Lotus Just Made The Emira Even Better With A Feature I Haven’t Seen Since The ’90s

While use of the editorial ‘we’ is generally discouraged around here, I feel confident saying that we love the Lotus Emira. It’s even one of Mercedes’ dream cars. With just the right mixture of hypnotizingly exotic baby-supercar looks, an available manual gearbox, tack-sharp handling, proper ride comfort, and the price tag of a medium-nice Corvette, it’s simply fabulous. Oh, and it’s not done evolving yet. Like it in DCT flavor but want something extra? The new Emira 420 Sport should be right up your alley.

However, while everyone was distracted by the prospect of a lighter, sharper four-cylinder Emira in a gorgeous shade of orange, Lotus buried the lede on another announcement. You can now get an Emira that lets you experience the open air in a bit of an old-school way.

Part of the issue with taking a can opener to a car designed to have a fixed roof is that you often sacrifice some structural rigidity to do so. It’s why many supercar makers build their carbon monocoques around the open-air variants from the get-go. While the Elise featured a removable targa roof, both as a vitamin-D aid and a way for tall people to get in without folding themselves up like accordions, Lotus has turned a different page by offering the Emira with an optional sunroof. But not just any sunroof—if you’re concerned about weight up top, you can leave the entire assembly at home.

Basically, it’s a piece of glass simply latched into the roof. Want to remove it? Unlatch it, pull it out, pop it in a specially designed storage bag, and either stow it behind the seats or leave it somewhere safe. The roof rails stay intact, there’s no complicated power-sliding mechanism, just a simple window to the sky. Lotus hasn’t stated how much it actually weighs compared to the standard slicktop setup, but if you’re more interested in chasing Kodak moments than chasing tenths at the track, it sounds like this could be the move.

I haven’t seen a pop-out sunroof like this in absolute ages. Porsche famously offered one on the 924, 944, and 968 front-engined transaxle cars, but it wasn’t the only marque offering this sort of arrangement. Mazda offered it on the original RX-7, and Lotus offered it on the Esprit, to name a few. However, this arrangement generally died out with the convertible boom of the ’90s and the subsequent panoramic-sunroof surge that really picked up steam in the 2000s. As much as this is a complication, it’s a back-to-basics way of doing it, and there’s something very Lotus about that. Plus, you can get it with either the turbocharged four-cylinder engine or the six-speed manual V6-powered model. I’ll go with the latter, please.

Oh yeah, so what about that Emira 420 Sport? Well, it adds an extra 14 horsepower over the regular Emira Turbo SE to total 414 horsepower, or 420 PS. That’s good, although I suspect you’ll want to tick the box for the Lightweight Handling Package. Measures like a titanium exhaust system and a lithium-ion 12-volt battery shave 55 pounds from the coupe, a revised aerodynamic package adds 55 pounds of downforce, and revised venting and air intakes aid cooling for the heat exchangers, brakes, and the engine bay itself. However, the star of the Lightweight Handling Package might just be the two-way adjustable dampers made by Multimatic. You know, the top-level race car dampers and Mustang GTD guys. Sadly, because it’s based on the four-cylinder model, it’s dual-clutch automatic-only. Oh well.

Now that the BMW Z4, Toyota GR Supra, and gasoline-powered Porsche 718 are out of production, the Lotus Emira is pretty much your only choice for a sort of middleweight sports car that’s reasonably sized. Thank goodness it’s brilliant. Those wishing for DCT speed now have a new, sharper-focused option, the manual stays alive for now, and you can even catch some rays in it now. Yep, I want one. Someday …

Top graphic image: Lotus