Race version of Emira shows Lotus’s fresh focus on the track

Lotus has unveiled a new race version of its new Emira two-seater – the GT4. The move is seen as crucial to the company’s planned transformation from a small-scale UK sports car company to a global car business.

The GT4 uses the same Toyota-sourced 3.5-litre 400bhp V6 as the road car, and is the first product of the Norfolk firm’s newly created Lotus Advanced Performance team. It was launched at the Hethel test track last month by Gavan Kershaw, director of vehicle attributes at Lotus and a former British GT Championship winner, at the wheel.

Lotus paid tribute to its racing heritage and pointed towards a renewed focus on motor sport in the future saying the car is “the culmination of more than 70 years of innovation on the road and track” and that it marks “the start of an exciting new era in performance GT racing for Lotus.” Orders are being taken, with a price from £165,000.