The long-awaited Lotus Emira was officially launched in early July 2021, with her official, public unveil during the famous Goodwood Festival of Speed, and this last gas-powered Lotus became an instant hit, people were literally lining up to put their order in, or better yet, to just get their name on the ‘pre-order’ list, as you couldn’t even order your Lotus Emira yet, and the ‘pre-order’ list was for RHD models only … but over the weeks after Goodwood FoS things changed, and at the end of September Lotus finally released both full specifications and the MSRP on the Lotus Emira V6 First Edition … a car loaded with technology, infotainment and comfort features.
Lotus plans to start building the Emira V6 First Edition in the spring, while the ‘i4’, the 4 cylinder version arriving in the autumn, pricing in the UK has been fixed at £75,995 while on the other side of the North Sea this new car will set you back €95,995, the US MSRP hasn’t been released yet, but a quick currency exchange leads to somewhere between $105,000 and $115,000 based on the £ and € pricetag.
The Lotus Emira V6 First Edition will come equipped with the supercharged 3.5-Liter V6 engine delivering 400 hp through either the standard six-speed manual or the optional six-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission, for the first year of production the customer has a choice of six colors, but Lotus intends to offer more shades a year later, and the First Edition is packed with options that come as standard, including bespoke badging naturally.
Matt Windle, Managing Director, Lotus Cars, commented: “The Emira is the most accomplished Lotus we’ve ever made, and to celebrate and reward our keenest early customers, we want to make the first cars extra special to own. The features have been carefully selected by our design team to make for a truly special and distinct First Edition.”
Taking the concept started by Elise, Exige, and Evora, the new Lotus Emira is really a giant step into the future, showing the brand signature and core value of the predecessors, but still improve on practicality, comfort, functionality, and technology. The Emira is built on a new lightweight bonded aluminum chassis, pioneered by Lotus and remaining an intrinsic part of their DNA.
This First Edition version comes with diamond-cut 20-inch ultra-lightweight wheels, optionally a silver or a black finish is available at no cost, while Lotus branded calipers are standard fitment too, to keep those expensive wheels safe, there is a TPMS, or Tyre Pressure Monitoring System fitted as First Edition specifications too.
The list of available colors has been deliberately kept very exclussive, from the press launch car in Seneca Blue to Magma Red, Hethel Yellow, Dark Verdant, Shadow Grey, and Nimbus Grey. They all match very nicely with the titanium exhaust and the Lower Black package that includes a gloss black finish on the air blades in the front bumper, front splitter, side sills, and the rear diffuser.
While the exterior is limited to six paint colors, you can choose from seven different shades on the interior, red, black, grey, tan when going for Nappa leather, or black Alcantara with either red, yellow, or grey stitching on the 12-way adjustable, heated seats that even come with a memory setting, that also includes the door mirrors.
Lotus wants to offer a very comfortable ride in their new Emira, so this car comes complete with climate control, cruise control, keyless start and selectable drive modes, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto while an integrated satellite navigation system is available on most markets, all available through a 10.25-inch centrally mounted touch-screen and a 12.3-inch TFT instrument cluster ahead of the multi-function steering wheel.
Apart from the Lower Black Pack, you’ll get three more packs as standard on these First Edition models, the Drivers Pack offers a choice between Tour or Sport suspension with Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport tires, or Sport suspension with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, the Design Pack comes with dark tinted glass, sports pedals and painted brake calipers in either black, red, yellow, or silver, and just so you don’t scratch those beautiful bumpers, the Convenience pack adds parking sensors to the front and a camera to the rear among other things.
Just in case, there are still a few options left to tick on that order sheet, but those will come on top of the base price for these Emira V6 First Edition models, like the £1,800 automatic transmission, or the Black Pack which contrasts the roof, cantrails, mirror housings, the Lotus badge and the exhaust tips for £1,200 only.
As already mentioned, production of the Emira V6 First Edition will start in the spring of 2022, while the 4-cylinder version will follow in the autumn of 2022, if you are looking to add a more base-level Lotus Emira to your driveway you’ll have to be patient until 2023 when they intend to release a £59,995 entry-level version with fewer options.
