Lotus Emira Limited is a run of F1-inspired specials we can't have

Three years since the Lotus Emira was launched, its place in Lotus’s plan has evolved significantly. New versions, the Turbo and Turbo SE, will join the lineup in 2025 as well as the F1-inspired Emira Limited Series. But none of the twelve numbered examples set to be built of each of the five distinct liveries, referencing different moments in Lotus F1 history, will be offered in the UK.

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Some aren’t the typical liveries you’d expect. One is inspired by Senna’s 99T and its post-JPS Camel livery, wearing bright yellow with blue highlights in the vents, and with Lotus emblazoned across the top of the tail. The one inspired by the 97T, another Senna car, wears the more famous black and gold colours. The car inspired by Mario Andretti’s Type 78 wears dark Shadow Grey with gold and stripes, in addition to some red in the splitter and diffuser as a nod to the 78’s Union Jack. 

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Miss the lesser-celebrated Essex livery? The Emira inspired by the Type 86 wears the blue, red and silver colours of that car, albeit arranged slightly differently. Perhaps the most ‘classic’ Emira Limited is the car inspired by the Lotus 25, a car that revolutionised F1 in the early 1960s with its aircraft-inspired monocoque chassis. It features Dark Verdant Green paint with Hethel Yellow striping. Prices for the Emira Limited in Europe will start from €98,107.

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More important than the Lotus Emira Limited and the liveries themselves however, is the fact that this is one of the first indications of what’s possible with the Chapman Bespoke programme. This will be to Lotus what Q is to Aston Martin, MSO is to McLaren and Ad Personam is to Lamborghini. It will allow prospective buyers to get more creative and individualistic when it comes to the specifications of their cars, from colours and liveries to materials and specs inside.