This is the new Lotus Emira 420 Sport. Adding the moniker ‘Sport’ to a sports car feels a tad unnecessary, but the 420 bit is important: It gets 420PS—that’s 416hp—making it the most powerful Lotus Emira in the lineup.
That’s more than the entry-level 2.0-liter turbocharged Emira ‘Turbo’ (360hp), and more than the 400hp offered by both the 2.0-liter Turbo SE, or the 3.5-liter supercharged V6 of the V6 SE. It’s all getting very redundant, we know.
Those sixteen additional AMG horsies help this sports car dubbed 420 Sport accelerate from 0-100kph quicker—3.9sec—and max out even higher, all the way up to 300kph. There’s an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox on board, which means your only chance to get a manual Emira remains that V6.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
Mitsubishi has officially revealed that the all-new Pajero will be launched in a few months
The all-new Toyota Hilux can be equipped with Gazoo Racing parts in Japan
Lotus has added lightness via an optional ‘Lightweight Handling Pack,’ which, again, for a lightweight sports car designed to handle feels...yeah. In any case, this optional Handling Pack gets two-way adjustable Multimatic dampers, rides a whopping 5mm lower, and features a new titanium exhaust, lithium-ion battery, carbon-fiber components, and something to record how fast (or slow) you are around a circuit.
Elsewhere, Lotus has refined the Emira 420 Sport sports car via new body components designed to better manipulate the air around it: new vents, a new front splitter, larger sills, a lip spoiler, and a louvred tailgate. There are numbers attached to how much it improves the airflow. You might care, but you might care more that these additions “subtly reference” old stuff like the Esprit Turbo.
There’s more optional stuff, including the chance to add lots more carbon fiber to the exterior of the car, different wheels, new colors, and a removable tinted glass roof panel available for the first time.
“Adjustable dampers, increased downforce, sharper responses, reduced roll—every detail obsessively engineered to put the driver more in control,” said Gavan Kershaw, Lotus Cars’ handling expert.
You’ll pay for such control, mind—the 420 Sport starts from £105,900 (P8.75 million before taxes).
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
