718 Spyder vs. 570S/540C vs. Emira
Discussion
Adding to the other 'Emira versus' thread running concurrently, I currently own a 981 GT4 and fancy a bit of a change. In that regard, I currently have deposits on a 718 Spyder (allegedly 3rd on the list at my OPC, so realistically may get one Q3/Q4 2022?) and an Emira V6 manual (early deposit, with a June provided delivery date) but always keep coming back to the fact that for the amount of money spent new on those either of those 2 cars, I could have a bona fide used supercar in a Sports Series McLaren instead, notwithstanding the higher running costs which I would be OK with.
The 981 GT4 is plenty fun, but given I rarely track the car I do feel the car needs to be quite 'on it' given the longer gearing and lack of low down torque which you can't really do on public roads, which I am hoping the 718 Spyder would alleviate the latter with the 4.0L engine plus having the option to drop the roof, although I fear that it may not be different enough to justify the switching costs.
The Emira is quite the looker but when comparing the proportions of the grey car vs. the blue car that was on show, there is something about the former that doesn't look quite right once you realise the blue car is in show stance, having been lowered and spacers added. I have no doubt that the Emira will drive very well but I'm still not yet 100% sold if I am honest, perhaps because information from Lotus have been quite limited.
My gut feel at this stage is to switch to a Mac and if/when the deposits for the other 2 then convert into an order, take a decision from there on whether I switchover or not, benefitting from the fact that the Emira is fully refundable up until 1 month before delivery.
Curious to see what other forum members would do in my situation?
The 981 GT4 is plenty fun, but given I rarely track the car I do feel the car needs to be quite 'on it' given the longer gearing and lack of low down torque which you can't really do on public roads, which I am hoping the 718 Spyder would alleviate the latter with the 4.0L engine plus having the option to drop the roof, although I fear that it may not be different enough to justify the switching costs.
The Emira is quite the looker but when comparing the proportions of the grey car vs. the blue car that was on show, there is something about the former that doesn't look quite right once you realise the blue car is in show stance, having been lowered and spacers added. I have no doubt that the Emira will drive very well but I'm still not yet 100% sold if I am honest, perhaps because information from Lotus have been quite limited.
My gut feel at this stage is to switch to a Mac and if/when the deposits for the other 2 then convert into an order, take a decision from there on whether I switchover or not, benefitting from the fact that the Emira is fully refundable up until 1 month before delivery.
Curious to see what other forum members would do in my situation?
Edited by Implus1 on Friday 7th January 17:54
I have exactly the same Q and started this thread a while back.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I am still going Emira - blend of real world usable performance, great on road dynamics / usability, bit of practicality and supercar looks with a solid warranty close it for me. Plus residuals will be flat in my opinion for a while given demand.
I WILL have a Mac, but £3-£5k warranty a year plus £1k servicing is a massively different cost proposition.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I am still going Emira - blend of real world usable performance, great on road dynamics / usability, bit of practicality and supercar looks with a solid warranty close it for me. Plus residuals will be flat in my opinion for a while given demand.
I WILL have a Mac, but £3-£5k warranty a year plus £1k servicing is a massively different cost proposition.
Unsure whether a direct comparison between old and new cars is that valid tbh but I would start by driving either a 718 GT4 or Spyder and compare with your 981 GT4 as the 718 engine with its 8k rev limit more power and torque lower down transform the car into a proper bespoke engined Porsche GT this time and largely overcomes the highish gearing issues of the 981 with its detuned and thirsty C2 S engine.
Like you I have also ordered a FE 3.5 Emira manual but don't see this as being as driver focused or able as the GT4 more like a more usable sports car package with fantastic looks and far more appealing than the Mclaren especially considering the current high prices of used cars across the board.
Had a 570S which was a good package if a touch dull overall especially with its restricted sound and driver detachment with its auto gearbox. If you want a more interactive manual car this clearly rules out the Mclaren and I wouldn't even consider basic 540. The other issue of course is the expensive warranty and possible questionable dealer support although some are clearly better than others as is the case with most brands.
