The Emira, a coach built masterpiece by Radford, is meant to evoke the look of the Detroit GP-winning Lotus Type 99T of yesteryear. Lotus plans to reveal this final statement at The Quail: A Motorsport Gathering and then follow up with a 'celebrity track day' unveiling at Laguna Seca Raceway.
The mid-engine Emira will feature one of a pair of possible engines: the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder or a supercharged 3.5-liter V6.
The four-cylinder version is a Mercedes-AMG built lump that cranks out 360 horsepower and lays down the power via the rear wheels through a dual-clutch automatic transmission.
The V6, from Toyota, comes directly from the now discontinued Evora GT. The Toyota version lays down the horses through a torque converter automatic or a manual transmission. Lotus says the stick version of the 3.5-liter makes 400 horses and 317 pound-feet of torque.
In an interesting move, the Emira does away with electric power steering in favor of a hydraulically assisted setup meant to provide better feel and feedback.
The 2022 Emira from the legendary British automaker will be the last driven by an internal combustion engine as Lotus prepares for an all-electric future in the form of the Evija hypercar.
Billed as a pure electric hypercar, the Lotus Evija recalls the race machine which Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna piloted to victory at the Detroit Grand Prix. Senna's 99T debuted a cutting-edge, computer-controlled active suspension which proved Lotus’ innovative approach. Sadly, it also marked the final win for Senna at the wheel of a Lotus.
The Lotus pair of the electric Evija and petrol Emira - will also be shown at the The Quail alongside the fabulous Radford 62-2.
Those three iconic pieces of automotive history will be rolled out for aficionados and journalists during a press conference scheduled for 9.15am PDT (GMT-8) on Friday 13 August on the Lotus stand.
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