Lotus is teasing a mysterious new model that debuts on May 5. The brief video is just 13 seconds long and never actually gives us a good look at the vehicle. At the end, two rows of portions of letters are visible. The upper ones appear to spell Emira, but the other word isn't distinguishable.
The clip starts with a look at a cloudy sky. We then see the red-and-white curbing along the perimeter of the track. The action cuts into the car with a look at a driver wearing gloves gripping the steering wheel. We also see this person's carbon-fiber helmet. Things are blurry, but the vehicle appears to have a stripped interior.
The engine also revs in the video. It makes a raw, raspy noise that gives the car an aggressive sound.
Lotus already offers the Emira GT4 race car. With this in mind, we suspect the vehicle in this teaser might be a track-only, special edition of the sports coupe.
The Emira replaces the Elise, Exige, and Evora in the Lotus lineup. The model is available with a Toyota-sourced 3.5-liter supercharged V6 making 400 horsepower (296 kilowatts). With a six-speed manual, the mill offers 310 pound-feet (420 Newton-meters) or 317 lb-ft (430 Nm) with the six-speed automatic.
Gallery: Lotus Emira V6 First Edition makes US debut
The drivetrain gets the car to 62 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour) in 4.3 seconds with the manual or 4.2 seconds with the automatic. Regardless of transmission, the Emira's top speed is 180 mph (290 kph).
The other engine option is a Mercedes-AMG-sourced turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that makes 360 hp (268 kW) and 309 lb-ft (420 Nm) in this application. The engine hooks up to an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox. We don't have acceleration specs for this version yet.
The Emira First Edition arrives in the United States in fall 2022. With the four-cylinder, this model starts at $85,900 or $93,000 with the V6. Lotus says the regular versions arrive in the spring of 2023 with prices starting at $74,900.
