I'd like to thank Mike Leddy, David Simkin, and the rest of the Lotus staff for their hospitality and support during my Emira test drive. They were great.
To sum it up, The car did not disappoint.
I have listed a few comments/notes below. I hope you guys enjoy my comments. Much of what I say has already been mentioned I am sure, but maybe there is something new here.
Cheers,
Glenn
My driving background.
Two time graduate, Bob Bondurant driving school. I have also taught road racing at various schools.
20 years SCCA racing experience. Hundreds of races. (Spec Miata, Vintage Shelby Mustang, Formula Fords)
I have driven many student's Exotic cars on the track with them sitting beside me. Some of these cars are pretty scary, some are magic.
The Evora 400 was one of the best handling street cars I have ever driven. Period. I owned one for 3 years. It reminds me of a first generation NSX with a Comptech supercharger. I recently sold my Evora to make room for my Emira. My daily driver is a 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera S with a 100hp APR tune. 500hp with a PDK manual. I drove it (250 miles RT) to the Emira test drive. The 911 is a great daily/touring driver that is pretty quick, and handles very well. When driven in "sport or sport +" mode, acceleration from a 30mph roll is brutal. It will walk away from the Emira. The traction control fights against wheel spin up to 70mph. It also will carve sweeping exit ramps with precision. It is a great car. My wife drives a new Boxster S. While I have always had a "P" car in the garage, I have owned a variety of other fun cars and I still keep going back to a Lotus.
I have another fire breathing weekend car with over 550 hp. This can break the rear tires loose at 100mph on a 3/4 upshift. (google "tale of two Cobras, Reincarnation magazine" for a chuckle)
Emira notes. This car was the Hethel car with alcantara, black pack, Sport suspension, Cup tires, V6, 6sp. It was a demo car and not a production car. I was told that various changes will be made to these demo cars before production. Dealership was Marin Lotus also known as Cars Dawydiak. Very cool, little, enthusiasts dealer.
-Overall driving experience was terrific.
-Drives even better than an Evora 400. It is quieter, yet firmer.
-Steering
Steering is much better in the Emira than either the 911 or Evora. It has a direct connection to the tire patch. No fighting, no fuss, and it has a very linear connection. Much more "intimate" that the Porsche. The P car is a little subdued. Power steering is more direct than the Evora and feedback is wonderful. This car is very easy to drive fast. The one word that kept coming to my mind was "telepathic". You just think, and it goes there. There is no delay or confusion. A track prepped Emira with 500 hp would be a force to be reckoned with. I would put it up against a Porsche GT3.
-Car is pretty quick but I did not explore above 5500 rpm. It is just as fast as an Evora and I loved that power. I did not want to make the Lotus rep too nervous. Marin Lotus had a great driving loop up and down the 101 freeway with a few sweeping exits. Just like an Evora, this car pulls in nearly every gear. I do hope they can raise the rev limiter. My Evora pulled like a train right up to the very abrupt cut off. I know this is for reliability, but 500 more rpm and a soft limit would awesome! Triple digit speeds are easy to see if you are not careful. Don't ask. 3rd gear is the magic zone in sweeping turns. If you like a 400, you will love the Emira. My FE deposit is staying. I cannot wait.
-Emira is quieter than a 400 with respect to road noise, even with Cup tires on the Emira. The exhaust I think it is a bit muted as compared to an Evora. (Greg, 3rd cat delete kit?) It also is much quieter than the 911. That surprised me.
-Emira sport suspension is slightly stiffer than the 400. It is not bad at all, I could live with it. The Porsche when set to "sport" is MUCH stiffer than the Emira sport. I am glad I ordered touring suspension. (I have track only race cars)
-Pedal placement is good, clutch pedal "could" stand to be moved 1/2"-1" to the left. There is plenty of room. Super wide shoes are not the best idea. Clutch and brake could be a little bit farther apart. It is easier to manage the brake/clutch in the Emira than in an Evora. I drove with narrow driving shoes so, there was no problem. I kept a pair in the back seat of my Evora.
Rear view mirrors are perfect. The Evora 400 blind spots have been nicely addressed. Bravo.
Leg room.
There is plenty of room for tall drivers. I am 6'2" and could not easily depress the clutch with the seat all the way back. Same as Evora. I had to slide it up at least of couple of inches. Seems to be enough headroom for a helmet too. There is more room in the Emira than in an Evora.
-Shifter is magic. Anybody who misses a gear on this car needs to relearn how to drive a stick. (Go drive a Formula Ford with a Hewland transmission) I do not understand the complaints I have read about this. Maybe a variation in the demo cars? Stick throw is even shorter and more direct than the 400. They must have done a bunch of work to improve the fabulous existing Evora box and stick. (Think a more sophisticated Miata transmission) The exposed shift linkage is beautiful, a real work of art. If you did not like the shifter, you owe yourself some more time in the car. Give it another chance. I had absolutely no problems with shifting or the clutch engagement. If someone comes from a PDK Cayman or BMW or a Audi, this Emira will definitely feel a bit "raw" and notchy. I heard no objectionable transmission noise or rattle either. Remember, this is a LOTUS, not a Honda.
-Seats are good. I could spend a long day in them. Great adjustability. Alcantara was nice and really held you in place. It "could" have some down the road wear issues. I opted for red leather though.
-Fit and finish looked very good although I did not inspect panel fit that closely. The interior was well sorted, the only obvious issue was the rubber welting between the door sill and the carpet. The Evora had the same problem. They must use the same vendor. The rubber seal "puckers" where it bends in a curve. It did make me feel "at home" at least. Not a big deal. Paint was good, I'd do a mild paint correction to bring out the full luster. NO car comes from the factory with perfect paint. They all can be improved.
-Infotainment system. At first, it seems a bit complex. (And, I am an audio engineer) I did not spend much time with it and only listened for about a few minutes. I brought along a well recorded high resolution SACD on a memory stick. so, that is not the problem. My first listening impression was that it was good. Maybe a little bright. Nice Left, Center, Right staging, but I was not blown away like I was told I would be. Vocals did image up front and across the dash. One vocal did seem to come from the hood, that was good. Bass seemed to be a little weak, but I have no idea how the EQ and or controls were previously set. I will give it a full test in the near future. And, I was told that this is a pre-production car, so the audio "upgrades" (bigger amp and possible DSP adjustments) were probably not present. They are "listening" to the reviews and even took notes when we were downloading after the test drive. I am confident that our comments will get back to Hethel.
My summary comment; the Emira is in every way a better car than the Evora. Think of the Emira as an Evora that went to ballet school, finishing school, and wears just the right amount of make-up.
I cannot wait. My V6, 6sp, Nimbus/red car is due in March. Fingers crossed.
. Your comments on the seat height vs the 410 are interesting. I came very close to buying a lovely new Daytona Blue 410 Sport from Central Lotus back in 2018, and the main thing which deterred me from going ahead in the end was the slightly perched driving position, especially coming from an Exige. On my test drive I thought the Emira's seat was still a bit high for my liking, although I didn't spend that long playing with tilt and backrest adjustment, so hopefully I'll like it more when mine arrives. Good to hear you liked the Emira's sound compared to the 410 too. I reckon with a 3rd cat delete the Emira will sound pretty epic 
