Emira Styling: We all know it's gorgeous, but why...?

TomE said:

Here is what the badge on the early styling model looks like. Hand made and with some carbon fibre, but maybe gives some clues on what a non-FE version could be.

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Great spot! That would look pretty damn good - I'd almost fancy that on my FE!

I expected the usual Lotus aftermarket places will come up with alternatives. Some do bespoke on request too. Do I get an "@TomE" one for mine?

TomE said:

As I mentioned sometime last year, the bulges over the wheels are a very specific Lotus design feature.

All recent Lotus cars have these visual cues provided by the points on top of the front and rear wings, that are clearly visible from the driving seat. These let the driver know where the car is on the road and are called "Becker points", after the late great Lotus chassis engineer Roger Becker who worked on the designs of the Esprit, Elise and Evora. They're also present on the Evija and Emira.

On the nose vents, it was interesting seeing the cars in the production hall at Hethel recently in different colours and lighting conditions. The FE paints all change tone, depth, flow and colour with light and viewing angle: the nose vents create an area of rapidly-changing surface angle going into a dark void and that accentuates the flow and change in the colours. This in turn draws our eye to the nose vents. It's also interesting to see the differences in how the look with strong overhead light compared to a strong side light - the difference between midday and sunset for example.

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All that adds up to another great feature of the Emira's styling Tom - it's going to look a little different every day!

While there were some aspects of the S2 Elise that were improvements over the S1, the creases on top of the wings felt a bit out of character with the rest, a little forced.

Love little bits of Lotus history like the Becker story.

TomE said:

I expected the usual Lotus aftermarket places will come up with alternatives. Some do bespoke on request too. Do I get an "@TomE" one for mine?

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Why the hell not? Unless you want to avoid a deluge of questions everywhere you go!

eclat2emira said:

Thanks Tom, and you've highlighted another aspect of the Emira's design that make it such a winner. As you said, everything here is functional - rarely have form and function been so holistically considered and reconciled so well. It really is one of those lightning in a bottle moments.

I think Gordon Murray and Peter Stevens achieved something similar with the Mclaren F1 design and styling, no others that come to mind have blended form and function as well.

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@eclat2emira, fantastic analysis, and thanks for sharing your views. My wife too is an artist and, most of the time, I struggle to understand her desire to have most objects off-centre and asymmetric, which to me appears a bit skewed and, some would say, 'wonky'. However, having read your explanation, and analysis, of styling I now see the point. Emira is one gorgeous-looking car. Form and function blend really well, which is something that is important to me, which is why I also like the old-school Porsches since they are easier on the eye but highly functional.

Emira's lines really flow without interruption, which compels one to scan the entire length and breadth of its curvaceous, and, dare I say, voluptuous, body. Oops, that takes me back to my school days!

On a serious note, must admit I was never a fan of Evora's styling, but do like the Exige S2 over the S3, but Emira is in a different league!

MacLaren F1 is one of my favorites, but the Alfa Romeo 33 Tipo Stradale clinches it for me, just. Always have been a fan of classic Alfas. What are your thoughts of the new GMA T.33, which to me looks a whole lot better than the T.50, but both clearly appeal to those in the 'form follows function' camp, to which I firmly belong?

Lankan said:

@eclat2emira, fantastic analysis, and thanks for sharing your views. My wife too is an artist and, most of the time, I struggle to understand her desire to have most objects off-centre and asymmetric, which to me appears a bit skewed and, some would say, 'wonky'. However, having read your explanation, and analysis, of styling I now see the point. Emira is one gorgeous-looking car. Form and function blend really well, which is something that is important to me, which is why I also like the old-school Porsches since they are easier on the eye but highly functional.

Emira's lines really flow without interruption, which compels one to scan the entire length and breadth of its curvaceous, and, dare I say, voluptuous, body. Oops, that takes me back to my school days!

On a serious note, must admit I was never a fan of Evora's styling, but do like the Exige S2 over the S3, but Emira is in a different league!

