Lotus is priming a new version of its Emira sports car inspired by legendary racing driver Jim Clark.
A video posted to the brand’s social media reels off a number of the Scotsman’s victories from his 1965 campaign: the Formula 1 World Championship, the Indy 500 and the Tasman Series, as well as the French Formula 2 and British Formula 2 titles.
The video then flashes a glimpse of an Emira wearing the green and yellow livery worn by the brand’s contemporary open-wheel racers, and tomorrow’s date (2 May).
Lotus has yet to confirm whether the new car will bring extensive modification compared with the standard Emira, nor which engine it uses from the choice of the AMG-sourced turbocharged 2.0-litre four-pot or the supercharged Toyota 3.5-litre V6 – although the V6 seems a more natural fit for a commemoration of one of motorsport’s all-time greats.
Lotus previously celebrated Clark’s success in 2018, when it built a one-off version of the Evora GT410 inspired by the red Elan driven by the Scotsman during the 1960s. The 100,000th car to be built by Lotus, it was conceived in collaboration with the Jim Clark Trust and raffled off to fund the Jim Clark Museum in Duns, Scotland.
It’s possible that the new car will be similarly billed, although it may also be offered for sale as a high-cost special edition, amid Lotus facing financial challenges. The firm recently warned it would be cutting jobs after its profits fell from £76.3 million in 2023 to £21.7m for the 2024 financial year.
Lotus chief financial officer Daxue Wang attributed the drop to the imposition of tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles – such as the Eletre SUV and Emeya saloon – as well as broader “global trade uncertainties”. Wang added that the firm would embark on a campaign of “strategic cost optimisation to improve profitability”.
As Lotus notes, Clark’s 1965 season is considered one among the greatest ever individual seasons for a driver, having also included overall wins at Brands Hatch and Oulton park in the British Saloon Car Championship (forerunner to today’s BTCC).