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
My 1987 Honda Civic Si (which taught me to love hot hatches at age 17) had the same removable sunroof. I still remember the day I cracked the taillights while putting the glass in the “trunk”.
Corvettes have been doing this for decades, and still do even with the C8. Slight difference being their whole roof comes off, but the idea is the same: manually removable panel for open-top motoring.
Is a T-top more accurately a I-top or maybe a H-top?
This Emira is then a O-top?
My 1988 Grand Am also had a O-top.
So, what’s the price tag on one of these babies? Their website won’t tell you, and I didn’t want to “Inquire” as that sets me up for a lifetime of marketing emails. Anyone know?
https://www.lotuscars.com/en-US/configurator/emira
I did a quick build of whatever came up and got $107K. It’s hard to argue against a C8 at this price.
My 1985 Nissan Pulsar and my parents 1986 MR2 had these. The MR2 had a spring loaded wind deflector the popped up when the glass was removed. The Pulsar had two little Mickey Mouse tabs you had to manually flip up. I made the mistake of not doing that once and got a headache from the wind pummeling my head through the open roof. Who knew?
My ’86 MR2 had one and it would stow in the frunk flat, at a slight up-angle towards the driver’s neck, which prompted irrational thoughts of it somehow guillotining me if I rear-ended another car.
Oh, and the louvers on this need to come back on more cars.
I was hoping for T-Tops. I suspect no self-respecting Lotus Engineer would even try for such a muscle car kind of thing, but a man can hope!
That was exactly what I thought!
T-tops make storage a lot easier, especially useful in a small car like a lotus. But I imagine the structural rigidity is better when the middle of the roof is removed rather than the sides.
Not an engineer, but I’d assume the same. Effectively two connecting bars instead of one.
The S2 Elise was initially launched with a T-top that had gull-wing opening panels each side, so you could pop them open to make getting in and out easier, or remove them entirely.
Having spent a bit of time with the launch car:the seals didn’t look likely to work, and the concept was quietly dropped before production.
I didn’t know this. Thanks for sharing!
My SW20 MR2 had a lift out glass roof panel. You could store it in the frunk.
Can’t believe Lotus isn’t in Gran Turismo.
Is a C8 not reasonably sized? Honest question. It’s 8.5″ longer and 1.5″ wider than an Emira but neither of these cars would have trouble fitting anywhere besides maybe a compact space.
IDK if “reasonably sized” is the right descriptor, but I do see the C8 as being a larger than desirable size for a pure “sports car.” Something about being able to fit a golf bag alongside the giant V8, maybe?
Not that it really makes a practical or performance difference, but it seems like the types who are looking at 718s and Emiras value that smaller size over the brute force of the C8.
That, and we have to maintain the proud European tradition of saying American cars don’t count because they’re too large or unrefined, even if they’re faster around the same track.
I don’t have dimensional data, but owning both I would wager the Toyota V6 is physically larger than the pushrod V8.
Still, I get your point.
I considered changing it when I wrote it since I figured they were at least close, knowing how compact the V8 actually is.
But I figured I’d leave it in because once again, the “loud, big, brash American” stereotype seems to apply here as well. The assumption to the average buyer is that a 6.2L V8 is some hulking thing compared to the 3.5L V6.
Yeah, I wanted to be sure narratives and reputations weren’t getting in the way of truth, either in the size of the engine or the car itself.
The V6 is transverse, the V8 longitudinal. That would make the V8 car longer, but without a massive supercharger blocking out the view behind.
I’d say they’re in the same ballpark when looking at the numbers, but the ‘Vette does look a lot larger in real life. I’m especially surprised at the small difference in width.
I’m lucky enough to have driven a C8, and I would consider it to be a large car. Not too large for what it it is, but it’s by no means small. I have no experience with the Lotus, but 8.5″ seems like a pretty big difference in size.
That’s what she said.