MacLaren F1 is one of my favorites, but the Alfa Romeo 33 Tipo Stradale clinches it for me, just. Always have been a fan of classic Alfas. What are your thoughts of the new GMA T.33, which to me looks a whole lot better than the T.50, but both clearly appeal to those in the 'form follows function' camp, to which I firmly belong?

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Thanks, it was fun to put together.

I'm with you on the Alfa Romeo 33:

Always been a favourite, trumped only by the Ferrari 330 P4 - best wheel-arches ever and must have inspired so many that came after, including the Elise. Truly voluptuous!!! (Sophia Loren on 4 wheels? Best hips in the business!)



So we have:

- 33
- 330
- T.33

Definitely a pattern there!

To the T.33 - if I am being brutally honest I was slightly underwhelmed on first viewing, although it is a "grower". I think this was partly down to the lighting in the basement in the first Harry's Garage and Carfection videos, which really flattened the shape - it actually looks much better in the shots below:



Gordon Murray's designs, and styling, are so devoid of ornamentation and affectation that the form itself has a lot of work to do to generate emotional appeal, and this isn't quite doing it for me at the moment.

The Murray signature dorsal intake means no side intakes are needed but this renders the flanks a little featureless. The central upsweep of the sill, which I think may be part of some clever aero, gives a slimming "waisted" effect but is not as successful as the Emira's sill treatment for me.

The Targa-style hoop works best from front and rear 3/4 - not so good in profile. During one of the interviews Gordon mentioned he had seen some great colour combos on their configurator and I'd be interested to see versions where the hoop and the body colour are different. A black hoop would give an incredible fighter jet canopy look.

Dont' get me wrong - the T.33 is a good-looking car which will look even better in the flesh but the T.50 feels better resolved to me (apart from the slightly thicker waist and slabby flanks, tough to avoid when accommodating 3 people) and has more visual drama and appeal.

When the new Emira configurator was launched I so nearly switched from Dark Verdant to Silver (okay "Nimbus Grey"...) , it looked so damn good and I'd argue the Emira is a better looking car than either the T.50 or T.33, although I may eat my words if I ever saw them side-by-side in the flesh. (Would I ever be that blessed?!)

But if you are measuring visual bangs for your buck, at £76k (or even £60k!) versus £1.38m or £2.37m it's no contest. And I'm sure the same goes for dynamics.




Thanks for prompting that discussion!

eclat2emira said:

Thanks, it was fun to put together.

I'm with you on the Alfa Romeo 33:
View attachment 3051
Always been a favourite, trumped only by the Ferrari 330 P4 - best wheel-arches ever and must have inspired so many that came after, including the Elise. Truly voluptuous!!! (Sophia Loren on 4 wheels? Best hips in the business!)

View attachment 3050

So we have:

- 33
- 330
- T.33

Definitely a pattern there!

To the T.33 - if I am being brutally honest I was slightly underwhelmed on first viewing, although it is a "grower". I think this was partly down to the lighting in the basement in the first Harry's Garage and Carfection videos, which really flattened the shape - it actually looks much better in the shots below:

View attachment 3046

Gordon Murray's designs, and styling, are so devoid of ornamentation and affectation that the form itself has a lot of work to do to generate emotional appeal, and this isn't quite doing it for me at the moment.

The Murray signature dorsal intake means no side intakes are needed but this renders the flanks a little featureless. The central upsweep of the sill, which I think may be part of some clever aero, gives a slimming "waisted" effect but is not as successful as the Emira's sill treatment for me.

The Targa-style hoop works best from front and rear 3/4 - not so good in profile. During one of the interviews Gordon mentioned he had seen some great colour combos on their configurator and I'd be interested to see versions where the hoop and the body colour are different. A black hoop would give an incredible fighter jet canopy look.

Dont' get me wrong - the T.33 is a good-looking car which will look even better in the flesh but the T.50 feels better resolved to me (apart from the slightly thicker waist and slabby flanks, tough to avoid when accommodating 3 people) and has more visual drama and appeal.

