Lotus to show off Emira at Monterey Car Week

Lotus has announced it will debut its Emira sportscar alongside the Evija and Radford 62-2 at California’s Monterey Car Week.

The company will hold its flagship event ‘The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering’ at The Quail Lodge and Golf Club on August 13.

In a statement, Lotus has also revealed the Emira will take to the nearby Laguna Seca raceway before its Monterey debut, for “a very special celebrity track day”. Further details are expected in the coming days.

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The Emira was unveiled last month as an all-new Lotus to replace the Elise, Exige and Evora models. It’s powered by either Toyota’s supercharged, 3.5-litre V6 (as appeared in the Exige and Evora), or a new-to-Lotus, AMG-sourced 2.0 turbo four.

V6 buyers can choose between a six-speed manual or automatic, while the four-pot is backed exclusively by an eight-speed dual-clutch auto. The launch V6 pumps out 298kW, sitting above the AMG engine’s 268kW. The model represents the last hurrah for internal combustion Lotuses as the marque ventures into battery power. It’s expected to reach Australian shores in September 2022.

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Joining the Emira at The Quail will be the quad-motor, electric Evija hypercar. It will wear a new yellow and blue livery inspired by Formula 1 hero Ayrton Senna’s Lotus Type 99T, which he drove to victory at the 1987 Detroit Grand Prix. The win was Senna’s last in a Lotus.

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The Evija appeared at Monterey in 2019, just days after its debut. Limited to 130 units, it’s capable of laying down 1471kW and 1700Nm of torque.

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Rarer again is the freshly-revealed Radford 62-2, which will round out Lotus’s showing at 2021’s Monterey event. These coachbuilt machines are based on the Evora GT, and draw many visual cues from the 1969 Lotus Type 62 racer.

Fittingly, just 62 are to be made. Three trim levels will be available: Classic, Gold Leaf, and JPS. Details on the top-spec JPS are scarce, though it’s claimed to produce 447kW – a sharp increase on the standard Evora GT’s 310kW.

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Monterey Car Week began on Monday, and will wrap up on Sunday, August 15. Highlights include auctions, car cruises, concours displays, and exhibitions from dozens of clubs and automakers.