997 into Emira….?

[TheLiquidator]

Hi All, new to this Forum.

Currently have a 997.2 coupe manual & prior cars were F-type V6 340hp auto and before that a 997.1 S (manual).

Love the feel / performance of the 997.2 but of late being left lacking in thrill department. It’s a black on black and unfortunately my last 2 cars were BonB also - feeling time for a change & maybe bring up to date.

Missed the 997 when switched to F-Type auto hence back into fully-loaded 997, which had 5 years now.
I think F-type the auto & size of car didn’t do it for me (although amazing sounds!) - given emira supercharged & v6 also should be good!

Had been looking at 991.2’s but big price for still 6-7 year old cars.
Also looking at 718 cayman 4.0 GTS etc which leads to Emira as natural competitor.

Love the emira looks plus think the Lotus community maybe bit more fun in specs - I struggle to find a black leather interior on an Emira - Good!

Anybody else made the jump from 997 & any thoughts or suggestions? I would be looking at 3.5 manual version.

Thanks in advance & great to see the passion in the community from this website!

 

[mamomafia]

I'm in a very similar boat. I own a 997.1 C2S manual that I LOVE, but I am curious about the Emira. I'm going to rent one on Turo in the next couple of weeks. Will report back about the experience.

 

[Blackthought_]

Hi All, new to this Forum.

Currently have a 997.2 coupe manual & prior cars were F-type V6 340hp auto and before that a 997.1 S (manual).

Love the feel / performance of the 997.2 but of late being left lacking in thrill department. It’s a black on black and unfortunately my last 2 cars were BonB also - feeling time for a change & maybe bring up to date.

Missed the 997 when switched to F-Type auto hence back into fully-loaded 997, which had 5 years now.
I think F-type the auto & size of car didn’t do it for me (although amazing sounds!) - given emira supercharged & v6 also should be good!

Had been looking at 991.2’s but big price for still 6-7 year old cars.
Also looking at 718 cayman 4.0 GTS etc which leads to Emira as natural competitor.

Love the emira looks plus think the Lotus community maybe bit more fun in specs - I struggle to find a black leather interior on an Emira - Good!

Anybody else made the jump from 997 & any thoughts or suggestions? I would be looking at 3.5 manual version.

Thanks in advance & great to see the passion in the community from this website!

I used to have a 996 which is not as good as the 997 but gives you 90% of the experience of a 997 and can absolutely say the Porsche is MUCH more muted than the Emira (especially with the 3rd cat delete).

The Porsche was refined. From the speed, to the shifter, the exhaust, it did those things just fine it just lacked in the thrills department, it was just blah. The Emira on the other hand is loud, the steering is the best in its class, every time you drive it is an experience. Reliability is where Porsche is much better than lotus, but I can see why folks make the switch to lotus.

 

[TheLiquidator]

I'm in a very similar boat. I own a 997.1 C2S manual that I LOVE, but I am curious about the Emira. I'm going to rent one on Turo in the next couple of weeks. Will report back about the experience.

Be interested to hear your thoughts - enjoy!

 

[Timepoor]

If you have a 997.2 Manual I wouldn't get rid of it. I love my .2 C2S. Have owned S1 Evora S (pretty modified), driven GT's, and have a deposit and have driven the Emira. I still would not get rid of my 997.2 for any of those cars but am happy to add it as a stable mate. The problem is they overlap a lot, and the Porsche is just a nicer place to be for me. (I do wish I had a better color as most of that generation are Black or Silver with a few white/blue/green mixed in)

The Emira does look better in the flesh, but you don't drive looks. The suspension in the Evora/Emira is really the biggest Pro over any 911 to me especially on poor roads it is just better. However everything else the Porsche just does better or the same. (I am big on ergonomics, sitting in the car etc and Porsche is just better).

If you are just looking for a change though and not that attached to the 997 gen Porsche I think you will be happy and not disappointed. My wife and I have always agreed if we had not had the Porsche we probably wouldn't have gotten rid of the Evora except for another Evora/Emira. The Emira is much more of that dual personality car though like the 911 can be than the Evora ever was (Evora always edged on the side of raw, where the Emira does have a level of refinement above that to me).

 

[crestima]

Hi All, new to this Forum.

Currently have a 997.2 coupe manual & prior cars were F-type V6 340hp auto and before that a 997.1 S (manual).

