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New Models

Configurator Challenge: Lotus Emira

Lotus has unveiled its last petrol-powered car – here's how the CarAdvice and Drive team would mark the end of this era.


Customisation is in vogue at the moment, but choice can be seriously confusing. In our configurator challenge, we let the CarAdvice and Drive team loose on the manufacturer’s website to create their ideal combination.

To follow the reveal of the new Lotus Emira earlier this month, the team shared how they'd specify Lotus' last petrol-powered car before it makes the switch to electric power.

Let us know how you'd spec your Emira in the comments, and which cars you'd like to see us configure next.



Kez Casey, Production Editor

I didn't expect to be quite as excited about the Emira as I ended up being. The look, the powertrains – nothing about it breaks new ground, but it's classically elegant, beautifully proportioned and subtly menacing in a way that recalls the 1980s icons I grew up adoring.

It also has a fantastic ability to look good in bright statement colours inside and out, but also carries classic conservatism pretty well.

As tempting as Hethel Yellow or Seneca Blue would have been, Dark Verdant wins for the exterior – and while I'd have loved a yellow roof for a more authentic Lotus experience, black is the only option. Again, subtle on a dark colour, but effective.

The yellow contrast comes from the brake calipers, situated behind classic ultra-lightweight V-spoke silver wheels. By far the most delicate and elegant of the choices available.

Inside, the classic theme continues with tan leather and a leather-clad steering wheel, though I'm sure one of the Alcantara options would be lovely too.

But the crowning touch, by far, is the supercharged V6 sitting behind the cabin, linked to a six-speed manual. Of course. While the lure of a rear-wheel-drive AMG four-pot is tempting, the classic row-your-own V6 is likely to be short-lived and – for me – would be all but impossible to ignore.



Tom Fraser, Journalist

This new Lotus is an exciting thing, isn't it? I've never thought of Lotus as a go-to brand, but this new Emira presents as something I'd actually slap my own money down for. Annoyingly there aren't too many colour options on offer in the configurator, but I've worked up a nice specification anyhow.

The temptation to go green-over-tan was strong, though I'm tipping that specification will be a popular one.

My stand-out spec selects the lovely Hethel Yellow exterior paint with a black Alcantara interior and contrast yellow stitching. The silver forged alloy wheels look awesome paired with the yellow paint, and I've sidestepped the predictable coloured brake calipers by sticking with a classy silver setup.

I'll have my Emira in manual with a V6 while I can, thanks.



Ben Zachariah, Journalist

I can't imagine I'm the only one to have chosen this configuration, but this one was fairly easy for me: Lotus Emira in Dark Verdant green (which everyone will refer to as British Racing Green for the rest of time), Design 1 silver alloy wheels, yellow brake calipers, and a tan interior with black Alcantara steering wheel.

While I'm a little annoyed the yellow brake calipers don't match the yellow of the Lotus badge, I am extremely happy that I still get to choose one of my favourite powertrain options before it leaves us – even if it's in dream land. The mid-mounted 3.5-litre supercharged V6 – borrowed from the perennial Toyota Camry – powers the rear wheels and is matched to a six-speed manual transmission.

Basically, the perfect recipe for my tastes.



Alex Misoyannis, Journalist

Is this one of the best looking cars (soon to be) on sale? I'd say so.

While I was very tempted to stick with the black-on-blue combination used in the official press photos (and now my phone wallpaper) the yellow quickly stood out as the exterior colour of choice. It struck the right balance of originality and not being too dark (e.g. Magma Red).

I've paired Hethel Yellow with a black roof, plus those sharp Y-spoke machined alloy wheels, and a set of contrasting red calipers. I'm not a fan of Alcantara steering wheels, so I've kept it wrapped in leather – though the fact you can only pair yellow contrast stitching with the Alcantara seats meant this was the way I'd go (just don't eat McDonalds in this one).

Powertrain? The supercharged V6, of course, as that's the only way you can option the six-speed manual. As much as the AMG four-cylinder appeals to me, I won't pass up an opportunity to keep the #savethemanuals dream alive.


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Alex Misoyannis

Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family.

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