Like you I have also ordered a FE 3.5 Emira manual but don't see this as being as driver focused or able as the GT4 more like a more usable sports car package with fantastic looks and far more appealing than the Mclaren especially considering the current high prices of used cars across the board.
Had a 570S which was a good package if a touch dull overall especially with its restricted sound and driver detachment with its auto gearbox. If you want a more interactive manual car this clearly rules out the Mclaren and I wouldn't even consider basic 540. The other issue of course is the expensive warranty and possible questionable dealer support although some are clearly better than others as is the case with most brands.
Implus1 said:
The £5k warranty cost p.a. just tips it over for me as being too expensive although the Thorney warranty is an option. I do prefer the looks of the Sports Series more too.
Both are good options I'd have gone for the Thorney warranty as it seems a better option if I was going for the 12C/650S, it would be the 570S then.av185 said:
Unsure whether a direct comparison between old and new cars is that valid tbh but I would start by driving either a 718 GT4 or Spyder and compare with your 981 GT4 as the 718 engine with its 8k rev limit more power and torque lower down transform the car into a proper bespoke engined Porsche GT this time and largely overcomes the highish gearing issues of the 981 with its detuned and thirsty C2 S engine.
Like you I have also ordered a FE 3.5 Emira manual but don't see this as being as driver focused or able as the GT4 more like a more usable sports car package with fantastic looks and far more appealing than the Mclaren especially considering the current high prices of used cars across the board.
Had a 570S which was a good package if a touch dull overall especially with its restricted sound and driver detachment with its auto gearbox. If you want a more interactive manual car this clearly rules out the Mclaren and I wouldn't even consider basic 540. The other issue of course is the expensive warranty and possible questionable dealer support although some are clearly better than others as is the case with most brands.
Was supposed to try the 718 Spyder at the PEC invite as part of the Spyder order pre-Xmas but this was cancelled due to covid, sadly. Shame, as I am sure I would have been able to decide if it was a big enough change from the 981 from this. Like you I have also ordered a FE 3.5 Emira manual but don't see this as being as driver focused or able as the GT4 more like a more usable sports car package with fantastic looks and far more appealing than the Mclaren especially considering the current high prices of used cars across the board.
Had a 570S which was a good package if a touch dull overall especially with its restricted sound and driver detachment with its auto gearbox. If you want a more interactive manual car this clearly rules out the Mclaren and I wouldn't even consider basic 540. The other issue of course is the expensive warranty and possible questionable dealer support although some are clearly better than others as is the case with most brands.
Interesting you say you wouldn’t consider a 540 where I thought in the real world / not on track they are practically the same as a 570, bar some cosmetic differences?
Gibbo205 said:
Keep Emira deposit.
Buy Mclaren to tie you over take advantage of Winter pricing.
Don't fall in love with Mclaren, sell it May should get close to what you paid, take Emira, again don't fall in love flip it for what you paid or a profit, buy something else.
I think that’s the route I’m going to take but I think I may fall in love with the McLaren!Buy Mclaren to tie you over take advantage of Winter pricing.
Don't fall in love with Mclaren, sell it May should get close to what you paid, take Emira, again don't fall in love flip it for what you paid or a profit, buy something else.
I had a 718 Spyder for a short while, I wrote about it on the Spyder/GT4 thread, but I never got on with it. It had everything except the day-to-day usability I needed. You sort of know this already with your GT4, and save for a different engine there are few differences - same rock hard ride, long gearing, approach issues on any sort of ramp, etc. It's a GT product after all. Objectively one of the best cars I've had, but I only kept it for three months.
I tried (and failed) to get another one with PDK as that would have alleviated one of the the biggest issues I had with the car. If you're sticking with the manual, then you know what a compromise these cars can be.
