Car of the week: Lotus Emira

Now it’s no secret that I think Jim Clark is the greatest racing driver of all time. Seeing Lotus recognise the greatest driver not only to race for their team, but to race at all, truly makes me smile.

Dan Boland

30/01/2026

2–3 minutes

I was, therefore, a very happy boy back in 2025, when Lotus released the Jim Clark edition of the Emira, this week’s car of the week.

The Jim Clark edition of the Lotus Emira was just an Emira with a gorgeous paint job, but its technical specifications made it worthy of honouring Jim Clark. The Emira was a mid-engine sports car, destined to replace the Elise, Exige and Evora, but it stands out as the final internal combustion car Lotus would produce.

With it being the final internal combustion car that Lotus would produce, they even offered you the choice between two engines, probably because they needed to clear out what internal combustion engines they had remaining in stock. You could therefore choose between a 3.5-litre supercharged V6 from Toyota or a 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four engine from Mercedes-AMG.

Now, Lotus is famous for not being the most reliable car. We all know that Lotus stands for Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious, and that also seems to ring true about the Emira. On the V6 model, the engine throttle body is located just behind the rear glass, so the driver was often deafened by the loudest engine noise, making it feel as if the engine were moving. This loud noise worked perfectly with Apple CarPlay, making it the first Lotus to have this feature fitted.

Ignoring this, however, the Emira did also have some perfect little quirks. A convenient USB charging port was located near the rearview mirror, which Lotus claims is for a dashcam. Numerous anonymous users online also recommend using it for a radar detector to avoid any nearby radar guns or speed traps.

Top speed	180 mph
0-60	3.8 seconds
How many units were sold?	10,000
Cost when new	£76,000
Does Max Verstappen have his own special edition Lotus?	Didn’t think so!

The Lotus Emira is therefore this week’s car of the week, after I saw the Jim Clark edition Emira at Motorworld in Munich, and I haven’t been the same since. It is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful modern sports cars we’ve seen in a while with its sleek curves and funky aerodynamics. And on top of all of that, it’s a perfect way to honour Jim Clark, making it this week’s car of the week.

“Jim Clark Emira” taken by Daniel Boland