The Lotus Emira GT4 Is Here to Conquer Race Tracks Around the World

Lotus unveiled the GT4-class racing version of its new Emira sports car in a press release on Thursday. Sporting the same body and the same Toyota V-6 found in the road car, we expect it to be one of the more popular choices for entry-level sports car racing globally.

A follow-up to the popular Evora GT4, the Emira GT4 will likely appear in dozens of different championships around the world, including the Pirelli World Challenge, British GT, European GT, and the Nürburgring's VLN series. Like the road car, the Emira GT4 uses a 400-hp 3.5-liter supercharged Toyota V-6. But unlike the road car, there's MoTeC engine management and an Xtrac six-speed sequential getting thrust to the rear wheels. Underneath the body, you'll find two-way Ohlins dampers, competition-level brakes, and a Bosch motorsport ABS system. The interior has been stripped out in favor of a roll cage with all of the associated safety gear.

Lotus says it spent a week at Portimão, a circuit in Portugal, lapping the Emira GT4 to validate all of the aero changes made to take the car racing. It also wanted to make sure the car would stay reliable after hundreds of hours of track time.