Lotus Emira vs 2023 Corvette Z06

Hapkin said:

I agree with above. I own an manual M2CS with carbon ceramics and it is under rated out of the factory at 444bhp. At the wheels some have dyno'ed it at 482, close to 500 at the crank. Honestly, it's too fast for the road. It's just about perfect for the track. I am a serious amateur enthusiast driver with 4-8 track days per year and virtually every weekend out driving.

Now given that, I am 99% sure the Emira FE will be slower but more fun than my CS. More light weight, supercharged throttle response, lower center of gravity, dedicated sports car chassis, Lotus tuning and handling.

Lastly, for perspective I also have an manual R56 Mini Cooper S on Ohlins R&T and other handling mods, and stock engine besides intercooler. It is by far the most fun on the road and even in flat the twisties. Lightweight matters for enjoyment and cars are getting HEAVY. Only up hill in the mountains does it fall behind the M2CS in fun given only 178hp.

So I am so excited for my FE manual, sport suspension coming in Oct or Nov. Pretty sure it's going to be the most fun car I have ever owned and I love my CS and Mini.

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mjw930 said:

Then you can go watch this one.

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FlyNavy01 said:

I never understood the "too much power for the street" mindset. Do people think the gas pedal is an on/off button? Not trying to be a jerk here, but genuinely confused. Do folks not have self control or the ability to modulate their speed with their foot?

I daily drive a quick 3.1sec 0-60 car, and while 90% of the time I don't need it, the other 10% of the time I'd gladly take more. In other words, it's very enjoyable to always have enough power on tap at virtually any moment. It's actually saved me from a few dangerous situations on the road. I honestly can't ever think of a time I've thought ,"this car has too much power" in any vehicle I've ever driven.

I have no doubt the Emira will be a blast to drive for what it is, but are people just trying convince themselves it will be enough? Or maybe it's because many Lotus enthusiasts live in the UK with smaller and rougher roads?

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xen said:

Same here, it’s really just confirmation bias. The litmus test - give the same people a chance to swap their cars for a 550bhp Emira at no cost and see how many respond with a few paragraphs about how 400bhp is perfect and decline the offer.

Conversely should Lotus release a much lighter version would they complain and ask Lotus to detune their engines to keep the magical balance as their car is now too fast for the road.

I have my doubts in either case.

400bhp is a good number for the Emira but let’s stop pretending like more wouldn’t make for a better car.

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supersix said:

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Is anyone considering ordering the new Z06? Pricing hasn't been officially released, but it's rumored to start around $90k. Totally different animal then the Emira. 670hp & 0-60 in 2.1 secs. I only ask since the pricing could be close to the Emira FE.

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Cachaco131 said:

"Better" is subjective. My E46 M3 at ~330hp is underpowered by today's standards, but I can use all of it and it can put down the power relatively well. More power would actually make that car "worse" for me, it would be less easy to push the limits without sudden surprises, and it would turn it into more of a muscle car, which I dislike. I'll never buy any American muscle car. So not everyone agrees with your point of view. My F80 has a lot more hp and is scarier and I trust it a lot less than the E46. Ask me which one will I sell first...

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FlyNavy01 said:

I never understood the "too much power for the street" mindset. Do people think the gas pedal is an on/off button? Not trying to be a jerk here, but genuinely confused. Do folks not have self control or the ability to modulate their speed with their foot?

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Leonard said:

Smaller more bendy roads is definitely a consideration in UK
The main reason around talking about too much power (in my humble opinion) is more power generally means less useable power in regards being given able to work your engine through the rev range repeatedly so you get that full engagement of working through the gears up to the higher rev range. No fun doing triple digit speeds in a mere few seconds (or less) for a lot of folk

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xen said:

This is fair but the vast majority of modern performance cars are already ‘too much’ for the road by that metric. A 250bhp hot hatch is essentially what’s being described.

Regarding useable power, most of the performance cars today are forced induction. You get peak torque fairly early in the rev range so you really don’t ever need to work the engine hard.

You don’t get full power everywhere so a 600bhp car doesn’t mean you tap the throttle and kick the rear out. It just means you have a ton of headroom should you need it.

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Eagle7 said:

I was watching a podcast on The Smoking Tire with Chris Harris and they were discussing the issue of too much power for the street, and how it actually takes away the enjoyment of driving. Some cars are getting so powerful and such a handful, that you can't for a second take your focus away from keeping it under control. It was very interesting to hear the host and Harris talking about how they've become no longer impressed with tons of horsepower, but are more interested in other aspects of a car as whether or not it's a good or great car.

I feel the same way. How much power do I need to enjoy driving the car? My AWD Alfa Romeo Giulia has about 300 hp (I have a tune), weighs about 3,700 lbs, and it's a lot of fun to drive. That's a weight to power ratio of 12.33. According to Car&Driver, their test car did 0-60 in 5.5 seconds. The Emira FE is supposed to be about 3200 lbs with 416 hp, so that's a weight to power ratio of 7.69. With being 500 lbs lighter, and having 116 more horsepower than my Alfa, it's going to feel a LOT faster, so if driving the Alfa is fun, how much more of a blast is the Emira going to be?

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supersix said:

View attachment 1075

Is anyone considering ordering the new Z06? Pricing hasn't been officially released, but it's rumored to start around $90k. Totally different animal then the Emira. 670hp & 0-60 in 2.1 secs. I only ask since the pricing could be close to the Emira FE.

Click to expand...

supersix said:

View attachment 1075

Is anyone considering ordering the new Z06? Pricing hasn't been officially released, but it's rumored to start around $90k. Totally different animal then the Emira. 670hp & 0-60 in 2.1 secs. I only ask since the pricing could be close to the Emira FE.

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NicolasB said:

I had a Z06 deposit at one dealer since 2020, but pulled it. I am still #5 at a more local dealer where I have a cousin that is a salesman. Waiting to see it in person, because the back-end just doesn't flow, but I am a sucker for engine sound, which that car has. Would destroy an Emira at the track, but I don't have a local track to use, and just drive around backroads by myself mostly anyway. I also prefer the manual transmission option, so that combined with the looks and exclusivity of the Lotus, that's where I am leaning so far.

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NicolasB said:

I had a Z06 deposit at one dealer since 2020, but pulled it. I am still #5 at a more local dealer where I have a cousin that is a salesman. Waiting to see it in person, because the back-end just doesn't flow, but I am a sucker for engine sound, which that car has. Would destroy an Emira at the track, but I don't have a local track to use, and just drive around backroads by myself mostly anyway. I also prefer the manual transmission option, so that combined with the looks and exclusivity of the Lotus, that's where I am leaning so far.

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Climber said:

really hope the next James Bond 007 is given an Emira…
Hey can we push for that???

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