When the new Emira configurator was launched I so nearly switched from Dark Verdant to Silver (okay "Nimbus Grey"...) , it looked so damn good and I'd argue the Emira is a better looking car than either the T.50 or T.33, although I may eat my words if I ever saw them side-by-side in the flesh. (Would I ever be that blessed?!)

But if you are measuring visual bangs for your buck, at £76k (or even £60k!) versus £1.38m or £2.37m it's no contest. And I'm sure the same goes for dynamics.

View attachment 3047
View attachment 3049

Thanks for prompting that discussion!

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Fantastic! You raise some interesting points there, and the association to the digit/number 3 is uncanny, so here is another one; Alfa Romeo SZ (ES-30), which is another one that appeals to me, and one that o actually owned for a few years. Alfa's first CAD engineered car (CAD wasn't as advanced 1989 as it is today),, which is probably why the SZ polarises the views of everyone who sees one - it certainly extracts a 'love it' or 'hate it' response every single time. No wonder it was tagged as 'Il Mostro' (The Monster). I quite like quirky cars that ooze character, so was in the 'love it' camp. The Clio V6 255 is another one...

Indeed, the Ferrari 330 P4 is a classic, and agree that its wheel arches are perfect, and I like the 330 P4's front view better, but it is the rear view of the Tipo 33 Stradale that appeals to me more. Owning either one would be a dream come true.

On to the T.33 and T.50, not that I will ever aspire to own either. Both have grown on me, but the T.33 more so than the T.50.

First the T.33, I see your point and agree that it is not a flowing design like that of the Emira, but, to be frank, I quite like the dorsal air intake, which is is one of the reasons I prefer the Exige S2's styling over that of the S3 - the RGB (and later 260hp S2's) have the motorsport air intake installed, which stretches all the way to the edge of the roof where it meets the windscreen - the photograph below shows the two variants. I guess if the T.33 had a supercharger then side intakes may have been on the cards, as it does on the Exige S2, but the use of forced induction is too radical a departure for the purist that Gordon Murray is.


One of the more interesting features of the T.33 is what appears to be a 'roof scoop' is physically attached to the engine, so it is part of the engine as opposed to being attached to the roof. In fact, there is sufficient space in the opening to accommodate any movement caused when the engine itself moves on its mounts (e.g. when accelerating hard, or any vibrations when idling).

Have to agree with you on the Targa-style hoop. Never been a fan of 911 Targas, so the same applies here, but, as you say, if the hoop had been painted black it may blend in better. Though the T.50's side profile is much better I prefer the T.33's front and rear aspects.

Another thing that caught my attention was the T.33 adopts the same principles of making use of ground effect aerodynamics to enhance downforce. but without the use of a fan like the T.50 and F1 did (albeit not visible in the F1), which certainly makes the rear look less fussy than that of the T.50.

The design cues and lines of the Emira are a masterpiece. Wonder whether Emira (and Evija), will win any awards, such as the Car Design Award. Are there any others of note?

To me, the Emira hearkens back to the gorgeous cars of yesteryear. I'm right there with you on the Tipo and 330P4. The italians of that day were masters of creating voluptuous shapes. The front of the Ferrari 250, with its beautifully sculpted intakes.



There were also other beautiful Italian cars. I always admired the gorgeous Maserati Bora, another of Giugiaro's masterpieces (he also designed the Lotus Esprit).




The Emira fits right in with that hallowed group of iconic shapes.

Eagle7 said:

To me, the Emira hearkens back to the gorgeous cars of yesteryear. I'm right there with you on the Tipo and 330P4. The italians of that day were masters of creating voluptuous shapes. The front of the Ferrari 250, with its beautifully sculpted intakes.

View attachment 3062

There were also other beautiful Italian cars. I always admired the gorgeous Maserati Bora, another of Giugiaro's masterpieces (he also designed the Lotus Esprit).
View attachment 3063
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The Emira fits right in with that hallowed group of iconic shapes.

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De Tomaso Pantera could fit in there. Love these.

TXEMIRA said:

De Tomaso Pantera could fit in there. Love these.

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Spot on!

