911T vs Emira

[JonFuller]

Apologies if this has already been posted.

Lotus Emira V6 vs. Porsche 911 Carrera T

Manual, rear-drive sports cars are brilliant - and very rare now. Which of the best is better?

www.pistonheads.com

 

[daSchtick]

The 911T is really interesting, however at 50% more cost than an Emira, it loses appeal for me. On a related note, although my local dealer is friendly enough, it is of no help if you cannot get an allocation for anything interesting (911T, Cayman GTS4.0, etc). Sure, I can buy a used one, but why should I have to? I like that any normie (like me) with enough money can walk in off of the street to purchase as Emira.

 

[sonor8s]

The 911T is really interesting, however at 50% more cost than an Emira, it loses appeal for me. On a related note, although my local dealer is friendly enough, it is of no help if you cannot get an allocation for anything interesting (911T, Cayman GTS4.0, etc). Sure, I can buy a used one, but why should I have to? I like that any normie (like me) with enough money can walk in off of the street to purchase as Emira.

This is the same reason I bought an Emira over a GTS 4.0. No ADM and I got to spec it.

 

[ShootingSight]

I bought a 2019 911T last May, and a 2025 Emira last week. I got the 911 used with 30k miles, and paid about the same as I did for the Emira.

Dunno about outright acceleration, as I am still breaking it in, so cannot go above 4k RPM, but the driving is better in the Emira. Suspension has a little less sway, steering feels lighter, cornering is flatter. I like!

911 is a little bigger inside, so more comfortable with a minimal back seat. This was important for me, as I always travel with my two dogs. I pulled the passenger seat, and put in a dog bed. I pulled the rear seats and put in a second dog bed, so the size is perfect, and the car is low enough my 16 year old does not need to jump up to get in. Door is longer, so ingress/egress is easier for me. Emira has a little shelf in the back, OK for a couple of bags of groceries, but no way to fit a dog. Dogs do not get to go in the Emira anyway - I bought them a 911, they should be content with that.

911 is more common, Emira is more exotic, and looks better than just about any other car out there.

Infotainment on the Emira seems a lot more complex, though 6 years of evolution between the two might be to blame. The 911 still has 5/6 analog gauges, versus the all digital trend almost all new cars have.

I like the manual Emira 6-speed better than the Porsche 7-speed. The 7-speed uses springs and double springs to manage shift gates, and if you are not careful, you can do a 7-4 shift, or 6-3, instead of a 7-6. Flip side is that I have gotten really used to the Porsche 'auto-blip' rev matching that you get in Sport mode, so when you go into a corner, you can focus 100% on brake pressure without having to toe-heel. The Emira also has pedal placement close enough and pedal travel matched so toe-heel is quite easy, just no auto blip.

 

[OppositeLock]

I drove a friend's 911T (since dealers don't allow test driving these around here) and also Cayman GT4 when I was cross shopping cars last summer, and I preferred the Emira for two major reasons. The front end feels much more "alive" than in the Porsches and it takes a squat in a turn similar to my Elise, with good feedback. The second reason is that the interior of the Emira is a much more pleasant place to be, it's more open and airy, and I really liked that.

Without a doubt, the Porsches are better built, and the GT4 has a nicer transmission feel, while the 911T is just a much higher quality feel overall, but somehow, the Emira just felt comfier. (I also decided against a Mac 600LT because I felt claustrophobic inside).

 

[ShootingSight]

Edited my above to add a few more thoughts.

 

[billjax]

My thoughts after 1370 miles of ownership a 24 Emira I4 (US version) and previous ownership of an 18 911T, 18 GT3, 20 911S
Subjective thoughts.
1. the Emira looks better (I like to go in the Garage just to look at it, it is artwork!)
2. the Emira is more fun to drive.
Factual info.
3. The Emira (I4) is faster than a 911 Carrera
4. The Emira is lighter than a 911 Carrera
5. The Emira has more HP than a 911 Carrera
6. The Emira cost less than any 911
I don't miss my 911s, I was on the allocation list for a 2025 911T at msrp, but have passed on it because I don't want to get rid of the Emira.

 

[RobR]

I've never driven a Porsche that did anything for me. They do everything except that one thing a sports car needs to do, which is excite you and make you want to take it on a winding road somewhere.

And did I mention that the 911 is a thousand year old design with a engine waaaay the f over the rear axle that makes it inherently unstable on the edge?

And not for nothing but have you ever met a Porsche guy who actually knows how to drive? Sorry to say but most of them seem to be guys who made some $ at age 50 and think "Now its time to buy myself a sports car" so you see them on the highway going 65 in a 65 listening to the Alan Parsons Project.

