Lighter, track-suited Lotus Emira GT4 makes debut

Lotus has revealed a racing version of its new Lotus Emira that replaces the Evora GT4 and will enable the British sports car brand to return to GT racing.

Posting pictures of the 2022 Lotus Emira GT4 in a lime green and black livery, Lotus says its latest racer misses out on the Mercedes-AMG-sourced four-cylinder turbocharged engine and instead comes with the same Toyota-sourced 3.5-litre V6 as the outgoing Evora.

It produces an identical 300kW to the road version.

Instead of the standard Emira's six-speed manual, the race version also gets a more motorsport-suited six-speed sequential transmission sourced from X-Trac.

Key to boosting its on-track performance, engineers have slashed the standard Emira's kerb weight by around 145kg to 1260kg – no mean feat considering the extra weight of all the added FIA-approved safety gear.

Most of the weight loss is said to have come from a new lightweight body, which now sports a huge rear spoiler that highlights a completely overhauled aero package compared to the road-going version.

The cabin is stripped of all its luxuries too. Race seats with a six-point harness replace the leather armchairs, while other new additions include a fire-suppression system and an FIA-compliant roll cage.

Helping Lotus develop the Emira GT4 was motorsport experts RML, a race outfit best known for its involvement in both British Touring Car Racing and the World Touring Car Championship.

According to Lotus it "aims to build a limited number of Emira GT4 race cars for the 2022 season", with a view to increasing production for 2023.

The car will be officially launched later this year.

Lotus race program manager Richard Selwin said: “The all-new Emira GT4 is an exciting next step following the hugely successful launch of the Emira road car.

“We have worked hard with the team at RML Group to ensure this next generation of Lotus GT car will deliver race-winning performance.”