2022 Lotus Emira V6 First Edition

The Emira First Edition marks the start of Lotus's final chapter for the combustion-engined sports car, and this one is specced the way purists wanted it: the supercharged 3.5-litre Toyota-derived V6 paired with a six-speed manual gearbox. Unlike the turbo four-cylinder AMG-powered Emira, the V6 delivers its power with a linear, high-revving character and a proper mechanical soundtrack, wrapped in Hethel's trademark hydraulic-assisted steering feel and a chassis tuned for real-road composure.

This 2022 example is finished in Magma Red and shows 16,300 miles, which is a healthy but unthreatening figure for a car meant to be driven. First Edition cars were the launch-specification run, usually fitted with generous standard equipment, distinctive launch-edition details and larger alloy wheels, and they tend to hold interest for collectors as the earliest production cars.

It is offered by Lotus Silverstone, a franchised Lotus dealer. The manual V6 combination is increasingly sought after as the market shifts toward electrification, and Emira prices have settled into a range where early manual cars make a credible alternative to a Cayman GTS or Alpine-era Elise successors.