Look Fast vs. Feel Alive: Porsche 718 Spyder PDK Takes On the Lotus Emira 2.0T

[AZemira-i4]

I must weigh in … liked the article and appreciate many of the points. Keep in mind the 718 Spyder sets a high bar.
The i4 is quite fast with a super quick DCT (not quite as good as the PDK). I also owned various Porsches prior to the Lotus. After many test drives of different Lotus configurations and comparable Porsche versions, I sought out the Emira as a more engaging drive. The Emira is light and nimble … it dares you to turn into the next corner
P.S. … and hands down an incredibly beautiful car.

 

[Beachbum]

when I bought the Emira, one of the over riding factors for me was "It wasnt a Porsche". Two main reasons,:
1) I just dont like their styling
2) There are so many of the damn things

I know both of those reasons are daft in the scheme of things, I was potentially removing the option for a very good car, but for me, I just cant get my head round the Porches buy-in, so many people have. It strikes me as a very similar concept that exists around Rolex.

 

[CarGuy07]

when I bought the Emira, one of the over riding factors for me was "It wasnt a Porsche". Two main reasons,:
1) I just dont like their styling
2) There are so many of the damn things

I know both of those reasons are daft in the scheme of things, I was potentially removing the option for a very good car, but for me, I just cant get my head round the Porches buy-in, so many people have. It strikes me as a very similar concept that exists around Rolex.

That was my original thing as well: it wasn’t a Porsche. I came so close to buying a white V6 manual this past March. I drove the Turbo i4 a few times and it hunted for gears. The sound was also lacking IMO. The V6 was the best bet. Just didn’t think it was worth the $122K (minus a little discount) + TTL for it. I think if the Emira was still around $100-105K, it’d be a no brainer.

 

[Wolkenspiel]

I used AI to translate my article. Don't worry, in a few years no one actually write things. What matters is what you deliver.

You delivered AI slop. This is painful to read.

 

[Kaz]

I don't understand the comparison isn't a Spyder double the cost of an Emira? It should be better...that's how value exchange works lol. They're sexy as hell too, those humps really make the car as all generations of Spyder have. Every weekend when I see the parade of 911's the Spyders always stand out, if I were to buy a P car it would be the Spyder RS with the crazy manual folding top. So cool -

 

[Steve24]

when I bought the Emira, one of the over riding factors for me was "It wasnt a Porsche". Two main reasons,:
1) I just dont like their styling
2) There are so many of the damn things

I know both of those reasons are daft in the scheme of things, I was potentially removing the option for a very good car, but for me, I just cant get my head round the Porches buy-in, so many people have. It strikes me as a very similar concept that exists around Rolex.

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Few things are more annoying than when some clown pops up on an article about a new sports car and says

“Yeah, but you’d just buy a Porsche wouldn’t you”?

Ummm. No.

While I have plenty of respect for the quality of the cars they produce, I have zero interest in spending my hard earned money on one for exactly the reasons above.

 

[Nelumbo]

The low redline ironically makes rowing gears that much better.

Interesting observation considering how much the lowered redline is maligned compared to the Evora's. I think I'd be happy with raising it by 400-500 rpm.

 

[SJones]

Back in the 1970s, I was driving my 1969 Lotus Europa S2 at a “speed trial” (now track day) at Blackhawk Farms in northern Illinois. A Chicago “hot shoe” of some note was also participating with his newish 911 and several other drivers were constantly orbiting around him, apparently hoping to garner favor or tips by being always in his presence. His car was lined up just before mine in the pits, as we waited for practice to start.
As I returned from the restroom to get in my car, I found him buckling on his helmet still surrounded by his posse, poised standing on one leg with his other leg bent with his foot resting on my (fragile fiberglass) front end. I told him to get his #@&*! foot off my car and without missing a beat told his audience “ You know, these things really have no power, but once they get going they kind of hold their speed- I almost had a hard time beating one once!” They all laughed knowingly.
Since this was my first time driving a mid engine car at speed I quickly learned that it did not like to be tossed around like my previous Super Seven, but smoothness, precision and trail braking paid dividends. After practice, my lap times were 5 seconds quicker than the “hotshoe.” I never paid much attention to Porsche Pilots again.