Bummed that they don’t offer a manual transmission on the lower-priced 4-cylinder version.
Similar frustration with the Toyota Tacoma. You can get a 2-door Tacoma, and you can get a 6-speed manual Tacoma, but you can’t get a 2-door Tacoma with the 6-speed.
And it isn’t even blue, like a Nissan or Ferrari! 😀
I was just thinking maybe they should have design-god Jony Ive come draw them up a new halo car!! I bet it would be exactly within the carefully cultivated brand image of Lotus!
Didn’t Lotus already design (and scrap) an entire lineup of EVs?
They have an EV SUV (I had to look up the name – Eletre), but we don’t speak of that.
I thought they had publicly announced they would be 100% EV by a certain date and announced an entire lineup – all of them very un-Lotus-like.
The move seemed strange to me at the time, but that’s when all auto makers had the threat of EV mandates (real or imagined) hanging over them.
Yeah, I think the Emira is actually meant to be the last ICE Lotus. My initial comment was a bit tongue-in-cheek, as they’ve somewhat already sold out on the “simplify and add lightness” ethos, but man I hope they can do better than Ferrari when it comes time to build an EV sports car.
I was working there at the time, and the ICE bans in the UK and Europe felt very real, and extremely short notice. Short-sighted government policies cost car makers hundreds of millions.
Hell, I had to retrain to design Electric Drive Units instead of engines. We fought hard to make the EV sports car as Lotusey as we could, and it was a real kick in the nuts to have it all cancelled. Twice.
Still, it meant I got to end my career with a GT4 race engine and a mad 2-stroke research engine.
Although not great more manufacturers, I’m OK with engineers having work.
The switch to EVs directly lead to the cancellation of multiple ICE projects, replacing them with EV projects that were then later suddenly not needed as the ICE bans receded, which lead to most of the engineers at Lotus in the UK losing their jobs last year.
There are only so many hundreds of millions of pounds you can lose without consequences.
Obviously they kept their crack engineering teams in the sunroof and orange paint departments.
I was trying to paint the rosiest possible picture in my mind.
I don’t know if it’s better to have a face or two to associate with your redundancy or just AI. Sucks either way, but at least the path from automotive engineer to homeless isn’t AS direct in the UK as it is in the US (or will be soon).
Lotus’ most in demand product has never been the cars, it’s the former employees. If you can succeed at Lotus you usually find a job pretty quickly.
I started a non-automotive engineering design job a few miles away the week after my paid leave ended. I’m enjoying the challenge of starting again in a new industry. Most of my former colleagues are doing ok. It’s just galling that this whole situation was forced on us by clueless politicians.
There’s an SUV, a saloon and a hypercar, all on sale and fully EV. Tariffed to oblivion in the US, but I’ve seen a few in the UK looking enormous and un-Lotusey.
I’ve never driven any of them, but the massage seats in the back of the saloon made a great place to relax for a couple of hours.
I’d seen they Emeya (hypercar), but not the saloon. That sounds interesting, although I’m not a fan of the “we forgot the buttons” interior. Ferrari looks to have knocked the Luce interior out of the park.
The Emeya is the saloon, the hypercar is the Evija.
Gotcha!
In 2010 Lotus trotted out a whole lineup of electric concept sports cars at the same time. That plan was soon scrapped during another ownership change.
I thought those cars looked boring.
Wow. I’m surprised it was that long ago.
Those weren’t EVs, the 2010 Esprit had a unique V8 designed for Lotus. There were prototypes of the engine, and a car driving around. I sat in the prototype once. The rest of the cars either used that V8 or other internal combustion engines.
Then the whole scheme got cancelled when Bahar left.
We had been working on EVs for other OEMs at the time though, and REEVs, at Lotus Engineering (the part of the company that made profit).
The Paris cars were all a bit samey. I think the plan was to get the Esprit onto production, then use the profits from that to get the rest into production, probably redesigned to keep them fresh.
