LotusBritish sports car manufacturer Lotus is really treating us at the moment by giving us a lighter and more powerful Emira than we have seen before, with the new Emira 420 Sport. A car that is virtually the polar opposite of the powerful yet very heavy Lotus Eletre SUV.The new 420 Sport takes weight saving to the maximum, and power has been dialed up over both the standard Emira and the Emira SE that was launched in August 2025. The British company has utilized an upgraded four-cylinder AMG engine in order to give its current flagship sports car as much power as possible.For mid-engine sports car enthusiasts, the arrival of the 420 Emira might be seen as a bit of a relief. There aren't that many of the breed still on sale, especially with the Porsche Cayman/Boxster no longer with us, and the Alpine A110 about to fall by the wayside as well.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Emira then is one of the few mid-engine sports cars remaining on the market. This is how Lotus have kept the segment alive, and how they reworked the standard Emira to create something truly special.How Lotus Got More Power Out of the Emira 420LotusAt the heart of the Emira 420 Sport is an AMG turbocharged 2.0-liter engine that produces 414hp. For context, that is 54hp more than the standard car, and 14hp more than the Emira SE launched in August last year. Torque has also been increased to 369lb-ft. That is 52lb-ft more than the standard car, and 15lb-ft more than the SE.Lotus says that the sports car has a 0-62mph time of just 3.9 seconds, and again it is ahead of its siblings in the range. The 420 Sport is half a second quicker than the standard car in a straight line, and a tenth quicker than the SE. While all this extra power is certainly great, the British company has also worked to shed weight as well.AdvertisementAdvertisementThis weight saving has made this the fastest Emira produced so far, with a top speed of 186mph. Key to this is the Lightweight Handling Pack, with the car weighing around 3,153lbs. This is 55lbs lighter than the next model in the lineup. But we also get an extra 55 lbs of downforce to the car as well, keeping it glued to the road, which is of course useful on tight and twisty roads.Lotus Also Gave the Emira Aerodynamic UpgradesLotusThe additions to the sports didn't stop at power and performance. Lotus has added an optional tinted glass roof that can be removed for open-air driving, a feature inspired by the Esprit. It doesn't turn the car into a convertible, but it is as close as you can get. The car also sits 5mm closer to the road, and the suspension has had a few upgrades to improve the handling of the sports car. The 420 Sport retails at $122,900, but the company is also asking for a $16,000 premium.In terms of what lies ahead for the Emira, the story isn't over yet. While it will lose the AMG and Toyota engines in the future, an all-new turbocharged V6 engine is coming thanks to Horse. This is a joint venture between Lotus parent company Geely and Renault. This engine gives Lotus greater control over the car's development, which will extend to the 1,000hp supercar that the company is also working on.If you want more stories like this, follow Guessing Headlights on Yahoo so you don’t miss what’s coming next.
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