I spent an afternoon with the 420 Sport. Ask me anything?

[GetawayDriving]

Which is more fun to drive, stick V6 or this?

Hard question. It's personal preference. I believe nothing beats rowing. But damn if this thing doesn't come close. It's MUCH more playful than the V6, and that makes it a riot to toss around. Not a satisfying answer, but the truth is there are days I'd rather have the V6 and days I'd rather have the 420.

 

[GetawayDriving]

Have you driven an Emira with nitrons? If so how does it compare?

I've driven Elise on nitrons, but not Emira. Nitrons were a little harsh on the car I drove, I have no idea how old they were or how it was set. 420 isn't harsh. It's just stiff. And I don't mean that as a negative. It's a very focused setup.

Also worth considering, the car had 130 miles on it. So stiffness could be newness.

 

[Foosh]

Which is more fun to drive, stick V6 or this?

That's entirely dependent of what you like. If you are a true manual transmission afficionado, there is no substitute when it comes to driving fun.

The only Emira I'd ever be interested in must have a manual transmission. I love my 911 Turbo S, which only comes with PDK, but it's been mostly sitting ever since my Emira V6 manual came home

 

[dbjames]

Hard question. It's personal preference. I believe nothing beats rowing. But damn if this thing doesn't come close. It's MUCH more playful than the V6, and that makes it a riot to toss around. Not a satisfying answer, but the truth is there are days I'd rather have the V6 and days I'd rather have the 420.

What do you mean by playful - like is it more tail happy and easier to swing the back end out playful or something else?

 

[Honcho]

Biggest difference to me was the multimatic suspension. Much more firm than the standard Sport setup. Makes the whole car feel more focused. It does feel a bit faster than the standard Turbo. the car feels QUICK. The car is stunning, especially in Tangelo orange. The extra bits like the side pod scoops, wheel arch vents and carbon louvre really work and it makes a beautiful car even more striking.

For me, the multimatic suspension is what makes this car. Once a few get their hands on it I'm guessing the reviews will be really good for the way the car drives. Also, these and the question asked about the Nitron's are fully adjustable so can be more compliant or less depending on damping and springs.

 

[GetawayDriving]

What do you mean by playful - like is it more tail happy and easier to swing the back end out playful or something else?

Front end feels lighter, and that makes the car feel more agile and toss-able. The extra torque makes it feel eager and more responsive to whims of the right foot. whether it IS more agile or quicker is a different story. But it feels that way.

I've never driven a tail-happy Emira. Too much grip, too much tire.

 

[me73]

That's entirely dependent of what you like. If you are a true manual transmission afficionado, there is no substitute when it comes to driving fun.

The only Emira I'd ever be interested in must have a manual transmission. I love my 911 Turbo S, which only comes with PDK, but it's been mostly sitting ever since my Emira V6 manual came home

Why is it that when you own a Porsche you have to specify the sub-model of the car? No one ever just says they own a 911 or a Cayman.

 

[me73]

I've driven Elise on nitrons, but not Emira. Nitrons were a little harsh on the car I drove, I have no idea how old they were or how it was set. 420 isn't harsh. It's just stiff. And I don't mean that as a negative. It's a very focused setup.

Also worth considering, the car had 130 miles on it. So stiffness could be newness.

Even base model Elises are more harsh than the sport suspension Emira. The car has almost no rubber in the stock bushings.

 

[me73]

Correct, on or off.

It won't tlil?

New video

 

[Last ICE]

Then it would cost even more and everyone would complain that they can just get a porsche or something else for that kind of money.
I’m sure Lotus crunched the engineering and manufacturing numbers.
I’ve done most of the work they have done to this spec. Everyone should just be thankful and stop crying about what they should have done, and be happy with what they have done!

To be sure, I’m way thankful - two years in and I’m still over the moon with my v6/6. It’s just that owning an open roof targa (vs. a sunroof or convertible) has appealed to me since I can remember.

Enormous respect for Porsche engineering and happy for the enthusiasts who love and experience them, but for a handful of reasons couldn’t see myself owning one, even if an Emira targa crept close to the P targa’s circa 190k.

In the meantime, until a Lotus targa happens, if ever, I won’t feel I’ve settled for something lesser, and remain just as excited at every occasion to get behind the wheel as I did when new.

 

[Rcktmn]

How’s the airflow with the roof off?

I feel like windows down airflow in my Emira is amazing. One of my favorite things about the car

 

[Tracked Emira]

The driver is definitely “high” on this new spec!
…“I’ll have what he’s having”

 

[GetawayDriving]

How’s the airflow with the roof off?

I feel like windows down airflow in my Emira is amazing. One of my favorite things about the car

Airflow was excellent. No buffeting.

 

[GetawayDriving]

It won't tlil?

New video

No it doesn’t tilt. It just pops off.

Hey that’s our vid!

 

[TheFiat]

This one had the titanium exhaust, and I did not notice a difference from the standard Turbo. In fact, I feel like the 420 had less blow-off noise and quieter pops/bangs when downshifting to a high RPM. Could be because the car just wasn't broken in yet, I've noticed they tend to wake up over time.

That is disapponting. I think the exhaust sound on the Turbo is poor. Even a 1.4 Abarth or a 1.8 Alfa 4C has a more special sound.

 

[me73]

No it doesn’t tilt. It just pops off.

Hey that’s our vid!

Why do you call it a targa top?

 

[Foosh]

Why do you call it a targa top?

A "targa" refers to a design where the top comes off in some fashion but the rear window and structure remain fixed. A "convertible"has the rear window going down with the top.

I've always viewed the targa-style as a vehicle with an extra large, removable sunroof.

 

[Foosh]

Why is it that when you own a Porsche you have to specify the sub-model of the car? No one ever just says they own a 911 or a Cayman.

Generally because there are massive performance differences between submodels of 911, and every other Porsche submodel. It's no different than what people generally do with many brands of performance cars. A base BMW or Mercedes model of whatever type is vastly different than the M or AMG versions.

 

[TFS]

Why is it that when you own a Porsche you have to specify the sub-model of the car? No one ever just says they own a 911 or a Cayman.

Its part of being a P fanatic.. trust me, my brother drives one and i take it for a spin sometimes (boring car).. for the P guys its only P and nothing else and jokes many times with me to get a real car.. a gt3 :s

 

[TFS]

And you know what they say: they have to prove they have the ‘better’ model because you can own the same looking car for a fraction of the price and P owners dont like that.