If you’re lucky enough, you’ll arrive at the factory on a day when you can opt for the Heritage Tour. This allows visitors access to Classic Team Lotus, a separately run business situated near the main facility. Here, countless Lotus race cars are to be found on display. Priced from £140 (approximately $184) per person, it’s a touch more expensive than the regular tour, at £95 (around $125) per person.
Tours are an intimate affair, with just eight people per session. The two-hour experience promises plenty of excitement but you had better have an excellent memory; sadly, no photography is allowed. Guests will, at least, receive a unique lanyard and pin badge as a memento of their visit.
As the last gas-powered Lotus, the Emira is the brand’s final swing at Porsche’s inimitable 718 series which, ironically, is preparing to go fully electric. But with the choice of an AMG-sourced, turbocharged four-cylinder or a soulful V6, the Emira should be a fitting send-off for the brand’s ICE era.
