USA/Canada Delivery Thread

[Bulls-Vivid-Red]

Oh I've been driving mine for the past few weeks!
I have been reserved in posting a review until I hit break in and really give it, but since you asked I think the Emira is pretty awesome. So far I am at 500 KM and initial ownership impressions.

- Ground Clearance is MUCH better than Porsche GT4/Spyder and C8 corvette
- It looks like an exotic and gets treated as one, people always stop to look when parked
- The driving feel is probably the most mechanical and raw you can buy in a new car at the moment. Probably the last new car with this level of driving engagement under 200K.
- Fit and finish is good, but not Porsche levels
- KEF system does sound better than Porsche Bose - but not amazing
- Performance and speed feels just as good as anything from Stuttgart under 150K.

I will add, the sensation of speed is much more in the Emira, compared to a Porsche or C8. It "feels" quicker than what it probably is. This machine is all about sensations, emotion and feel of driving. It's not a supercar in performance but it absolutely is in terms of engagement. No question in my mind this car will be a future classic.

Will get a better performance review and some pics when I get a chance.

Fantastic write up, I agree with most everything, especially the line: "...the most mechanical and raw you can buy in a new car at the moment."

I test drove both the GT4 and C8 a while back, both have their qualities of course. The C8 being an automatic wasn't nearly as engaging and despite being MUCH faster, just felt huge......not to mention everything felt a little too auto-magic when driving aggressively.

The GT4 manual was very nice to shift and sounds fantastic at those high RPMs. That ride though, way stiffer....makes my touring suspension Emira feel like an old Lincoln Town Car in comparison. You're right about the clearance height too, I scraped the bottom pulling into what I felt was a normal driveway. The manual I drove was similar performance to the Emira and really required keeping the RPMs hot......not terrible or anything, just that you'd expect more for the cost premium vs the Emira. Maybe if I was looking for a track car this thing would have been the winner?

The greatest sin of the GT4 is that I was already bored of looking at it from both inside and out.......I suppose that'll happen when your design barely changes in nearly 20 years.

 

[Time2Fly]

Now the GT4 RS with the Weisach (sp) at l package in Ruby Star...

 

[Bulls-Vivid-Red]

Now the GT4 RS with the Weisach (sp) at l package in Ruby Star...

or for the equivalent cost of 1x GT4 RS I could keep my Vivid Red Emira and get a second Emira in Atlantis Blue!

 

[Sandalwood]

Fantastic write up, I agree with most everything, especially the line: "...the most mechanical and raw you can buy in a new car at the moment."

I test drove both the GT4 and C8 a while back, both have their qualities of course. The C8 being an automatic wasn't nearly as engaging and despite being MUCH faster, just felt huge......not to mention everything felt a little too auto-magic when driving aggressively.

The GT4 manual was very nice to shift and sounds fantastic at those high RPMs. That ride though, way stiffer....makes my touring suspension Emira feel like an old Lincoln Town Car in comparison. You're right about the clearance height too, I scraped the bottom pulling into what I felt was a normal driveway. The manual I drove was similar performance to the Emira and really required keeping the RPMs hot......not terrible or anything, just that you'd expect more for the cost premium vs the Emira. Maybe if I was looking for a track car this thing would have been the winner?

The greatest sin of the GT4 is that I was already bored of looking at it from both inside and out.......I suppose that'll happen when your design barely changes in nearly 20 years.

I had the good fortune to get to spend a full day in the mountains with the green and yellow members of this squad, giving them the full beans and even getting to experience oversteer and understeer from both. My thoughts: The GT4 was very...normal...given the massive bolsters and the sharply jouncing ride quality. It certainly was not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it wasn't brilliant. It felt like a very nice car in a world of lots of nice cars. And I was disappointed.

