Grand Prix winning Lotus coming to New Zealand

The Macau Grand Prix takes place on one of the most demanding circuits in the world, and sits alongside the New Zealand Grand Prix as the only FIA-certified international Grand Prix events not part of the Formula One World Championship. It is considered an ultimate test for a race car.

It’s even more impressive then that at this circuit, two Lotus Emira GT4s, sporting stunning tribute liveries to celebrate 75 years of Lotus Motorsport, finished first and second in what can be considered their International Motorsport debut. The pair led from the start and were in complete control until the premature end of the race due to an incident.

Ringo Chong, Team Director at TORO Racing, commented: ”The Emira GT4's three greatest strengths in the race were: first, the centre of gravity is very low, like flying on the ground; second, the car's steering is flexible, which gives the car a good advantage in the sharp corners of the Macau Grand Prix circuit; and third, we have added tuning for the city track and the mountain track to meet the demands of more intense driving.”

The Lotus Emira GT4 has been homologated for competition in global GT4 classes and, thanks to a comprehensive options list, is also eligible for other non-homologated and specialist race series. It is powered by a Lotus-tuned 3.5-litre V6 with Motec engine management and a Harrop TVS 1900 supercharger. It features a Hewland six-speed sequential transmission with paddleshift actuation and limited-slip differential. Power output is 455 bhp with 500Nm of torque, though both can be reduced in-line with the competition its running in.

Demand for the Emira GT4 will be high after the weekend’s results, and Lotus Auckland were lucky to secure an early allocation for our customers. The car is built, has finished it’s shakedown testing and is on its way to New Zealand, where it will be available for purchase.

The Emira GT4 will undoubtedly make a real statement on the New Zealand racing scene. Able to be set-up for GT4 or open classes, if it’s showing in Macau is anything to go by, it’ll be a regular sight at the front of New Zealand GT car fields.