WATCH: Lotus Emira on track with F1 champ

The 2022 Lotus Emira has made its US debut with ex-Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button running hot laps in the all-new sports car at the famous Laguna Seca race circuit.

Button navigated the replacement for the ageing Lotus Elise, Exige and Evora along the undulating Laguna Seca layout as part of Monterey Car Week in California.

In a video published by Lotus, the 2009 world champion climbs the rev range and gently puts the Emira through its paces, commenting only on the soundtrack and the circuit’s legendary layout.

Given the Emira on show featured manual shifting and a familiar six-pot soundtrack, we’re tipping it was fitted with the flagship 294kW 3.5-litre supercharged V6 sourced from Toyota – not the new alternative option of a circa-265kW AMG-sourced M139 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder borrowed from the Mercedes-AMG A 45 S.

Created to rival both the Alpine A110 and the Porsche 718 Cayman, the fibreglass-bodied Lotus Emira is bigger than the three models it replaces – including the Evora – and it’s heavier too, tipping the scales at 1405kg for the lightest version.

Performance figures are still to come, but expect the AMG-sourced 2.0-litre turbo to send the rear-drive Emira from 0-100km/h in less than 4.5 seconds, on its way to a 290km/h top speed.

Sitting on an all-new bonded aluminium structure, the Emira carries design cues and advanced aerodynamics developed from the Lotus Evija EV hypercar, and is billed as the best-handling Lotus ever.

Other points of interest include the use of a traditional hydraulic steering rack for better feel, a stiffer multi-link suspension and 20-inch wheels with more aggressive Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres. Launch control is also available as part of a new Lotus Drivers Pack.

There’s no local pricing yet, but in the UK the Emira starts from £60,000 ($A110,000). Aussie deliveries are expected to begin late this year or early in 2022.