BrandsLotus Emira 420 Sport Is Here — 414hp, 186mph and Possibly the Last Petrol Emira Ever
The Lotus Emira 420 Sport — officially revealed May 26 2026. | © Lotus Cars
Lotus has one rule that has never changed in 76 years of building cars: add lightness. The 2026 Emira 420 Sport follows that rule and adds one more — add power too. The new top-of-the-range Emira produces 414 horsepower, weighs 1,430 kilograms with the optional Lightweight Handling Pack, reaches 186mph flat out and gets to 62mph in 3.9 seconds. It is the lightest, most powerful and fastest Emira ever built. And given that Lotus has committed to an electric future, it could very well be the last petrol Emira that Lotus ever makes.
The Emira 420 Sport uses the same AMG-sourced 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine found in the standard Emira Turbo and the Turbo SE — but Lotus has extracted considerably more from it. Output rises to 414 horsepower (420PS) and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque. Compared to the standard Emira Turbo that is 54 more horsepower and 52 more lb-ft of torque. Compared to the Turbo SE it is 14 more horsepower and 15 more lb-ft.
The extra power feeds through the same eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission driving the rear wheels. The result is a 0-62mph time of 3.9 seconds — half a second quicker than the standard Emira and a tenth faster than the SE. The 420 Sport tops out at 186mph (300km/h) — making it the fastest Emira in production history. For context: the original Lotus Esprit Turbo — the car that 420 Sport's styling references — managed 152mph. Progress.
Lotus's entire engineering philosophy for over seven decades has centred on the same principle Colin Chapman articulated at the company's founding — simplify, then add lightness. The 420 Sport honours that principle with the optional Lightweight Handling Pack, which brings the kerb weight down to 1,430 kilograms — 25 kilograms lighter than the previously lightest Emira configuration. That is a genuine achievement for a car that already offers more power.
More power, less weight — the performance arithmetic is straightforward. What makes the 420 Sport particularly impressive is that Lotus achieved both simultaneously. The weight reduction comes through lightweight components across the car, while the additional 25 kilograms of aerodynamic downforce generated by the 420 Sport's revised aero package keeps it planted at the top speeds the new power output enables. More downforce and less weight is the ideal combination for a focused sports car — and the 420 Sport has both.
The 420 Sport arrives with a comprehensive aerodynamic upgrade over the standard Emira — not just cosmetic addenda, but components engineered to change the way the car moves through air. New front vents improve airflow around the front wheels. A new front splitter generates additional downforce at the nose. Larger sills channel air cleanly along the car's flanks. A revised lip spoiler and a louvred tailgate — the detail that most directly references the original Lotus Esprit Turbo — complete the aero package at the rear.
The louvred tailgate is the design detail that enthusiasts will recognise most immediately. The Esprit Turbo's louvred rear screen was one of the most distinctive visual signatures of any Lotus in history — and its return on the 420 Sport connects this car explicitly to that heritage without resorting to literal retro pastiche. It is a specific, knowing reference to one of the most celebrated Lotuses ever built. Gavan Kershaw, Lotus Cars' handling expert, confirmed the aero work delivers measurable results: 25 kilograms of additional downforce at speed.
Debuting on the 420 Sport but available across the entire Emira range from today, the optional removable tinted glass roof panel is a genuinely new addition to the Emira's appeal. It is not a full convertible — the Emira's structure remains intact — but the removable panel allows open-air driving without the aerodynamic and structural compromises of a full soft-top or fully retractable hard-top conversion. It sits above the occupants, can be removed and stored when conditions permit and tints the cabin when in place for a more premium visual effect from inside.
For buyers who have admired the Emira's proportions but wanted some connection to open-air driving without sacrificing the coupe's dynamics, the removable roof answers that question directly. It is the kind of feature that converts consideration into orders — and its availability across the full Emira range, not just the 420 Sport, means every Emira customer benefits from today's announcement.
Lotus has been explicit about its electric future. The Emeya electric saloon is already on sale. The Eletre electric SUV preceded it. The company's product roadmap points toward a fully electric lineup. The Emira was described at its launch in 2021 as Lotus's last petrol-powered performance car — a deliberate farewell to internal combustion from a company that built its reputation on lightweight petrol sports cars.
Whether the 420 Sport is the final petrol Emira variant or whether further derivatives follow remains unconfirmed. But the positioning — most powerful, lightest, fastest, with Esprit heritage references — reads like a high note on which to end a chapter rather than a mid-programme update that expects a successor. Deliveries begin in August 2026. If this is the last petrol Emira, it ends the story in the most compelling way possible.
| Model | Lotus Emira 420 Sport |
| Engine | AMG-sourced 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder |
| Output | 414hp (420PS) / 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) |
| vs standard Emira Turbo | +54hp / +52 lb-ft |
| Transmission | 8-speed dual-clutch automatic — RWD |
| 0-62 mph | 3.9 seconds |
| Top speed | 186 mph (300 km/h) |
| Weight (Lightweight Pack) | 1,430 kg — 25 kg lighter than previous lightest Emira |
| Downforce added | 25 kg at speed |
| Aero upgrades | New vents, front splitter, larger sills, lip spoiler, louvred tailgate |
| Design reference | Lotus Esprit Turbo — louvred tailgate |
| New feature | Removable tinted glass roof — available across Emira range |
| US Starting Price | $122,900 |
| UK Starting Price | £105,900 |
| EU Starting Price | €129,900 |
| Deliveries | August 2026 |
| Confirmed by | Lotus Cars — official announcement, May 26 2026 |
"Adjustable dampers, increased downforce, sharper responses, reduced roll — every detail obsessively engineered to put the driver more in control."
— Gavan Kershaw, Vehicle Dynamics Director, Lotus CarsThe Lotus Emira 420 Sport is everything a final petrol chapter should be — more power, less weight, more downforce, an Esprit louvre on the tailgate and a removable glass roof that opens the car to the sky. At $122,900 it is not cheap. But it is lighter than anything that came before it, faster than anything that came before it and more aerodynamically purposeful than anything that came before it. If Lotus never builds another petrol sports car after this — and the evidence suggests they probably won't — the 420 Sport is a worthy final statement from an engine that has been defining driving pleasure for over 75 years. Buy one. Drive it hard. Remember what petrol felt like.