Lotus Emira GT4 takes on Porsche's Cayman and Boxster GT4 RS

BY PETER BARNWELL

IF YOU multiply the Lotus Emira First Edition’s price of $184,990 by nearly two you come up with enough to purchase … a Lotus Emira GT4 race edition at $333,500.

That’s a shed load of dosh for a hepped-up version of an already fast car but is bang on the money against the direct competition, Porsche’s Cayman and Boxster Spyder GT4 RS models at $336,800 apiece.

Let’s not forget this is an out-of-the-box, fully blown race car that delivers extreme levels of performance across all areas – brakes, engine, suspension, transmission, tyres, driver controls and so on.

This is an out-of-the-box, fully blown race car

It runs a highly modified version of Toyota’s 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine (though, there’s not much Toyota inside) upping the ante on performance across the board compared to the road going Emira V6, itself a wickedly fast car.

The Emira GT4 is in production right now and is being rolled out globally with a local Aussie delivery date expected soon.

The money, or a lot less, gets you into some fairly delicious high-performance cars such as the BMW M2 at $121,700 plus on-road costs and the Audi TT RS at $139, 769 +ORC, but both, and others, are road cars that weigh heaps more than the Lotus and are chock full of creature comforts.

The word is out despite being a hard-edge race car, as at the time of writing, Lotus says it is holding GT4 orders from customers in the UK, Europe, China, Australia and the USA.

It runs a highly modified version of Toyota’s 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine

“The new model has been homologated for competition in global GT4 classes and, thanks to a comprehensive options list, is also eligible for other non-homologated and specialist race series around the world,” says Lotus.

Lotus engaged motorsport partner RML Group to assist in developing the Emira GT4 with upgrades including a 10 per cent power cent power increase to 340kW, a new six-speed paddle shift sequential racing gearbox and control system, optimised aerodynamics to suit both tight/twisty and fast/flowing circuits and enhancements to the braking system, springs, damping and cooling packs.

The Hethel, UK based sports car specialist says Emira GT4 is “the culmination of 75 years of innovation on the road and track and marks the start of an exciting new era in performance GT racing for Lotus.”

Aussie delivery date expected soon

In a statement, Lotus said “Motorsport has always been part of the Lotus story, and this marks the 75^th anniversary of the first Lotus, the Mk I, which was a trials car built by founder Colin Chapman in 1948.”

“Lotus has been synonymous with worldwide racing success ever since, and the company has pioneered many of the technical innovations which make racing the thrilling sport it is today.

Adding weight to the above assertion is Lotus’ impressive rollcall of honours that includes seven Formula 1 Constructors' titles, six Drivers' Championships and victory in the legendary Indianapolis 500.”

Emira GT4 is homologated for competition in global GT4 classes

More recently, Lotus has been campaigning the Evora GT4, which has won races and championships in categories such as British GT, Dubai 24hrs, Barcelona 24hrs, European GT, Sepang 12hrs and the Pirelli World Challenge.

The Emira GT4 is hand-built by the RML team at a dedicated new production facility in Wellingborough, UK with no limit on production numbers.

Gavan Kershaw, director of vehicle attributes, Lotus, and a former British GT Championship winner has been heavily involved in the development of the Emira GT4 from day one.

Significant enhancements give Lotus a rival to Porsche’s Cayman GT4 RS

“The Emira road car was such an excellent starting point for a GT4, and we’ve now further refined and tuned the package with the team at RML to create what we believe is a highly competitive and performance-oriented race car,” he said.

“We know our customers are keen to get behind the wheel and we’re looking forward to seeing their results.”

If you want to buy one, more information is available from Lotus’ Russell Gibbons at the Lotus motorsport department rgibbons@lotuscars.com

2023 Lotus Emira GT4 technical specification and performance data:

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