Let me just start with this: I love cars. Not in the casual, “Oh yeah, I like fast cars” kind of way — but in the kind of way that results in owning 27 of them. Yes. Twenty. Seven. I’ve basically lived in a permanent test drive for the last decade or so.
It all started with a dream — and a very determined high schooler. My first car was a 1998 Mercedes-Benz C230. At the time, that thing was the holy grail of cool for me. I worked after school, hustled weekends, and probably saved more than most 40-year-olds do for retirement, just to put my hands on that wheel. The day I drove it home felt like I was starring in my own personal car commercial. With slightly worse lighting.
Since then, I’ve had everything from Ford to Maserati, from Polestar to — drum roll, please — the Lotus Emira. And let me tell you, this car isn’t just a car. It’s a handmade British masterpiece with curves that would make a Greek sculpture blush.
Yes, handmade. In 2025. In England. Each Emira takes around 100–120 hours to produce. That’s like three full workweeks for a single vehicle. And you can feel that craftsmanship in every stitch, every panel, every time you turn the ignition and hear the AMG engine roar to life. (Yes, we got the AMG variant — because why not go all in?)
We bought ours from Lotus New London in Connecticut, and honestly, the experience there was just as refined as the car itself. Bear and Steve (yes, those are real names, not car-themed mascots) were absolute pros. They weren’t just trying to sell a car — they were inviting us into a club. A club where the only membership requirement is a need for speed and a taste for precision.
Driving the Emira? It’s like strapping yourself into a fighter jet that also happens to have great suspension and impeccable road manners. It hugs corners like a toddler clinging to their mom’s leg on the first day of preschool. It’s nimble, responsive, and — dare I say it — downright flirtatious on the road. It makes you want to invent errands just to feel the thrill again. (“Sorry honey, we’re out of pepper… BRB in 47 miles.”)
So, why do I recommend owning a Lotus Emira?
Because it’s not just a car. It’s an experience. It’s a statement. It’s a finely tuned expression of individuality for people who are tired of seeing the same ten cars in every parking lot. If cars were music, most are background noise. The Emira? It’s a symphony.
And for someone who’s owned 27 cars, trust me when I say: this one’s something special.