ICE, Electric & the Future of Lotus
Lotus’ newly announced Emira went down a storm at their large and impressive Goodwood stand. 1/50s 28mm F5.6 ISO 400.
Lotus’ founder Colin Chapman had a philosophy – ‘Simplify, then add lightness’ and he was often quoted as saying ‘Adding power makes you faster on the straights, subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere’. It was these beliefs he took to the racing circuit, taking a small outfit in Norfolk to six Drivers’ & seven Constructors’ Championships in Formula One. Much like his Italian counterpart Enzo Ferrari, he sold road cars to fund his passion for racing which resulted in one of the most iconic British cars of the 1960s, the Elan. Weighing in at 680 kg yet producing 105 hp when released in 1962, this was the perfect car for British B roads that only got faster until it was discontinued in 1975.
The Lotus-Cosworth 79 which brought home Lotus’ final Drivers’ & Constructors’ Championship wins in F1. This car utilised ground-effect which will make a return to F1 next year. 1/1250s 300mm F2.8 ISO 100.
Unfortunately for Lotus (and perhaps the British motoring industry) Chapman, who was a keen smoker, died suddenly of a heart attack in 1982 aged just 54. They never managed to recreate the success it had on track when he was alive and their win in 1978 was to be their last. At the time of his death the road car department were no longer making the ultra-lightweight cars like the Elan or the Seven, but more aspirational GT cars like the Esprit and the Excel. These were more luxurious offerings that were (mostly) well-trimmed and could even be specified with (somewhat questionable) air conditioning. Despite all the creature comforts, they still embodied Chapman’s original philosophy of lightness and weighed significantly less than their main Porsche rivals. However, the Porsches still sold at a different order of magnitude.
The Final Edition of the Lotus Elise. It has had an impressive twenty five year run. 1/160s 32mm F5.6 ISO 320.
We won’t see Lotus making a car this small again. 1/160s 56mm F5.6 ISO 320.
It looks good but the poor rear visibility is another nuisance issue that kept some people away from buying Lotus. 1/160s 45mm F5.6 ISO 320.
Fast forward to 1996 and we see the release of a car that not only became a legend in its own lifetime but also put Lotus back on the map, the Elise. It sold in vastly higher numbers than previous cars and went onto spawn another successful car in the hard top Exige. A third car, the Evora, was built on a completely different platform but failed to see any great success as many just thought it was a bigger Elise with all its flaws. However, as the Elise & Exige didn’t fit the safety regulations in the US only the Evora could be sold there so it was inevitable something would have to change. Enter the Emira.
The Emira is more in-line with the Evora than the Elise or the Exige. 1/160s 35mm F5.6 ISO 640.
In line with the elsewhere, the UK government has set a target for all petrol & diesel cars to be banned from sale from 2030, which is pushing manufacturers towards electrification and that includes Lotus. However, with the technology & infrastructure not being there yet Lotus have opted to create one final petrol-powered car. With the option of either a four-cylinder AMG engine or the six-cylinder Toyota engine used in the Evora, the Emira has all bases covered when facing off against its main rivals. And, with the car being more in line with the Evora than the ultra-lightweight Elise it will be possible to sell it Stateside which should see a huge boost in sales.
This completely new platform shares some design language with their Evija hypercar. 1/160s 36mm F5.6 ISO 1000.
The Elise & the Exige have a pretty terrible reputation for comfort, there’s all sorts of videos and jokes about getting in and out of one and seeing as the original cars didn’t even come with a radio as standard, they were stripped out austere offerings. Times change though and Lotus has added in all the luxury features needed to stop prospective buyers turning away. Infotainment systems, electrically adjustable seats, a dual clutch automatic gearbox and yes even cup holders, there’s no more excuses for why you shouldn’t buy a Lotus.
The FoS was the first time that the public got to see an Emira in motion in the metal. 1/8000s 300mm F2.8 ISO 100.
This of course does add weight and the Emira will clock in at around 1400 kg, heavier than the current Evora GT410 by about 40 kg and is even slightly heavier than its main Porsche rival – the 982 Cayman. However, with the Lotus being wider, longer, lower and maintaining this weight with six cylinders, the team at Hethel have done a remarkable job. Sadly, the era of the sub tonne sports car really is drawing to a close when the last Elise Final Edition rolls off the production line later this year. The Emira is already drawing a lot of popularity though, and the man I spoke to at the stand said he’d convinced sixteen people to buy one that weekend at Goodwood alone.
Announced in 2019, the Evija will finally start rolling of the production line at Hethel later this year. 1/160s 26mm F4.0 ISO 250.
The carbon fibre seats wrap around the driver & passenger to give them the support needed to cope with driving with nearly 2000 hp. 1/160s 40mm F4.0 ISO 3200.
The driver gets a futuristic racing interior to control Hethel’s most powerful invention yet. 1/160s 70mm F4.0 ISO 3200.
Finally, then we come to next stage of Lotus’ life – electrification. Limited to just 130 units, the Evija took the world by surprise when it was first unveiled in July 2019. This showcase car is a statement of intent that Lotus will be leading the charge in a changing world and not be left to fall into obscurity. The first cars are due to be built later this year and with its four individual motors placed at each wheel, it will produce a frightening 1,974 hp and 1,254 lb⋅ft of torque. Speaking to the lotus reps, I was told to forget about the 0-60s time as it is almost irrelevant at this stage. It can do 0-186mph in under 9 seconds, to put that in perspective that is more than 4 seconds quicker than a Bugatti Chiron.
The sides of the Evija has large air scoops…1/160s 46mm F5.6 ISO 640.
…these feed air around the side and our of the rear of the car. 1/160s 70mm F5.6 ISO 640.
Whilst its kerb weight of 1,680 kg may seem hefty for a Lotus, this is actually class leading. The much talked about Rimac Nevera is set to clock in at a whopping 2,150 kg. Even in this new world of heavy battery powered juggernauts, Colin Chapman’s philosophies have not been forgotten. Sadly, I didn’t manage to get a shot of the Evija in motion at Goodwood, but it certainly had the presence of speed when it whooshed by me with only a hum of its electric motors. This will be a very special car, and though it will inevitably become an appreciating collector’s item that spends more time in its yearly service than on tarmac, what Lotus have learned here will inform their more modest electric offerings in the future. As of now the Emira wouldn’t pass the EU’s emissions regulations coming in 2027, so by then we would expect to see a something that wasn’t a limited edition hypercar.
Wing & rear view mirrors have been replaced by cameras to enhance aerodynamics and eliminate the visibility difficulties that have plagued Lotus cars in the past. 1/160s 40mm F5.6 ISO 640.
This is the closest most people will get to an Evija, beyond this show car and the pre-production units only 130 will be produced and have long sold to wealthy collectors. 1/160s 48mm F5.6 ISO 640.
It’s all looking up for Lotus. With fresh funding from its new Chinese owners Geely, Lotus have been able to put in future-proofing R&D as well as expand production to finally put to bed some of their struggles in the past. On a final note, they have also said that they are willing to sell the tooling for the Elise to another company, much in the same way they did for the Seven with Caterham, who still makes them to this day. Whether it’s petrol or electric, Chapman’s legacy will continue to live on and hopefully for many more years to come.
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