It was a stories car when I bought it. Well, maybe not that bad, but certainly never capable getting anywhere near a concorso, so I've got no problem dicking* with it. * a medical term that only Greg and I understand
How do these people get away with calling themselves experts or even journalists? My car had none of those problems yet had those recalls done months ago as a preventative measure. Talk about a non-story.
This is more of a story… The important stuff starts around 15:40 for those with short attention spans.
Poor Steve https://torquecafe.com/2023-lotus-emira-new-car-review/ Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
A reasonable review but a ridiculous headline and idiotic couple of sentences at the end. A Cayman is about 1/1000th as desirable as an Emira. Most people would fall asleep before it’s even gone past. My version with the old fashioned gearbox has been timed at 4.1 with the observation that the slow gearchange costs at least half a second, so in real terms easily a sub 4 second car. The Chinese version of the i4 with a proper gearbox has been timed at 3.7. The yawn inducing Cayman they bang on about claims 4.5. But yes, it’s not a car for men with tiny penises for whom straight line stats are everything. It’s a proper drivers car. Or as some would say, an enthusiasts car.
I owned this car for 16 happy years. It never let me down and was as good as gold. They great cars if you look after them. I run a website on the Esprit Turbo too: www.lotusespritturbo.com Image Unavailable, Please Login
My mates 4.0 Cayman was 250K on the road. It's interior felt as special as a Hyundai. And let's face it, the entire Boxster/718/Cayman series are cars for people who either can't afford or are afraid of a 911 (and most current 911s are too civilised to be exciting). The Emira is a cracking car. Forget comparisons to Porsche, it's a serious Hurracan or Maserati MC20 alternative.
I had a Turbo HCi - knocked back a trade on a QV because the QV wasn't as fast, but that's another story...
its a shame Ferrari doesn’t do this style of car - a proper replacement to the Dino. In a world where performance cars are becoming unnecessarily stupidly fast, roads increasingly congested and yet speed cameras literally everywhere, exotic cars (and even run of the mill electric cars) are just pointless. The Emira has just the right amount of horsepower - the focus should not be on speed but an a truly engaging driving experience. The Lotus does a brilliant job (albeit not 100% spot on yet) in doing this in a relatively reliable package. Kudos to you Steve in practising what you preach. P.S What is the entry/exit like on an Emira? P.S When I was in Italy in 2019, I was blown away by how many mundane cars still had a manual transmissions - Italians love their manuals and yet Ferrari doesn’t make one - building an Emira like car in the vein of the original Dino allows Ferrari to revive the manual transmission.
Great post and spot on. I truly wish Ferrari made a car like this. 400-450hp. Manual. Small, beautiful and the focus on the overall driving experience, not willy-waving stats or over the top styling. Price it in the $300-400k bracket (50-100% above the Emira) and they’d sell as many as they could make. There’d probably be a 5 year waiting list! Re getting in and out, it’s definitely easier than the 355 was, and apparently far easier than an Exige / Elise. I don’t find it much more difficult than my 440i. But it is still a low, wide sports car at the end of the day so requires a bit of effort.
