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The Al subframe is stated as cast, so I imagine much cheaper to make as well as lighter. It might just be that with the expected volumes the i4 justifies the investment whereas the V6 gets a jig welded steel subframe, stronger, heavier and more expensive. That also suggests that the V6 won’t be...

TAKT time is an interesting topic. In 23 minutes there is a lot of work to be done, and as a consequence, a lot of potential for variability in build. A 1 min TAKT time means each worker or robot has time to fit and fix one or two components at most. So everything is done in a very simple and...

Don’t forget that under WLTP options are added in to give a vehicle specific CO2 number. The current showing is for the LE derivative so it’s not unreasonable to assume that the base version will just sneak in under 200.

430bhp? 400bhp? Well it might add a few mph to the top speed but how fast do you want to go or can legally go? Torque is the key to acceleration along with weight and traction. Why do people always fixate on the max power figure?

Amazingly it took only a couple of clicks to find a picture of it on a garage website. It’s been resprayed I suspect and had the wheels done too but still looking good. Come on Lotus, add Aubergine to the colour palette!

My series 2 Elise was in Aubergine metallic purple and was stunning. The Emira would be equally stunning with silver wheels and the upper black pack in Aubergine if anyone fancies mocking one up!

Transport mode may also disable a number of other systems to possibly safety systems too. With the vehicle prepped for tether down for shipping there are coil spacers fitted to minimise suspension movement but if the safety systems detected what on the road might be an extreme manoeuvre and...

An interesting pic of the installation. The engine cover will sit nice and low (lower than the v6) so there looks like there might be a handy bit of stowage space in the back to pop your take-away in to keep it warm! 😊

So it’s in the same orientation as in the AMG. PTs are not cheap to design and you’d only do something as dramatic as changing the orientation with a very substantial redesign. This kind of thing would be completely out of Lotus’ budget for the installation. I see no fundamental reasons for...

While Lotus has declared their product strategy to fully electrify, the news of possible E-Fuel exemption from the EU ICE ban might just provide an option to extend Emira production. I think coupled with the issues EVs are having with infrastructure and availability of green electricity and the...

It’s a 680mm (26.8”) tyre family. So the vehicle will be set up to have that size and all of the wheel and tyre options will maintain the size by varying width, sidewall height (aspect ratio) and rim size. If you fitted 24” rims you’d have just 1.4” of sidewall so 245/15 x 20 tyres. The gap to...

I’m fascinated by the obsession with perceived ride height. You’re not alone mind and there are other marque enthusiasts just as keen. Some manufacturers are more bothered about this than others, often employing specially constructed “settling” roads consisting of a variety of carefully designed...

I wouldn’t call that a running-in procedure, really it’s saying “don’t abuse the engine, while it beds itself in”

Engine manufacture is sufficiently tight toleranced nowadays that a running-in period is not essential and won’t necessarily deliver any benefits. However, most enthusiastic owners will want to be as sympathetic as they can and avoid anything that might impair performance in the long run...

The transmission is limited by torque capacity not power. Power = torque x rotational speed so increasing the rev limit will increase power with constant torque. In reality, torque rarely peaks much above 4000rpm so liberating extra oomph above this speed won’t increase the forces on the...

The numbers are quoted in several places already on this forum although I can’t find them now I’m actually looking! Anyway there are some external links:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AWTF-80_SC https://www.lotustalk.com/threads/list-of-what-you-get-in-the-fe-emira.485638/page-2 That second one...

Someone on one of the other threads has detailed the different transmission weights: - Aisin 6sp Auto - 90Kg Aisin 6sp Manual - 87Kg AMG 8G-DCT - 83.4Kg

Well it is conceivable although there isn’t a UK break point at <200 g/Km. There might be in other countries but I’m no longer up to date with the latest changes. In truth, I suspect it’s really just down to creating a large enough differential to the V6 to satisfy the marketeers.

Yup, that’s pretty much it. The conventional auto uses a fluid flywheel/torque multiplier and a series of epicyclic gear trains to “slide” between ratios. A DCT is more an automated version of a conventional manual gearbox. It has input and output shafts and a number of fixed ratio gear pairs...

Actually WLTP was created under the UN umbrella as a means of enabling government authorities to compare ‘apples with apples’. It is a standard imposed on manufacturers by their respective government agencies, (the VCA in the UK) so that it is possible to homologate to a common standard for fuel...

A loudspeaker creates vibrations that propagate through the air as sound. The front face of the speaker has to be isolated from the rear face as these are effectively +ve and -ve sounds that if allowed to interact will cancel one another out. This is usually achieved with an ‘infinite baffle’...

Automotive testing has changed dramatically over the years and vehicles have become exponentially more complex. Years ago 90% of testing was real with endless real world miles being clocked up. Now it’s the other way around with ‘verification’ testing simply a sample of simulated data to confirm...

I’d expect them to be similar, the Merc is a small car and only marginally heavier than the Emira, and although it’s output is greater, the WLTP test profile will reflect normal consumer usage which won’t include much full power Driving. Whilst there has been a lot of talk from Lotus about...

Well there’s not going to be a single perfect solution, I’m just hoping for a compromise with limited manual adjustment that saves on all of the power motors. I appreciate the Emira has to match rivals for comfort etc, but it is still a Lotus and the whole DNA thing requires a sensible approach...

208g/km according to Mercedes, although I concede there’s not much in it.

Website quotes 199g/km CO2 which should be WLTP figure that applies in the EU so you should be able to calculate the tax from that

Yup, that is a very smart spec, simple monochrome can be dramatic and understated at the same time, very nice

You could get up to some mischief with some blackboard chalks!

Putting fancy hi-if into a car is never going to be easy. There is very little about the interior of a car that is acoustically friendly as everything is designed with its primary function in mind and not the audio performance. Who at home has speaker cabinets that are shaped like car doors? And...

Seats are a bit of a bug-bear for me. I worked in the industry for many years and seats have always been too heavy and over complicated. Fine if the car is going to be driven by several family members of a range of shapes and sizes but I’m likely to be the sole driver with possible rare...

Eagerly awaiting news of the I4 and some sort of review. I’m rather hoping to find it’s just the model for me but I don’t want a first edition so haven’t put a deposit down. I had a 111s Elise some years back and loved it, rather wish circumstances had allowed me to keep it but such is life...

The 1740Kg GVW is quite interesting too. This should be the max weight fully loaded with options, luggage and occupants. The Cayman 718 looks about the same so it will be interesting to see what kerb weights are quoted for the V6 and I4 Emiras

The torque figure is the key one. Peak torque of 420Nm compared to the V6 410Nm suggests to me that real world performance of the I4 will be better than the V6. We know the I4 revs freely and it will have a near flat torque delivery curve. Peak HP will be capped by the mapping for brochure...