New film shows the Lotus Emira V6 First Edition in action on track

Lotus has released a short film showcasing its new Emira sports car as it’s put through its paces on track.

The video shows Gavan Kershaw, director of attributes and product integrity at Lotus Cars, taking the sports car for a few laps of the firm’s Hethel test track to demonstrate how the car handles at the limit.

Footage shows the car being driven hard, before Kerhsaw begins talking about the drive modes that are available. There are four available, which alter the characteristics of the car depending on the driving circumstance.

The first is Tour, which has all the stability and safety systems on to provide the most support, while Sport increases throttle response and allows the tyres to slip a little more, giving the driver a better chance to maximise the grip available or have a little fun.

Race allows even more slip but keeps the ABS to help the car stop effectively, while the digital dials display changes to a race-focused layout. Finally, ‘fully off’ turns off all stability controls so it’s all down to the driver – but ABS remains.

Kershaw said: “With the 3.5-litre V6 configuration and the supercharger, you start an acceleration from as low as 1,500rpm and the car just pulls and pulls and pulls, getting stronger and stronger as the revs increase. This is what a real sports car feels like.

“The whole package is tuned to give you maximum reward and confidence. It’s ‘For The Drivers’.”

The Lotus Emira V6’s engine makes 397bhp and contributes to the 4.3-second 0-60mph time and 180mph top speed.

The First Edition model has a high level of specification and will cost from £75,995, though sub-£60k versions are expected later.