Used Blue Lotus Emira cars for sale

Conceived as Lotus’s final combustion-engined car, the Emira had an unusually demanding brief. It needed to preserve Hethel’s celebrated chassis finesse while adding the comfort and usability that its predecessors often lacked. At 1,458kg, the Emira could not match the featherweight delicacy of an Alpine A110. It compensated with a remarkably composed ride that improved as speed rose, plus hydraulic steering that loaded up naturally. The supercharged 3.5-litre Toyota V6 supplied muscular mid-range performance and a magnificent soundtrack to boot, while operating its exposed linkage remained a gratifyingly physical experience.

The contemporary Porsche 718 Cayman GTS was more polished, while familiar Lotus foibles, including weak batteries and leaky windows, could undermine everyday ownership. Even so, the Emira’s usable cabin, supple ride and rich steering feel gave it a character distinct from its rivals. It was not flawless, but it brought old-school interaction and genuine usability together in a way no previous Lotus had arguably managed.