I was expecting someone to have already commented that the 2001 Hyundai Accent GSi had a fairly good sized removable sunroof. When I bought mine new it came with a nice felt lined bag in the hatch area to store and protect the sunroof when removed. One time I did of course forgot about Murphy and his law, I took the sunroof out and left it at home as it was a glorious sunny day with no chance of rain. It started raining and I had to make a mad dash back. That was a fun little car that I recall fondly.
Family bought a first-gen RAV4 recently… the owner’s manual mentions an electrically tilting, removable glass sunroof panel! Fantastic, and you could store it in some clips on the rear door.
Sadly ours does not have it… seems to be one of the only options it doesn’t have, that and the wider wheel/tire combo.
Damn, here I thought it was going to be an Aux-in.
Pop Up headlights would be even better.
Cassette player.
You jest but apparently the yutes are all about them.
Someday they’ll realize tapes are trash like the rest of us did. CD sales are already going up again!
I would think the lightest, quickest option would be the sunroof variant with the glass removed.
Not usually because they have to build in extra bracing to make up for the lack of cross braces in the roof. Plus having it open ruins the aero which also slows you down. On my old trans am, the t top added one 30lbs or something like that if I remember right
Ah yes, the Trans Am. Famous for it’s efficiency.
I jest, but your point still stands.
My ’83 Subaru had a large removable sunroof like this and didn’t have the external hardware buttons like most aftermarket units. I much preferred it to power units—weighed only the weight of the glass and minimal hardware, could be popped out and tossed in the rear seat footwell in seconds from the seat at a light and the manual operation leant more of a sense of occasion than the unsatisfying button of a power unit. Other than that, not much in common between the two!
I love that orange. That’s not a color I’d usually go for, but it looks great and I like the way it varies by angle of the light.
My Del Sol would like a word with lotus on the subject of roof storage.
Yeah, the top stowage was clever.
Honda offered it on the CRX
My ’79 Ford Pinto had it…truly an advanced vehicle ahead of its time.
Love my Emira, yes it is a DCT but I am too damn old to change gears and I commute in it. Out here in Australia there is a dealer built ‘Bathurst’ edition with changes to suspension, aero, brakes and a boost to 500hp. Sounds like a hoot.
A DCT isn’t my first choice, but I’m not gonna kick it out of bed in the morning either.
Depends on who made it though- I was pleasantly surprised by the DCT in an Audi I rented a few years ago. On the other hand, the Ford dry clutch DCT might give Nissan CVTs a run for their money in terms of hatred.
Alfa Romeo’s was pretty dismal too.
I compare every automated cog shuffler to the two gold standards:
-ZF 8HP
-VW DSG
Currently, I don’t think anyone is doing it better or more reliably in so many platforms.
Nah the VW DSG is known for issues at low speeds. Maybe that is the best of the bunch but DSGs are not good on commuter cars.
I didn’t mind the ’05 Audi A3 I test drove, but the two more recent VW Jettas I’ve driven drove me bonkers. It’s not the only reason I wouldn’t buy one, but it doesn’t help its cause.
Ironically, the newest Jetta was a rental being driven by a guy who normally drives a ’15 Focus…that might explain why he seemed to like it. Anything’s better when you’re starting from the bottom.
Didn’t C5 Corvettes do this? (Occasionally unprompted…)
And C6’s, if specced that way. The whole roof pops off.
4, 7 and 8 as well, but it’s not just a removable sunroof, it’s a targa top
Was I the only one thinking “T-Top?”
I was disappointed when it wasn’t.
That’s cool as hell! The Esprit had that through many generations too, including the final ones in the early 00s
If I lose the glass panel, do I have to buy a Lid before I can hot-box the 420??
Nice. Take your slow clap.
Next step is for Lotus to put a manual with the AMG 4cyl. Find a way.
As former head of Powertrain Design at Lotus…
…checks confidentiality clause…
…never mind.