Photo: Lotus
“Lotus Emira First Edition: featuring the world’s most powerful four-cylinder engine.” That’s how the British automaker has titled its latest release, which isn’t correct if you know your four-cylinder engines well.
But first, here’s another statement from the release: “the new four-cylinder Emira is powered by a bespoke version of AMG’s M139 direct-injection engine. It is manufactured specifically for the Lotus Emira, and includes hardware changes to aid mid-mounted integration and new software to give it a true Lotus character. It is the world’s most powerful four-cylinder engine homologated for road use (up to 208 bhp per liter), widely regarded as the world’s best I4 unit, and has an enviable reputation for reliability.”
First things first, it’s not actually bespoke. Lest we forget, AMG supplies Aston Martin with twin-turbo V8s from the M177 family, with fewer ponies than AMG’s own applications. The peeps at Aston Martin wrongly refer to this V8 as an in-house design, so they’re also guilty of misinformation.
The only bespokeness would be how the M139 is integrated in the all-new Emira, which is a mid-engine RWD sports car rather than a front-engine AWD hot hatchback as it's the case with the AMG A 45 and A 45 S.
Secondly, the M139 for the Emira produces 360 horsepower, which is less than what Mercedes offers in the A 45. Last, but certainly not least, the world’s most powerful four-cylinder engine is the high-output M139 used in the A 45 S. In this application, it packs a whopping 416 horsepower.
Having deconstructed this aspect, we also have to mention what a certain employee said about the dual-clutch transmission of the four-pot Emira First Edition. “It’s a bespoke rear-wheel-drive variant of the transmission developed by Lotus in collaboration with AMG,” said vehicle attributes director Gavan Kershaw. Emphasis on the “developed by Lotus in collaboration with AMG” part, which is incorrect because we’re dealing with the AMG Speedshift 8G produced by the Stuttgart-based carmaker.
Are these guys for real?
Anyway, the four-pot Emira First Edition is priced from £71,995 in the United Kingdom, €87,995 in Germany, and $85,900 in the United States of America. If you prefer a manual gearbox, the 3.5-liter Toyota V6-engined Emira should be right up your alley. The base specification of the 400-hp V6 Emira will be launched in January from £64,995, €81,995, and $82,900.
First things first, it’s not actually bespoke. Lest we forget, AMG supplies Aston Martin with twin-turbo V8s from the M177 family, with fewer ponies than AMG’s own applications. The peeps at Aston Martin wrongly refer to this V8 as an in-house design, so they’re also guilty of misinformation.
The only bespokeness would be how the M139 is integrated in the all-new Emira, which is a mid-engine RWD sports car rather than a front-engine AWD hot hatchback as it's the case with the AMG A 45 and A 45 S.
Secondly, the M139 for the Emira produces 360 horsepower, which is less than what Mercedes offers in the A 45. Last, but certainly not least, the world’s most powerful four-cylinder engine is the high-output M139 used in the A 45 S. In this application, it packs a whopping 416 horsepower.
Having deconstructed this aspect, we also have to mention what a certain employee said about the dual-clutch transmission of the four-pot Emira First Edition. “It’s a bespoke rear-wheel-drive variant of the transmission developed by Lotus in collaboration with AMG,” said vehicle attributes director Gavan Kershaw. Emphasis on the “developed by Lotus in collaboration with AMG” part, which is incorrect because we’re dealing with the AMG Speedshift 8G produced by the Stuttgart-based carmaker.
Are these guys for real?
Anyway, the four-pot Emira First Edition is priced from £71,995 in the United Kingdom, €87,995 in Germany, and $85,900 in the United States of America. If you prefer a manual gearbox, the 3.5-liter Toyota V6-engined Emira should be right up your alley. The base specification of the 400-hp V6 Emira will be launched in January from £64,995, €81,995, and $82,900.
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