So the Top Gear vid review isn't the Chris Harris one... but...

[SJR202]

Love it, weeks of complaining about no info / no reviews / no images and then...
Get early pre prod video reviews and magazine articles - complain about them...
Prod cars being built and mentioned elsewhere more info by end of March - complain about waiting...
Base/i4 info due wc 21/03 - still complain about something not being available c1 year before available to buy... good news is it'll give some people 12 months of whinging before the i4/base is release

 

[First Lotus]

I hope this is not a produciton car if that is what looks to me to be an inconsistent panel gap on the bonnet...
See the gap on the left side is much smaller than the gap to the right.

Thats just your angle of viewing. Your effectively looking across the left hand side and more down the line on the RHS

 

[Porter]

Love it, weeks of complaining about no info / no reviews / no images and then...
Get early pre prod video reviews and magazine articles - complain about them...
Prod cars being built and mentioned elsewhere more info by end of March - complain about waiting...
Base/i4 info due wc 21/03 - still complain about something not being available c1 year before available to buy... good news is it'll give some people 12 months of whinging before the i4/base is release

We're all insufferable bastards here who enjoy a good whinge! Get with the program!

 

[Jonhklee]

I found this photo of the i4 AMG engine bay on this forum, it’s also a white car!!! Anyone got the source of this photo? Could it be an off chance, Chris Harris’s review will be this!?? Real Shocker if it is!!

 

[kratedisease]

View attachment 3677
I found this photo of the i4 AMG engine bay on this forum, it’s also a white car!!! Anyone got the source of this photo? Could it be an off chance, Chris Harris’s review will be this!?? Real Shocker if it is!!

To my eyes seems that the I4 sits lower or does not shoot up as tall as the V6S

 

[TomE]

To my eyes seems that the I4 sits lower or does not shoot up as tall as the V6S

You can see that in the cutaway in the V6 FE spec document - V6 outline in orange and i4 in green. The V6 is taller because the supercharger is bolted on the top. The C of G isn't hugely different between the two due to the different packaging arrangements.

 

[xen]

You can see that in the cutaway in the V6 FE spec document - V6 outline in orange and i4 in green. The V6 is taller because the supercharger is bolted on the top. The C of G isn't hugely different between the two due to the different packaging arrangements.

View attachment 3678

That looks fairly 911-esque. As the rear seats are essentially vestigial why not move the engine a few feet forward. Conventional wisdom suggests it would be a better balanced and handling car for it.

 

[VL3X]

That looks fairly 911-esque. As the rear seats are essentially vestigial why not move the engine a few feet forward. Conventional wisdom suggests it would be a better balanced and handling car for it.

Probably for cooling purposes. That snail is gonna generate a ton of heat back there!

 

[xen]

Probably for cooling purposes. That snail is gonna generate a ton of heat back there!

Interesting, other cars have larger engines and twice as many turbos.

As a general curiosity, are there any other cars that are mid-engined with rear seats (aside from the 911 which is considered rear engined)?

 

[Porter]

Probably for cooling purposes. That snail is gonna generate a ton of heat back there!

On the I4 the turbo is mounted at the rear by the trunk, not at the forward firewall.

Remember though, in a transverse setup the positioning is likely more dictated by the transmission than the engine. I don't know why the firewall is in that location, unless maybe there are future plans for this exact chassis configuration that haven't yet been disclosed?

 

[digilotus]

The firewall move will likely be for cooling purposes for the i4 (turbo generates a truck-load of heat - have you seen them glow red at night?)

As a side effect, the extra space between engine and firewall should also benefit engine access and serviceability of the V6, including perhaps making a clutch change much easier.

 

[TomE]

The firewall move will likely be for cooling purposes for the i4 (turbo generates a truck-load of heat - have you seen them glow red at night?)

As a side effect, the extra space between engine and firewall should also benefit engine access and serviceability of the V6, including perhaps making a clutch change much easier.

Exactly this. The thermal management for the i4 is a major factor in the design. There were sometimes heat-related issues with the V6 Evora in certain circumstances, so it'll help reduce those too.

Access and clutch change also made easier by use of body panels rather than clamshell.

 

[eclat2emira]

Exactly this. The thermal management for the i4 is a major factor in the design. There were sometimes heat-related issues with the V6 Evora in certain circumstances, so it'll help reduce those too.

Access and clutch change also made easier by use of body panels rather than clamshell.

Well that all sounds like good news Tom, it speaks of added engineering rigour and learning from the past.

 

[Autopsy]

As a general curiosity, are there any other cars that are mid-engined with rear seats (aside from the 911 which is considered rear engined)?

Emira’s predecessor, Evora fits your description very well, other example including koenigsegg gemera and old Ferraris including 308GT4 and Mondial.

 

[eclat2emira]

Emira’s predecessor, Evora fits your description very well, other example including koenigsegg gemera and old Ferraris including 308GT4 and Mondial.
View attachment 3719

Great examples, always thought the 308GT4 was under-rated, lovely creative bit of styling by Bertone.

The Lamborghini Urraco fits that 2+2 mid-engined description too, here's a nice Hethel Yellow one for you!

 

[eclat2emira]

Great examples, always thought the 308GT4 was under-rated, lovely creative bit of styling by Bertone.

The Lamborghini Urraco fits that 2+2 mid-engined description too, here's a nice Hethel Yellow one for you!

View attachment 3721

Coincidentally, also designed by Bertone same as 308GT4 (by Marcello Gandini while he was there)

 

[Jonhklee]

C

Emira’s predecessor, Evora fits your description very well, other example including koenigsegg gemera and old Ferraris including 308GT4 and Mondial.
View attachment 3719

Clearly, the Evora was designed with the knee-in-the-driver’s back layout in mind instead of a seat back…. How optimistic of Lotus of old….

 

[Matthaus]

New pix from Harris

 

[Porter]

New pix from Harris

Also,

 

[Matthaus]

Also,
View attachment 3783

That's not someone who was there