The GT3 RS, on the other hand, was a revelation. Truly the greatest car I have ever driven, and I'm not a Porschephile by any stretch of the imagination. My wife and I actually tried to get ahold of a GT3 after this experience and learned what an exercise in futility that can be. If the GT4 RS carried over half an ounce of its big brother's DNA, it'll be brilliant. But then you're back to the aforementioned price/availability/looks issues that keep me still excited by Lotus.

 

[Bulls-Vivid-Red]

I had the good fortune to get to spend a full day in the mountains with the green and yellow members of this squad, giving them the full beans and even getting to experience oversteer and understeer from both. My thoughts: The GT4 was very...normal...given the massive bolsters and the sharply jouncing ride quality. It certainly was not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it wasn't brilliant. It felt like a very nice car in a world of lots of nice cars. And I was disappointed.

The GT3 RS, on the other hand, was a revelation. Truly the greatest car I have ever driven, and I'm not a Porschephile by any stretch of the imagination. My wife and I actually tried to get ahold of a GT3 after this experience and learned what an exercise in futility that can be. If the GT4 RS carried over half an ounce of its big brother's DNA, it'll be brilliant. But then you're back to the aforementioned price/availability/looks issues that keep me still excited by Lotus.

View attachment 49518

I need to hang out with you and your friends!

 

[CarGuy07]

I had the good fortune to get to spend a full day in the mountains with the green and yellow members of this squad, giving them the full beans and even getting to experience oversteer and understeer from both. My thoughts: The GT4 was very...normal...given the massive bolsters and the sharply jouncing ride quality. It certainly was not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it wasn't brilliant. It felt like a very nice car in a world of lots of nice cars. And I was disappointed.

The GT3 RS, on the other hand, was a revelation. Truly the greatest car I have ever driven, and I'm not a Porschephile by any stretch of the imagination. My wife and I actually tried to get ahold of a GT3 after this experience and learned what an exercise in futility that can be. If the GT4 RS carried over half an ounce of its big brother's DNA, it'll be brilliant. But then you're back to the aforementioned price/availability/looks issues that keep me still excited by Lotus.

View attachment 49518

What are your thoughts on the Spyder?

 

[grezex]

Nice! I just picked up a Spyder for my other half while waiting for my Emira order (impulse buy as the spec we want showed up at a dealer across the country). Been wondering if I should try to cancel my Emira and only have one sports car, though we both are wanting to be drive through canyons + track together eventually.

 

[Sandalwood]

What are your thoughts on the Spyder?

I didn't get to drive it, but I would like to. I was too busy with the GT cars that day!

 

[Lotustoronto]

I didn't get to drive it, but I would like to. I was too busy with the GT cars that day!

Spyder is pretty much an open top GT4 - So expect it drive almost exactly the same.

 

[Sandalwood]

Okay! My dealer (Atlanta) just texted and said it's on the water, and should arrive in Baltimore by 8/20. He said I should have it by the end of the month or early September. I'm assuming that means she's onboard the Atlantic Sea.

 

[Cdwilli217]

Okay! My dealer (Atlanta) just texted and said it's on the water, and should arrive in Baltimore by 8/20. He said I should have it by the end of the month or early September. I'm assuming that means she's onboard the Atlantic Sea.

When did you submit your specifications for your build. Attempting to gauge how much longer my wait is. Thanks

 

[Sandalwood]

When did you submit your specifications for your build. Attempting to gauge how much longer my wait is. Thanks

12/1/21: Dealer experience and confirmed interest
12/29/21: Deposit paid
2/13/24: Order finalized (FE2)
7/12/24: VIN provided by the dealer and told it would be an August arrival
7/31/24: Dealer said the car has been produced, but no port arrival date yet
8/13/24: Dealer confirmed the car is "on the water" and expected in port by 8/20, ready late August/early Sept.

So, on the plus side, it's not been a full three years yet.

 

[Cdwilli217]

12/1/21: Dealer experience and confirmed interest
12/29/21: Deposit paid
2/13/24: Order finalized (FE2)
7/12/24: VIN provided by the dealer and told it would be an August arrival
7/31/24: Dealer said the car has been produced, but no port arrival date yet
8/13/24: Dealer confirmed the car is "on the water" and expected in port by 8/20, ready late August/early Sept.

