is Emira a SuperCar?

[wallstbear]

I think $100k used to be a price level associated with super car, but it's just not anymore. Not that it matters that anyone is right... but the price of trucks and sedans and even sporty cars are out of control. Porsche's start in the $100k range, so price inflation has kind of reset what we think of as a reasonable car vs. an extravagant car. Top line BMW, Mercedes and Audis are in the $100k range. So that doesn't feel like super car territory. I'm not suggesting that $100k is at all affordable, but that's the new norm for top of the line regular car.

Incidentally the median home price in Orange Country CA is 1.3m while one in Virginia is 380K. Maybe it's got to do with the wealth level in ones neighborhood.

 

[seriously]

Incidentally the median home price in Orange Country CA is 1.3m while one in Virginia is 380K. Maybe it's got to do with the wealth level in ones neighborhood.

Yes- I need to buy a house in Virginia... Pretty interesting that real estate pricing is so varied, where certain durable goods (cars) are pretty much priced the same across the country.

 

[Blackthought_]

Really interesting comments on this topic. I enjoyed the perspective of non-car people thinking this is a super car just by virtue of its looks and price, since 100k is not attainable for many people. They would look at the Emira the same was a Lambo, stupid expensive for a car.

Car guys on the other hand would say it’s not a super car. I’m inclined to agree. I would say it’s an exotic sports car (meaning you don’t see too many out there) but not a super car.

 

[Porter]

Incidentally the median home price in Orange Country CA is 1.3m while one in Virginia is 380K. Maybe it's got to do with the wealth level in ones neighborhood.

Yes- I need to buy a house in Virginia... Pretty interesting that real estate pricing is so varied, where certain durable goods (cars) are pretty much priced the same across the country.

FYI the "Virginia" figure is only true if you combine the home prices between the huge sections of extremely rural area in Virginia with the extremely affluent areas in Northern VA. The median home price in Fairfax County, VA (more comparable to Orange County CA) is about $700k.

 

[Nova]

Yes- I need to buy a house in Virginia... Pretty interesting that real estate pricing is so varied, where certain durable goods (cars) are pretty much priced the same across the country.

Well it depends... Virginia is a diverse state just like California. The median home price for Fairfax County here in Northern Virginia is about $700k. $700K gets you a smaller/older 60-80s's era single family or a newer townhome in an average neighborhood. Not quite at Orange County levels, but still a stretch for median household income of about $150k. The home prices here are largely determined by school quality.

 

[Nova]

FYI the "Virginia" figure is only true if you combine the home prices between the huge sections of extremely rural area in Virginia with the extremely affluent areas in Northern VA. The median home price in Fairfax County, VA (more comparable to Orange County CA) is about $700k.

My dream is to own one of the old stone houses out west built in the 1700s, with deed records tracing back the original land grant to Lord of Fairfax by King Charles II.

 

[Porter]

My dream is to own one of the old stone houses out west built in the 1700s, with deed records tracing back the original land grant to Lord of Fairfax by King Charles II.

Have you been to the little town of Waterford, just north of Leesburg? Almost every house in the town is like that. It's an incredible place, almost completely preserved.

 

[Nova]

Have you been to the little town of Waterford, just north of Leesburg? Almost every house in the town is like that. It's an incredible place, almost completely preserved.

Yep, there are tons of little towns like that in the Appalachia. And the roads that connect them can be a lot of fun to drive on!

Edit: I want my stone house to have some acreage attached to it, though. Preferably 30+, with a big red barn. And a pond or small lake. Spring fed.

Edit, edit: I want the land to be mostly cleared so I can lease it out for farming, growing cattle, or just growing hay. I want to fashion the barn into a garage for working on my hobbies.

I have given this some thought.

 

[seriously]

Yep, there are tons of little towns like that in the Appalachia. And the roads that connect them can be a lot of fun to drive on!

Edit: I want my stone house to have some acreage attached to it, though. Preferably 30+, with a big red barn. And a pond or small lake. Spring fed.

Edit, edit: I want the land to be mostly cleared so I can lease it out for farming, growing cattle, or just growing hay. I want to fashion the barn into a garage for working on my hobbies.

I have given this some thought.

This is only something CA can dream about.

 

[Jack Stone]

There's an interesting visual juxtaposition at the moment if you walk down to Lotus Piccadilly from HR Owen in Berkeley Square. Emira may not have supercar performance but Russell Carr's superb styling certainly allows it to stack up well as shop-window dressing against significantly more upmarket machinery...

 

[John777]

Come on man. By that standard, the average 50-millionaire isn't Rich, because billionaires exist. What is relatively or comparatively affordable for people who are already in a pretty rarefied wealth class isn't really relevant to the topic.

What is relevant is how normal people in the general public perceive this stuff. And by that standard, something like an Emira is absolutely an exceptional and unusual performance vehicle that would easily go on a poster on a kid's wall. That, for me, is the difference between a regular car and a supercar.

"Sports car" vs "supercar" vs "hypercar" is all pretty irrelevant. Those are all terms that were made up in the last 10 years or 15 years or so to justify stratification among products in an ultra elite class of ultra expensive, insanely engineered luxury products.

To the average person, there's simply no meaningful difference between a Lamborghini and a Koenigsegg. They are both absurd, extravagant, desirable, and financially unattainable.

The Emira is far less expensive than either of those, but $100K is still an absolutely incredible amount of money for the average person in the United States. Definitely not within the realm of reasonable or rational cost when you're talking about something that only has utility as transportation for two adults.

So is it a supercar? It's in the eye of the beholder. But I think to the average person, it qualifies.

I agree with your thoughts on this subject.