ETA - and the roof was a massive pain in the arse. I managed to get it up and down in less than 20 secs in the end, but even then I just couldn't be bothered in the end.
I tried (and failed) to get another one with PDK as that would have alleviated one of the the biggest issues I had with the car. If you're sticking with the manual, then you know what a compromise these cars can be.
ETA - and the roof was a massive pain in the arse. I managed to get it up and down in less than 20 secs in the end, but even then I just couldn't be bothered in the end.
Jefferson Steelflex said:
I had a 718 Spyder for a short while, I wrote about it on the Spyder/GT4 thread, but I never got on with it. It had everything except the day-to-day usability I needed. You sort of know this already with your GT4, and save for a different engine there are few differences - same rock hard ride, long gearing, approach issues on any sort of ramp, etc. It's a GT product after all. Objectively one of the best cars I've had, but I only kept it for three months.
I tried (and failed) to get another one with PDK as that would have alleviated one of the the biggest issues I had with the car. If you're sticking with the manual, then you know what a compromise these cars can be.
What have you moved onto next?I tried (and failed) to get another one with PDK as that would have alleviated one of the the biggest issues I had with the car. If you're sticking with the manual, then you know what a compromise these cars can be.
Implus1 said:
Interesting you say you wouldn’t consider a 540 where I thought in the real world / not on track they are practically the same as a 570, bar some cosmetic differences?
AFAIK540C has the same spring rates as 570GT, which are softer than 570S
Don't know if it also gets the slightly slower steering rate of the GT.
540C exhaust is quieter, the 'sports exhaust' for the 540C is a standard 570S exhaust
So I guess perhaps the slightly softer chassis responses and quieter soundtrack might result in a less intense driving experience?
Implus1 said:
Jefferson Steelflex said:
I had a 718 Spyder for a short while, I wrote about it on the Spyder/GT4 thread, but I never got on with it. It had everything except the day-to-day usability I needed. You sort of know this already with your GT4, and save for a different engine there are few differences - same rock hard ride, long gearing, approach issues on any sort of ramp, etc. It's a GT product after all. Objectively one of the best cars I've had, but I only kept it for three months.
I tried (and failed) to get another one with PDK as that would have alleviated one of the the biggest issues I had with the car. If you're sticking with the manual, then you know what a compromise these cars can be.
What have you moved onto next?I tried (and failed) to get another one with PDK as that would have alleviated one of the the biggest issues I had with the car. If you're sticking with the manual, then you know what a compromise these cars can be.
The Spyder was lovely, I felt so fortunate to have one, but it just wasn't the car for me - you need to try and drive one (or a GT4)
samoht said:
AFAIK
540C has the same spring rates as 570GT, which are softer than 570S
Don't know if it also gets the slightly slower steering rate of the GT.
540C exhaust is quieter, the 'sports exhaust' for the 540C is a standard 570S exhaust
So I guess perhaps the slightly softer chassis responses and quieter soundtrack might result in a less intense driving experience?
Yes but I would think it is marginal unless you are really pushing on / on track and its the torque difference which is probably most noticeable from what I've read?540C has the same spring rates as 570GT, which are softer than 570S
Don't know if it also gets the slightly slower steering rate of the GT.
540C exhaust is quieter, the 'sports exhaust' for the 540C is a standard 570S exhaust
So I guess perhaps the slightly softer chassis responses and quieter soundtrack might result in a less intense driving experience?
Jefferson Steelflex said:
I went for an E92 M3 Competition, which has been utterly magnificent. I did try and buy back the 997 Turbo I sold prior to the Spyder but that was a no go.
The Spyder was lovely, I felt so fortunate to have one, but it just wasn't the car for me - you need to try and drive one (or a GT4)
Interesting as its quite a different car to the 718 Spyder!The Spyder was lovely, I felt so fortunate to have one, but it just wasn't the car for me - you need to try and drive one (or a GT4)
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