So, on the plus side, it's not been a full three years yet.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I finalized my order with Joe on 31 May 24; my order was submitted on 4 Jun 24. So comparing your timeline, it would appear I am looking at another 4-6 months. I paid my initial deposit on 11 Apr 22. So it would appear it will be approximately another 2-4 months...shy of 3 years by 2-3 months. I previously ordered an Alfa Romeo 4C and I thought that process was long, but it was a fraction of the time for the Emira. In both cases the silence was deafening. I suspect Lotus lost a ton of customers/buyers with the production delays, but if they would have developed a mechanism to track orders online it would have kept some customers interest.

 

[Sandalwood]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I finalized my order with Joe on 31 May 24; my order was submitted on 4 Jun 24. So comparing your timeline, it would appear I am looking at another 4-6 months. I paid my initial deposit on 11 Apr 22. So it would appear it will be approximately another 2-4 months...shy of 3 years by 2-3 months. I previously ordered an Alfa Romeo 4C and I thought that process was long, but it was a fraction of the time for the Emira. In both cases the silence was deafening. I suspect Lotus lost a ton of customers/buyers with the production delays, but if they would have developed a mechanism to track orders online it would have kept some customers interest.

Agreed. The texts from Joe are all I have experienced; I have yet to even get a congratulatory email from Lotus.

 

[Mfonseca]

Okay! My dealer (Atlanta) just texted and said it's on the water, and should arrive in Baltimore by 8/20. He said I should have it by the end of the month or early September. I'm assuming that means she's onboard the Atlantic Sea.

Mine arrived on 7/8 and still hasn't made it to the dealer. You might have yours before me. LOL

 

[Hell4Leather]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I finalized my order with Joe on 31 May 24; my order was submitted on 4 Jun 24. So comparing your timeline, it would appear I am looking at another 4-6 months. I paid my initial deposit on 11 Apr 22. So it would appear it will be approximately another 2-4 months...shy of 3 years by 2-3 months. I previously ordered an Alfa Romeo 4C and I thought that process was long, but it was a fraction of the time for the Emira. In both cases the silence was deafening. I suspect Lotus lost a ton of customers/buyers with the production delays, but if they would have developed a mechanism to track orders online it would have kept some customers interest.

I’m fairly certain that all the FE’s will hit US soil by Dec 31. I also submitted my factory order in May and the communication from Lotus said November/December delivery with a build in September.

 

[Cdwilli217]

Agreed. The texts from Joe are all I have experienced; I have yet to even get a congratulatory email from Lotus.

I’m fairly certain that all the FE’s will hit US soil by Dec 31. I also submitted my factory order in May and the communication from Lotus said November/December delivery with a build in September.

That tracks but optimistic after nearly 3 years of waiting

 

[Cdwilli217]

Mine arrived on 7/8 and still hasn't made it to the dealer. You might have yours before me. LOL

Baltimore is open again but I suspect it should be a matter of contracting transport from the port to the dealership. Most dealers have the volume to clear this process in days or 10 days worse case scenario; but like everything else this process is atypical, 40+ days at the port is insane.

 

[Mfonseca]

Baltimore is open again but I suspect it should be a matter of contracting transport from the port to the dealership. Most dealers have the volume to clear this process in days or 10 days worse case scenario; but like everything else this process is atypical, 40+ days at the port is insane.

I agree. Not sure what is taking so long. Dealer told me average turnaround time at port is 2-3 weeks which we have clearly surpassed.

 

[JZ14]

I agree. Not sure what is taking so long. Dealer told me average turnaround time at port is 2-3 weeks which we have clearly surpassed.

4 months so far for me at the NY port. Got desperate enough to send a hail mary email to the importer at the port to see if they can track it down. Must have gotten damaged or something.