My thoughts are..
400HP -- 10 years ago was considered supercar territory. How many ferraris and other exotics had only around 400HP? Quite a few!
When I was a teenager and in my early 20's a sports car was considered to be 200HP to 300HP There wasn't much out there over 300HP.
1995 Dodge Stealth 320HP or MItsubishi Twin Turbo V6 same car
Early Dodge vipers and corvettes around 300HP
Around 2008 when they started cranking out the new Dodge Challenger and other SRT Hemis that's when automakers started producing more high HP sports cars to compete with each other.
These muscle cars were shaming some EuroExotics in performance 0 to 60.. I'm gonna guess that's why Lamborghinis and Ferraris have consistently upped their HP outputs year after year and now we have Hypercars with 1000HP. When does a supercar become a Hypercar? Price? Exclusivity? Performance?
I believe its all relative.
I can see both sides for the Emira... Sports car or Supercar
I will say Supercar by slight margin because of :
Price -its about $175k canadian after taxes etc. 85% of general population would have difficulty buying one.
Styling - Exotic looks with Exotic functional features like all that aero that is functional and not just a stick on trim piece. Functional louvers vents around engine. Visible Engine through back window.
Low Production #'s - Not many on the streets and very rare to see one. I think I've only ever seen one Lotus in my life where I live.
Build - The way the car is built. Many super car build processes and features as well. Hydraulic steering , bonded extruded aluminum chassis, compression molded TCA Ultra Lite material for doors etc, double wishbone suspension mid engine design.
Sound - Sounds pretty much exotic to me from factory.
Long waits for delivery - Easier allocation but at least 12 months for delivery after initial surge.
Exotic Features inside cabin - Alcantara and other materials, Red Switch over start button, mesh grill over shift linkage, Visible actuator movement via rearview.
10 years ago if you slapped a ferrari badge etc on this Emira it would be called a supercar no questions asked.

 

[Lotus64]

My buddy called it a supercar. I didn't correct him...... Why spoil the fun?

Personally, I consider it a super sports car; in the same realm as the GTR, Vantage and 911 Turbo / GT3 / 2 RS models.

 

[Green]

My buddy called it a supercar. I didn't correct him...... Why spoil the fun?

Personally, I consider it a super sports car; in the same realm as the GTR, Vantage and 911 Turbo / GT3 / 2 RS models.

Sorry I love the Emira but is not in the same league as the cars you listed. It shouldn’t be because they all cost atleast double the Emira. Not same league in cost or performance but it does win the looks contest in my book.

 

[Green]

Porsche 911 GT3 vs Lotus Emira 3.5 - FastestLaps.com

Compare performance of Lotus Emira 3.5 (V6) and Porsche 911 GT3 (992). Updated January 2025.

fastestlaps.com

I had no idea the GT3 is lighter than the Emira.

 

[Lotus64]

Sorry I love the Emira but is not in the same league as the cars you listed. It shouldn’t be because they all cost atleast double the Emira. Not same league in cost or performance but it does win the looks contest in my book.

First off, the GTR isn't double the cost of the Emira. It's within 10%.

Next, the Emira is not as quick as the others mentioned but is definetly in the same performance league as the others when it comes to handling... Simarly, it's lightweight bonded aluminium chassis is far superior to some of the others mentioned.

Lastly, the Emira blasts past the rest without a doubt when it comes to looks / design. All of the cars mentioned achieve supercar status in at least one category but not everywhere: Emira offers supercar looks / handling / exclusivity, 911 and GTR offer supercar performance, and the Vantage offers a little bit of everything. Hence the comparison.

 

[Green]

First off, the GTR isn't double the cost of the Emira. It's within 10%.

Next, the Emira is not as quick as the others mentioned but is definetly in the same performance league as the others when it comes to handling... Simarly, it's lightweight bonded aluminium chassis is far superior to some of the others mentioned.

Lastly, the Emira blasts past the rest without a doubt when it comes to looks / design. All of the cars mentioned achieve supercar status in at least one category but not everywhere: Emira offers supercar looks / handling / exclusivity, 911 and GTR offer supercar performance, and the Vantage offers a little bit of everything. Hence the comparison

I respect your opinion but most people will not agree with you. The GTR you mentioned will destroy the Emira on the track along with the other cars. It’s ok the Emira is its own unique car that is analog and fun to drive. It does not need to be a super car to have value.

 

[Gprodigy]

SuperCar parking at Car meets/shows....check mate

Jokes aside, once the US market modifies these things, they'll be beast.

 

[Lotus64]

I respect your opinion but most people will not agree with you. The GTR you mentioned will destroy the Emira on the track along with the other cars. It’s ok the Emira is its own unique car that is analog and fun to drive. It does not need to be a super car to have value.

I don't think we actually disagree. I agree the GTR will destroy on a track. However, It's pedestrian by comparison. There are always compromises and give and take. If the GTR looked like the Emira it would be a true supercar no question.

I'm not calling the Emira a supercar. It's a sports car with supercar tendencies. Only supercar characteristic it lacks is power. 200 extra hp and it's a supercar, no question.

 

[Fasttoys]

To me it’s not a Super Car. Beautiful looks for sure but performance is lacking even when you compere it to most sports sedan's. I dont buy cars based off classification they fall in, to me it irrelevant.

 

[Green]

I don't think we actually disagree. I agree the GTR will destroy on a track. However, It's pedestrian by comparison. There are always compromises and give and take. If the GTR looked like the Emira it would be a true supercar no question.

I'm not calling the Emira a supercar. It's a sports car with supercar tendencies. Only supercar characteristic it lacks is power. 200 extra hp and it's a supercar, no question.

I do agree the GTR is a snooze fest. I bought one new and it was fun for 3 months and a beast at the track but I got bored with it quickly. It is the car that made me swear off flappy paddles for life! Manual or nothing for me. So I would take the Emira over almost all exotics.