Fault or Feature?

[GeoffS57]

Does anyone else have this problem with their Emira I4? If I leave it parked in the rain, some water pools in the area just behind the rear screen. If I then open the boot/trunk before setting off, as the rear door raises up it dumps the collected water (normally about half a cupful) all over the bottom end of the engine cover.

I’m not sure whether there is supposed to be a seal somewhere to prevent this or not, but mine just has an open slot that runs under the bottom edge of the rear screen glass through to above the engine cover. Good for ventilation I suppose, but not so good at preventing water ingress. Also means you need to take care when washing with a hose/pressure washer to avoid sending a jet of water up into the interior. I’ve attached a couple of close-up photos to show what I mean. One from outside of the car with the boot closed, and one from inside the car with the boot open looking back through the gap/vent?

 

[kitkat]

This is the design of the Emira. It’s been mentioned extensively in review videos and forum posts.

 

[Beachbum]

Its also damn annoying when trying to clean the car too

 

[Adam Brouillard]

Just search "(Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mclaren) water gets into engine when washing/in rain" and you'll see it's a pretty universal thing for mid engine cars

I was curious to finally get to see the Lotus design in person and it's fairly elegant compared to most mid engine compartment venting setups I've seen. The water drains off the engine cover and into the little drain holes around the trunk pretty well. Unlikely to get into the engine unless you shoot water straight up the vent and even then it probably won't hurt anything. The engine compartment is sealed off from the cabin so you aren't getting water in there.