Love the feel / performance of the 997.2 but of late being left lacking in thrill department. It’s a black on black and unfortunately my last 2 cars were BonB also - feeling time for a change & maybe bring up to date.

Missed the 997 when switched to F-Type auto hence back into fully-loaded 997, which had 5 years now.
I think F-type the auto & size of car didn’t do it for me (although amazing sounds!) - given emira supercharged & v6 also should be good!

Had been looking at 991.2’s but big price for still 6-7 year old cars.
Also looking at 718 cayman 4.0 GTS etc which leads to Emira as natural competitor.

Love the emira looks plus think the Lotus community maybe bit more fun in specs - I struggle to find a black leather interior on an Emira - Good!

Anybody else made the jump from 997 & any thoughts or suggestions? I would be looking at 3.5 manual version.

Thanks in advance & great to see the passion in the community from this website!

Mine is a 2017 991.2 Carrera S with PDK which I bought new and there's simply nothing to complain about it except the fact that I was missing the thrill of a manual which the Emira and, very few cars out there offer these days. The two cars drive very differently, but, so far, I'm getting a kick out of the Emira.. Never cared much for the looks of the Cayman and the newer 992 has become too big and feels increasingly more like a GT than Sports Car. The Emira is smaller, agile and toss-able which and will make to feel exceptional driving it.. This is an experience I associate more with my Miata than the Porsche. Look-wise, the Emira is just a home run. I get looks and positive comments from just about everyone who passes by.

 

[MIGZ]

Anyone wanting to sell a manual 997.2 S please let me know.

 

[Emiro]

I have both a 997.2 S PDK and an Emira V6 MT. Both are stock. Not surprisingly, their acceleration is relatively similar. Both cars weigh essentially the same and have similar horsepower and torque, with the 997 S being slightly down at 385 hp versus 400 hp. Subjectively, to me, the Porsche feels a bit faster off the line, which might be due to the PDK transmission and possibly a bit more rear weight bias, although my impression is that their weight distributions are relatively similar. The PDK shifts on the 997.2 S in Sport Plus mode are quite fast and harsh (which I like for spirited drives). However, objectively the Emira may be slightly faster and I may be just distracted by the perceived harshness of the 911.

Both steering systems are enjoyable, but the 997 feels lighter at speed, which I have never particularly liked (I’m used to tracking an E92 M3 with a lot more weight in the front). Both cars have stock suspensions, but the 997’s is significantly stiffer. Going over city train tracks or near imperceptible irregularities feels quite harsh—kind of painful, to be honest. In contrast, the Lotus has a noticeably softer, more comfortable suspension without feeling wobbly—thanks to Lotus’s magic, I suppose.

I haven’t tracked the Lotus yet, but driving it hard in the city seems to give me more confidence in corners when pushing it. While the power advantage of the Emira might not be very significant, the Lotus’s suspension (with its double wishbone setup) is what perhaps makes the difference. Based on car reviews, such as the Throttle House lap times, I’d expect the Emira to be faster on the track than the 997.2 S. I hope to track both cars and find out. I’ll probably make a video. Of note, I have not driven a 997 manual, but the gearbox may be nicer than the one in the Emira.

In my opinion, with the V6 Emira, you get a car with relatively similar performance, especially in a straight line, but it’s slightly to moderately faster on the track. For practical purposes, for the average Joe, I dare to say that both are pretty much equally fast and fast enough for city driving. The Emira has more exotic looks and attracts a lot more attention with people turning heads (even in Miami) and asking questions, all while offering a noticeably softer ride (even in a car with a Sport suspension, which my car has). Yes, my Emira with a Sport suspension is softer than the softest suspension setting on the 997, and is quite noticeable. Realistically, considering the horsepower, torque, and weight, you can’t expect a dramatic difference in performance between the two cars, but the difference lies more in other characteristics such how they drive and look. Overall, the 997.2 S feels more raw (due to the firmer suspension and Harsh PDK shift changes on full throttle). At the end of the day, it’s not like moving from a 380 hp 997 Carrera S to a 600 hp Ferrari or similar high powered car. If you are expecting moving into a rocket ship coming from the 997S don't buy the Emira.

 

[R1272]

Don't sell your 997. Build your collection around it.

Any chance you can keep the 997 AND get the Emira?