 

[Beachbum]

Unfortunately, I have met numerous Porsche owners that know how to drive and better than me(I'm no driving god). What I dislike about Porsche is (1) There are so many of them, that they just dont seem/feel special (2) The general public have low opinion of them(I get let out of junctions, Porsche rarely do) (3) The design is old and bland. It takes spoilers and loud exhausts, just to make them stand out in some way.

For the money, there are a number of other brands I would choose over Porsche, Lotus being at the top of the list for me.

 

[Orchardbike]

Unfortunately, I have met numerous Porsche owners that know how to drive and better than me(I'm no driving god). What I dislike about Porsche is (1) There are so many of them, that they just dont seem/feel special (2) The general public have low opinion of them(I get let out of junctions, Porsche rarely do) (3) The design is old and bland. It takes spoilers and loud exhausts, just to make them stand out in some way.

For the money, there are a number of other brands I would choose over Porsche, Lotus being at the top of the list for me.

Can’t disagree with any of those points (although I can’t comment on your driving ability, obviously!)

 

[MickOpalak]

I've never driven a Porsche that did anything for me. They do everything except that one thing a sports car needs to do, which is excite you and make you want to take it on a winding road somewhere.

And did I mention that the 911 is a thousand year old design with a engine waaaay the f over the rear axle that makes it inherently unstable on the edge?

And not for nothing but have you ever met a Porsche guy who actually knows how to drive? Sorry to say but most of them seem to be guys who made some $ at age 50 and think "Now its time to buy myself a sports car" so you see them on the highway going 65 in a 65 listening to the Alan Parsons Project.

What's wrong with the Alan Parsons Project ?!?!?

 

[MiamiBlue]

And did I mention that the 911 is a thousand year old design with a engine waaaay the f over the rear axle that makes it inherently unstable on the edge?

Fun fact. The 911 and Emira have the same weight distribution (approx 60% rear, 40% front).
If you want something close to 50:50 the Cayman is near perfect.

 

[chirowolf]

What's wrong with the Alan Parsons Project ?!?!?

I prefer the "I Robot" album 1977, specifically "I wouldn't want to be like you" much mor than the later music. 1982 "eye in the sky" is pretty good album too

 

[MickOpalak]

Fun fact. The 911 and Emira have the same weight distribution (approx 60% rear, 40% front).
If you want something close to 50:50 the Cayman is near perfect.

I believe he's referring to the weight being behind the rear axle, not in front of it. Make a big difference for the polar moment of inertia.

 

[F1 SML8R]

No, he's referring to absolute weight using 4 corner balancing scales. So the car from dead center is split 60/40 similar to ours. However, you can't just look at absolute weight distribution, you have to look at where it's at. The Emira has a much lower center of gravity and even 60% which is half of the car is distributed closer to the center.

The Carrera T is a true "rear engine car", but they did their best to lose and redistribute weight (battery in the front, CF buckets, etc. This was my previous car and it's still in the extended family (God son's dad took it off my hands...).

replaced by this...

Both incredible cars.

 

[MickOpalak]

Fun Fact: on early 911s they would weld lead weights to the inside of the front bumper at the factory to try to counteract the snap oversteer.

 

[F1 SML8R]

Fun Fact: on early 911s they would weld lead weights to the inside of the front bumper at the factory to try to counteract the snap oversteer.

This. Porsche has known for decades that the mid-engine design is the superior layout (you can't cheat physics).

Here's another fun fact, as of, or about 2018, all of the 911 RSR race cars are in fact technically rear mid-engine cars. They redesigned/repositioned the axle lay-out (not cheap!) to put more than half of the engine weight forward of the rear axle center.

 

[F1 SML8R]

Another fun fact, if you zoom in on the driver side rear quarter window of my old Carrera T above, you'll see a round LCOSC (Lotus Club of So. Cal.) sticker. I've never left the managing board despite being in and out and back in a Lotus again. For anyone in So Cal, you should check-out one of our track days. We have "the Circuit" @ Buttonwillow coming up in May. It's their brand new track!

 

[Ohio Enthusiast]

The Emira has a much lower center of gravity.

Where did you get these figures? For a 911 I can't find solid numbers, and what I find ranges from 15" (supposedly for a 997 GT3) to 20" (regular unspecified 911). The Elise is claimed at 18.5". Can't find numbers for the Evora or Emira.
With the Emira having a fairly tall V6/I4 vs. the 911's flat-6, I'm not sure that the CG height would be that different (or even would be in favor of the 911).