Race-ready Lotus Emira GT4 breaks cover

The recently-released Lotus Emira sports car now has a race-ready variant, with the iconic British manufacturer launching its GT4-spec challenger.

Based on the two-seater which made its debut in July, the GT4 will replace the Evora as Lotus' competition car in the entry-level GT championship, looking to replicate its predecessor's success on the race track.

Stripped of the road car's creature comforts, Emira GT4 will be powered by the same Toyota-sourced 3.5-litre V6 engine as the Evora racer, developing around 300kW with the help of a Harrop TVS 1900 supercharger.

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Rather than the six-speed manual or automatic transmissions in the road-going Emira, the racer sends power to the rear wheels through a paddle-operated six-speed xTrac sequential 'box and limited-slip differential.

A set of 18-inch wheels on each corner are shod in Pirelli's GT4 spec rubber, with 265 section tyres on the front and 305s on the rear, while the double-wishbone suspension is coupled with Öhlins dampers to maximise the contact patch of the rubber.

Even with the addition of a roll cage and other important safety upgrades, the Emira GT4 weighs in at just 1260kg before the sport's governing body applies Balance of Performance adjustments, more than 100kg lighter than the street car.

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Lotus is slowly immersing itself in motorsport after a dry spell in recent years, having become a technical partner to former Formula 1 champion Jenson Button's JBXE Extreme E team.

The Emira GT4 will make its race debut in the 2022 GT4 European Series, competing against the likes of Porsche's Cayman and the BMW M4.