They look so good together in 'Emiro's" photo above.

 

[Nba19002]

While I've never owned a 997.2 911, I do lust after them and would love to own a manual version someday..I've been looking but the prices are a bit high...too close to a 991.2 manual in my opinion.

I owned a 991.2 GTS with PDK, which was a lovely car, and certainly rapid, especially with an ECU tune, but unless I was driving it aggressively, it was a bit of a boring place to be...a very nice place, but a bit boring. Sometimes I think it would've been more fun to have a manual version, but I think it would still have felt a bit boring at lower speeds/driving less aggressive. I do not feel that way in my Emira..it feels a bit more exciting and fun when not driving all out, while still remaining fun when driving hard. I've had a handful of Porsches over the past few years and sold my last one a couple of months ago..I currently have an Emira and a fully built-out and restored Elise.

I miss some things about Porsche cars, but the tradeoff has been worth it so far. I do not know what the future holds, but I'd love to add a Porsche back into the mix...and keep my Lotus cars.

 

[TheLiquidator]

Thanks all for responses, views valued & much appreciated.

@Emiro - really surprised to hear you feel 997 stiffer than Emira, I find standard suspension fine but PASM gets a bit jarring. I’d likely go with Touring suspension, but looking forward to compare.

@R1272, ha! I’d love to build a collection but not really enough space or time for a fleet! Am hoping the Emira will tick most of the 997 boxes, plus be more modern & prettier, so hopefully wouldn’t want both!

Clearly need to get a test drive in an emira which I’ll do when on vacation soon, and hopefully be able to legitimately join the Emira community then!

 

[NorCalEmira]

A test drive is worth a thousand words but odds are that you'll love the Emira. I recently purchased a V6 MT First Edition and couldn't be more pleased. I've had a 997.1 Carrera with a manual and a 991.1 GT3 with PDK. I love 911's and will likely own another but when I looked at the cost of replacing my GT3 with a later model (ideally a manual), the price - value equation seemed radically out of balance. All three cars were excellent and the GT3 was certainly faster but the Emira never disappoints.

The Emira chassis is amazing with razor sharp handling and telepathic turn in. There's something very special about the car and I think it's a combination of the styling, interior, bonded aluminum construction, 4 wheel double A arm suspension and manual transmission. You won't see yourself coming and going and as impressive as the GT3 was, it simply wasn't as nimble.

The supercharged V6 has a pleasing soundtrack and that only improves with the various exhaust options that are out there. The starting point is a reliable all-aluminum Toyota sourced power plant as we know. I don't see enough people talking about the fact that it's built upon a strong foundation of a forged steel crank and rods, 6 bolt mains, 4 cams and 4 values per cylinder and variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust. If you want more power, it's easily accessible with a tune. On the other hand, a few simple bolt on's like exhaust and intake are all most will ever want.

 

[scc.131.fe]

A test drive is worth a thousand words but odds are that you'll love the Emira. I recently purchased a V6 MT First Edition and couldn't be more pleased. I've had a 997.1 Carrera with a manual and a 991.1 GT3 with PDK. I love 911's and will likely own another but when I looked at the cost of replacing my GT3 with a later model (ideally a manual), the price - value equation seemed radically out of balance. All three cars were excellent and the GT3 was certainly faster but the Emira never disappoints.

The Emira chassis is amazing with razor sharp handling and telepathic turn in. There's something very special about the car and I think it's a combination of the styling, interior, bonded aluminum construction, 4 wheel double A arm suspension and manual transmission. You won't see yourself coming and going and as impressive as the GT3 was, it simply wasn't as nimble.

The supercharged V6 has a pleasing soundtrack and that only improves with the various exhaust options that are out there. The starting point is a reliable all-aluminum Toyota sourced power plant as we know. I don't see enough people talking about the fact that it's built upon a strong foundation of a forged steel crank and rods, 6 bolt mains, 4 cams and 4 values per cylinder and variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust. If you want more power, it's easily accessible with a tune. On the other hand, a few simple bolt on's like exhaust and intake are all most will ever want.

and none of that loud ticking like you get from direct-injection!

just the ticking from the crossgate cable...

 

[Jack Stone]

 

[Racer X]

Looks just like my old 997! Arctic silver with lobster claw wheels . Surprised at how similarly sized they are, they even weigh just about the same.