 

[HankRS225]

I can understand your passion for the Emira and your disagreement with the points in my article; after all, just six months ago, I shared that exact same sentiment and pride.

After owning three Lotuses and fully experiencing both the pain and the pleasure of having them, I feel I have finally paid off my romantic debt to this brand. It is time for me to simply be a pure driver—a realization that didn't truly sink in until I became a Spyder owner.

Of course, avoiding certain issues might just come down to survivorship bias, as I too used to think I was a lucky Lotus driver blessed by the heavens with no major issue or accident with the poor quality control. This car was designed with an advanced power unit on an old enough chassis platform. The integration safety margin is pretty slim, within the margin this car works beautifully, but the odds to exceed to margin is relatively higher than other brands.

I sincerely hope you all continue to happily enjoy everything the Emira has to offer.

It's indeed a beautiful and fast beast which is fun to drive.

 

[sixtyy]

Wtf. 1.5y never needs to go to service for break. It is my daily drive actually.

 

[paulecar]

Is the AMG Emira an unreliable stressful thing to own, or is this article just BS?

Not in my experience. Having met a bunch of other owners at the TOTG event, in general, both variants are more reliable than you might think reading the forums. The forums gather disgruntled owners together and amplifies the noise. Also, I would agree the Spyder is overall a better car, but then you have to part with $170k+ to get one - so not really apples to apples. I came out of a 911 C4S, and have no regrets.

 

[F1 SML8R]

The AMG M139 is one the most reliable platforms AMG/MB have ever offered. Any issues are ancillary to the actual Motor/Transmission unit provided by AMG. The closest thing to an issue is in relation to a small batch of blocks that had residual sand due to the block casting method used while manufacturing it. You can google "AMG M139 Block Sand" and read about that very small population of engines.

 

[Y Cymro]

Very interesting Hank.
A question for you: which car do you now own?
I wonder how a v6 manual Emira would compare with a manual GT4 or Spyder.
Cheers

 

[Last ICE]

Every single point in this post I agree with (and I live in England - the home of Lotus). I test drove a GTS, Emira i4, Emira v6, Alpine A110S.. I chose the Emira V6 manual for a reason. I can't drive this car with 1 hand on the wheel (sports suspension).. it demands 100% focus and that's what I want. It's the most analogue car I've ever owned.

And to put it differently, a blissfully immersive and highly engaging escape. I do feel alive in this analogue gem.

 

[Last ICE]

Agreed. It's the most analogue car I've driven as well...and in an age where everything is going extremely digital and self-driving, I believe analogue cars like Lotus' will be special 20 years from now.

To paraphrase an earlier post, I predict a collectible classic.

 

[seriously]

Interesting observation considering how much the lowered redline is maligned compared to the Evora's. I think I'd be happy with raising it by 400-500 rpm.

Of course. "normal" redline with soft limiter and better seats and I'm 100% satisfied. Literally, don't need any other mods. It's nearly the perfect car for my tastes as it is.

 

[HankRS225]

Very interesting Hank.
A question for you: which car do you now own?
I wonder how a v6 manual Emira would compare with a manual GT4 or Spyder.
Cheers

I've writen an article about manual Emira vs Spyder

I've had 3 Lotuses: S2 Exige Cup 260, S3 Exige V6 and Emira 2.0T. Right now only Spyder PDK.

 

[beefeater]

Guys, let's stop arguing. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, even when they are wrong.

What really gets me is that it reads like an AI is doing all the posting. I know it's AI translated but there is just no emotion in those words. Feels a bit creepy honestly.

 

[Y Cymro]

Hank, thanks for the link from another thread and for this article. Because you’ve used an AI to write it, it reads just like every other piece of biased AI junk on the internet, and I wouldn’t trust a word of it: every phrase has been amplified by the AI to binary extremes.
You’ve owned these cars - please re-write this to express YOUR thoughts, not those of a data processing machine. Use Google translate if necessary - nobody here will care about spelling or grammatical errors. It’s your experiences and thoughts of driving and comparing these two cars that we look forward to.
Thanks