Lotus Emira Clark Edition revealed as tribute to Jim Clark’s all-conquering 1965 season

Lotus has a wonderfully rich history in motorsport thanks to some incredible cars and drivers - though few can match the triumphant Formula One season Jim Clark experienced in 1965. And, 60 years on, Lotus has now created the Emira Clark Edition to celebrate. 

Scottish racer, Jim Clark, is widely-regarded as one of the most talented drivers ever, with his crowning achievement coming in ‘65; a season where he secured the second of his Formula One World Championships in the Colin Chapman-designed Lotus 33. He also claimed victory driving Lotus race cars across many other series that year - such as the Indy 500 and the Tasman Series, along with British Formula Two titles and several wins in the British Saloon Car Championship behind the wheel of a Lotus Cortina.

This bond with Lotus has led the Norfolk firm to honour Clark’s legacy with the Emira Clark Edition - a sports car that features a fair few retro touches. Exclusive to the Clark Edition, there’s ‘Clark Racing Green’ as a main body colour, contrasted with a black roof, silver mirrors and a yellow racing stripe that envelopes the front grille – a homage to Clark’s 1965 Indianapolis 500-winning Lotus Type 38.

Elsewhere, there’s a machined aluminium fuel filler cap in place of a body-coloured one, and to the rear there are yellow exhaust tips. There’s also a hand-painted yellow paintstripe down the side, plus ‘Clark Edition’ branding on the doors. 

The interior gets some more old-school style with red leather and Alcantara for the driver’s seat and black leather for the passenger seat. There’s also a carbon fibre treadplate with each of the 60 cars getting its own number for a more bespoke feel. Lotus has even produced a handmade leather holdall with ‘Clark Edition’ details for each customer. 

The Lotus Emira has quickly become one of our favourite sports cars in the past couple of years with its precise chassis and supercar styling. Just in case you think its link to a motorsport legend is rather tenuous, it’s worth remembering that the Emira is no stranger to racing either, as in GT4 form it won its first international race in Macau, China, back in 2023. 

While the Emira is now offered in Turbo SE form, which utilises a Mercedes-AMG turbocharged four-cylinder engine and automatic transmission, you’ll notice Lotus has based the Clark Edition on the V6 variant that comes a six-speed manual transmission finished with a wooden gearknob bespoke to the Clark Edition. 

The mechanicals are unchanged with a 400bhp 3.5-litre supercharged V6 sending power to the rear wheels via a limited-slip differential. A £2,650 option on the regular Emira V6, the ‘Lotus Driver's pack’ is included with the Clark Edition, adding a track mode, launch control, switchable exhaust sound and sports suspension.

The Emira Clark Edition is priced from £115,000 in the UK, making it £20,000 more than the standard Emira V6.

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