cars like the Elise and established themselves as a £25-50k brand. People are happy buying a Lotus over a Golf GTI/R or even a boxster, but it's a different market when they're up against 911s.

[Jobbo]

They absolutely can and it is just one of many factors - I'm just saying that is a tick in the negative column over a car with an engine designed and built in house. It's another thing that will put people off if they're cross shopping against other cars. A Lotus with a tuned engine from a Camry doesn't tick the same boxes for me (and many others) as a car with a bespoke engine, even if the Toyota engine does the job - I know a lot of it is psychological, but in this segment it matters.

Even taking the top echelon examples you were quoting, a Carrera GT is more desirable to me than a Pagani Zonda because of that engine - despite the fact the Pagani sounds fantastic, as an engineering exercise it ranks lower. Of course it is ironic that the Pagani has a fully bespoke interior (other than the climate controls which I think were from a Rover 45 ) and the Carrera GT is a 996 on steriods inside - thing is though - the engine is the heart of the car so it really matters.

I think your justification is fair for Lotus because the engines they buy in are pretty much unmodified and not amazingly distinguished in the first place. Lumping McLaren in with them because they have an engine which is a further developed version of a TWR race engine (used in a race car which carried the Nissan brand but hardly a Nissan engine) is utterly bizarre.

[RobYob]

I also very much dislike the Lotus approach of taking bits off the shelf (e.g. the Toyota engines) and fettling them rather than developing their own. I know it is a necessity to make the numbers add up but that doesn't give me a fuzzy feeling about the cars generally.

Which makes the amount of money wasted by Dany and Co at HWA for the never delivered Fuji V8 even more depressing.

Although not as tragic as the stillborn Lexus V10 collaboration.

All the digits crossed for good I4 reviews.

[Jobbo]

Harry's Emira i4 video out tonight midnight

Just spotted this - immediately after midnight tonight, not last night - but that is what Harry says in his tweet

[mik]

Whilst looking a day early for Harry's i4 review ('cos stoopid) I came across this - track day in a V6 Emira vid. Brands (Indy layout unfortunately), but he gets some angles on.

Rewind the vid if you want to see a Miltek cat-back being fitted first.

[Rich B]

Whilst looking a day early for Harry's i4 review ('cos stoopid) I came across this - track day in a V6 Emira vid. Brands (Indy layout unfortunately), but he gets some angles on.

Rewind the vid if you want to see a Miltek cat-back being fitted first.

I knew Sam Reynolds had one - he's a pretty famous mtb'er - check out "dark fest" you tube videos for his work!

[240PP]

I knew Sam Reynolds had one - he's a pretty famous mtb'er - check out "dark fest" you tube videos for his work!

I’ve been to his house, Haslemere IIRC. One of my friends was living with him and his wife (think she was a Moto GP presenter) for a while. He had a red Holden Maloo.

[speedingfine]

https://www.evo.co.uk/lotus/emira/20604 ... ined-lotus

Evo review.

[mik]

Forum friend Oli's review. Some of the comments mirror those of Harry, but overall seems a bit more positive (?)

[Mito Man]

Don’t bite the hand that feeds you

[Matty]

Now 50 for sale on AT and dropped below £70k too (one for £69k on PH)

[mik]

Have evo done a group test with an Emira since customer (ie final production spec) cars started coming through?

[IanF]

Have evo done a group test with an Emira since customer (ie final production spec) cars started coming through?

Evo #313 4.5 stars

[mik]

@IanF Cheers, but I think that is just an initial drive of the i4?

I'm interested to see a group test (with the V6 really) vs competitors. A few uchoob tests did this with the early press cars, but I'd like to see one using a full production car. I suspect it'll still be pipped by it's porky contemporary, but would be interested to read it.

[mik]

Probably not of interest to everyone, but adding anyway. For what it's worth, Lotus tech stressed to me that the Emira chassis was indeed an update to the Evora chassis, but included some movement of the suspension pick-up points.

(He needs to borrow HarryM's speedo blurring software for 4m45 to 5m10)

[Jobbo]

Using the B4437 (aka Harry's road) again.

[integrale_evo]

He lives near there so hardly surprising.

The mighty alfasud had a spin around Harry’s bends in his vid!

[Jobbo]

Yeah, I've since watched it and he even says it's Harry's road. And before Harry's Garage it was our forum meet road from 20+ years ago. And that was because I found it from a Clarkson road test in Performance Car from the 1980s. So it's actually Clarkson's road really