TXEMIRA said:

De Tomaso Pantera could fit in there. Love these.

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Yes, love the Pantera GTS, especially it's rather aggressive styling.

Lankan said:

Yes, love the Pantera GTS, especially in the it's rather aggressive styling.

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Another fan of the Pantera GTS. Awesome looking car and would probably still look modern today.

Your Exige is incredible Lankan. Very nice looking car.

Pegasi said:

My take on the style is this. When you look at the car your eyes aren't drawn to any one thing. You just keep flowing over the car. When a car has a "strong feature" your eyes tend to rest on that. Like the back of a C8.

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Love this description it’s so true. Or the way I’ve been thinking of it is every part of the design is so strong, so purposeful, so subtle & so beautifully balanced that nothing stands out as too much or not enough. For me it’s up there right next to the F355 as one of the best (modern era) sports car designs of all time. I’ll be spending a lot of time just looking at it in the garage no doubt.

daveparky84 said:

Love this description it’s so true. Or the way I’ve been thinking of it is every part of the design is so strong, so purposeful, so subtle & so beautifully balanced that nothing stands out as too much or not enough. For me it’s up there right next to the F355 as one of the best (modern era) sports car designs of all time. I’ll be spending a lot of time just looking at it in the garage no doubt.

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355 - Well mentioned! In fact I can't believe it's not been mentioned already.

That's another lightning in a bottle design - everything is right - proportions, stance, form, details.

She's a honey.

eclat2emira said:

355 - Well mentioned! In fact I can't believe it's not been mentioned already.

That's another lightning in a bottle design - everything is right - proportions, stance, form, details.

She's a honey.

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F355 was my favourite car for a long time but its such a risky purchase I’d basically given up on the idea of ever owning one and in recent years completely lost interest due to the risings costs (both initial purchase and ongoing service costs which are now becoming harder to actually find dealers who will do it) - Emira really is scratching the 355 itch for me personally. The sound of the 355 is the only impossible thing to beat

daveparky84 said:

F355 was my favourite car for a long time but its such a risky purchase I’d basically given up on the idea of ever owning one and in recent years completely lost interest due to the risings costs (both initial purchase and ongoing service costs which are now becoming harder to actually find dealers who will do it) - Emira really is scratching the 355 itch for me personally. The sound of the 355 is the only impossible thing to beat

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It's nice you get to fulfill a dream, even if it's in a slightly different but still exciting way.

We are all just those little boys (and girls of course) who are getting to live part of our dream, whether that is through good fortune, sheer hard graft or making sacrifices.

I think your Emira will make you very happy indeed, I know mine will.

As beautiful as the F355 is, to me the Emira has a more muscular stance, it looks more sculpted. The F355 (and almost everything else) looks like a car, while the Emira looks like a sculpture. The Emira looks like that one-off concept car you see at car shows where you go "Yeah that looks great, but something like that would never make it to a production car, and if it did, it would never look like this". Sometimes dreams can come true lol.

I really liked the F355 - to my eyes a much nicer shape than the rather bulbous 360 that followed. The 355 really illustrates how far performance expectations have moved on in the last 20 yeas. It weighed around 1490kg with only 375hp yet was considered a proper supercar back in the day. The Emira should be quicker although I doubt if it will quite match the aural delights of that Ferrari V8.

Depends on who's making the exhaust system. If Akrapovic or Tubistyle decide to make one, it could sound quite nice. They're not cheap, but they make really good stuff.

Eagle7 said:

As beautiful as the F355 is, to me the Emira has a more muscular stance, it looks more sculpted. The F355 (and almost everything else) looks like a car, while the Emira looks like a sculpture. The Emira looks like that one-off concept car you see at car shows where you go "Yeah that looks great, but something like that would never make it to a production car, and if it did, it would never look like this". Sometimes dreams can come true lol.

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Yeh agreed when I first saw the Emira online I just assumed it was going to be another unobtainable supercar. It really does have the concept car quality for sure. Also never thought I would order a car without seeing it in the flesh but here we are. The design drew me in. Love at first sight. Very excited to see it.