Hi everyone, I have recently bought an 8 month old Nimbus grey V6 manual Emira with sports chassis, black pack, tints and leather/Alcantara interior.
Previously I have owned A Toyota Supra, Porsche 924, Porsche 944 turbo, RX7, Fiat X19, Ford Capri 2.0S and 2.8i special, Ford Escort turbo, Rover 200 turbo, Peugeot 205 Gti, VW Scirocco R, Audi Coupe GT, Supercharged & nitrous 406 coupe and lastly a Audi saloon RS3 with a built engine and big turbo conversion.
Well going from the RS3 to a Emira has been an interesting month with a mixture of different feelings. It is slower on acceleration and top speed but was so much better on cornering feel. The RS3 had coil overs, various stiffening option and full Verkline chassis so it was no slouch on the bends compared to a standard one but still the fully electric steering was lifeless in comparison.
I had the same dilemma as most potential buyers and was going backwards and forwards between the Emira, Cayman GTS, GT4 and Jaguar f-Type 5.0 supercharged. I drove the F-Type 2.0 turbo first that was not bad at handling but was too slow to even keep my interest, which isn't surprising at nearly 1700kg with a 4 pot. The 5.0 supercharged F-Type sounded better than nearly everything I have been in and on par with the old C63 6.2 V8. It was fast, had all the tech but handling wasn't quite there for me and when pushed I had a few scary not in control moments, which isn't good on tight bends with curbs. I then drove the GTS and GT4 back to back and I was surprised that on the road, especially twisty B road the GT4 was hardly any better if at all. It did have a sporty feel but I think of lot of that was down to the slightly harder suspension and looks. The GTS for me was too boring at the front with the dated lights and the front being so high off the ground. The GT4 obviously looks way better but still the same dated light. It has the carbon buckets which on the track I am sure would be superb but on the road were way too uncomfortable and a pig to get out of unless you are a 7 stone Olympic gymnast.
. yes the Porsche manual box was good but not that good that it is an issue for me. I have read many reviews saying how good the Cayman flat 6 engine sounds and after coming from a 5 cylinder I can say it isn't anything as good as it is hyped up to be. On the road they were close on handling with the Emira but without that connected to the road feel and raw excitement Lotus cars bring. Now we came to the looks and I don't care what any review says, the Emira is way way ahead of Porsche and Jag for giving that supercar look. I cannot name a single car for under £150k that comes close to those perfect lines and proportions. If you want a track only car get a GT4, if you are a die hard Porsche fan that needs to daily drive buy a GTS, but if you want a superb road handling car with the looks of a 300k supercar and happy not to buy into what other people think you should buy then its the Emira all day long.
So far I have had a 60 hour job done on the Emira for paint correction, full ppf, ceramic coatings, gloss black wheels and interior protection. Tomorrow it is in for a Milltek exhaust system with the third cat/gpf delete. I was pleased with the exhaust tone overall but felt it was a bit quiet , although the over run burbles are nice. Next Thursday I am having the 2 way Nitron coil overs fitted with the standard fast road spring rates. I was thinking of the carbon splitters but I am not sure I will have the clearance if I drop 15-20mm and for me personally I felt the arch gap was just a bit too big. I did however take advantage of the group buy to order the carbon engine surround which is a nice touch.
I hope to chat with you all more over the coming weeks and hear what great things you are doing with your Emiras.
I would like to finish off by saying every time I drive the Emira or leave my house I cannot help but looking back and thinking how lucky I am to own such awesome looking car.
Previously I have owned A Toyota Supra, Porsche 924, Porsche 944 turbo, RX7, Fiat X19, Ford Capri 2.0S and 2.8i special, Ford Escort turbo, Rover 200 turbo, Peugeot 205 Gti, VW Scirocco R, Audi Coupe GT, Supercharged & nitrous 406 coupe and lastly a Audi saloon RS3 with a built engine and big turbo conversion.
Well going from the RS3 to a Emira has been an interesting month with a mixture of different feelings. It is slower on acceleration and top speed but was so much better on cornering feel. The RS3 had coil overs, various stiffening option and full Verkline chassis so it was no slouch on the bends compared to a standard one but still the fully electric steering was lifeless in comparison.
I had the same dilemma as most potential buyers and was going backwards and forwards between the Emira, Cayman GTS, GT4 and Jaguar f-Type 5.0 supercharged. I drove the F-Type 2.0 turbo first that was not bad at handling but was too slow to even keep my interest, which isn't surprising at nearly 1700kg with a 4 pot. The 5.0 supercharged F-Type sounded better than nearly everything I have been in and on par with the old C63 6.2 V8. It was fast, had all the tech but handling wasn't quite there for me and when pushed I had a few scary not in control moments, which isn't good on tight bends with curbs. I then drove the GTS and GT4 back to back and I was surprised that on the road, especially twisty B road the GT4 was hardly any better if at all. It did have a sporty feel but I think of lot of that was down to the slightly harder suspension and looks. The GTS for me was too boring at the front with the dated lights and the front being so high off the ground. The GT4 obviously looks way better but still the same dated light. It has the carbon buckets which on the track I am sure would be superb but on the road were way too uncomfortable and a pig to get out of unless you are a 7 stone Olympic gymnast.
. yes the Porsche manual box was good but not that good that it is an issue for me. I have read many reviews saying how good the Cayman flat 6 engine sounds and after coming from a 5 cylinder I can say it isn't anything as good as it is hyped up to be. On the road they were close on handling with the Emira but without that connected to the road feel and raw excitement Lotus cars bring. Now we came to the looks and I don't care what any review says, the Emira is way way ahead of Porsche and Jag for giving that supercar look. I cannot name a single car for under £150k that comes close to those perfect lines and proportions. If you want a track only car get a GT4, if you are a die hard Porsche fan that needs to daily drive buy a GTS, but if you want a superb road handling car with the looks of a 300k supercar and happy not to buy into what other people think you should buy then its the Emira all day long.So far I have had a 60 hour job done on the Emira for paint correction, full ppf, ceramic coatings, gloss black wheels and interior protection. Tomorrow it is in for a Milltek exhaust system with the third cat/gpf delete. I was pleased with the exhaust tone overall but felt it was a bit quiet , although the over run burbles are nice. Next Thursday I am having the 2 way Nitron coil overs fitted with the standard fast road spring rates. I was thinking of the carbon splitters but I am not sure I will have the clearance if I drop 15-20mm and for me personally I felt the arch gap was just a bit too big. I did however take advantage of the group buy to order the carbon engine surround which is a nice touch.
I hope to chat with you all more over the coming weeks and hear what great things you are doing with your Emiras.
I would like to finish off by saying every time I drive the Emira or leave my house I cannot help but looking back and thinking how lucky I am to own such awesome looking car.
