Lotus priced the 2026 Emira V6 SE at £96,500. That is the UK starting price in Lotus’s official June 5, 2025 press release for the 2026 Emira lineup (Germany starts at €117,500). For that money you get a mid-engine car with a supercharged 3.5-liter V6, 400 horsepower, a limited-slip differential, and a six-speed manual gearbox listed as standard. In a segment that keeps swapping the third pedal for paddles, Lotus put the clutch at the top of its range.
The clutch is the V6 SE’s whole reason to exist
This is the clutch graf, and Lotus printed a real one. The global release pairs the 3,456cc supercharged V6 with “a six-speed manual gearbox with LSD (Limited Slip Differential) as standard or an optional automatic transmission.” The spec table says it plainly: “6-speed manual/automatic.” Lotus did not just carry the stick over, either. The 2026 V6 SE gets a new compression mount for the manual gearbox, which Lotus says delivers more precise gear changes. The Lotus US Emira page describes the American V6 SE simply as the supercharged 3.5 “paired with the coveted 6-speed manual gearbox,” and Lotus Technology’s April 3, 2026 New York Auto Show release calls it “the six-speed manual Emira V6 SE.” Every other Emira on that US page, from the Turbo to the Turbo SE to the new 420 Sport, uses the AMG-sourced 2.0-liter turbo four with an 8-speed dual-clutch. If you want three pedals in an Emira, the V6 SE is the only door.
One tradeoff hides in the safety section. Lotus’s optional Extended Co-Driver Pack adds adaptive cruise control, but the release notes that feature is “only compatible with automatic transmission.” Manual buyers still get the standard kit: automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, blind spot warning, traffic sign recognition, and fatigue detection.
The official number board
Lotus’s spec table for the Emira V6 SE lists:
- Engine: 3,456cc supercharged V6
- Transmission: six-speed manual with limited-slip differential standard; automatic optional
- Power: 400 bhp (298 kW)
- 0–62 mph: 4.3 seconds
- Top speed: 180 mph
- Brakes: 370 x 32 mm front discs, 350 x 32 mm rear, AP Racing four-piston calipers with braided hoses
- Price: from £96,500 in the UK, €117,500 in Germany
For comparison, the entry Emira Turbo starts at £79,500 in the UK, with 360 bhp, the 8-speed dual-clutch, and a 4.4-second 0–62 time. Lotus’s US Emira page does not print a dollar price for any trim, so we are sticking with the UK and German figures Lotus put in writing.
What else changed for 2026
Lotus says it retuned the V6 SE’s dampers and made small wheel-alignment changes for sharper handling and a better ride. The car keeps two chassis settings, Tour for everyday driving and Sports for a slightly stiffer setup, and it keeps hydraulic steering. Zinc Grey is the standard paint. V6 SE models get their own badges, the extended Black Pack, 20-inch forged wheels, Alcantara trim, and sport pedals. The configurator spread runs to 15 exterior colors, seven interior themes, four caliper finishes, and eight wheel designs. Range-wide, Lotus rerouted the coolant lines for better flow to the transmission oil cooler and radiator, raised the thermostat opening temperature from 65°C to 75°C, and recalibrated the dual-clutch for quicker shifts on the four-cylinder cars. The US page adds an optional removable roof on the Turbo SE, V6 SE, and 420 Sport.
Every Emira is still hand-built in Hethel, England, where Lotus has made sports cars since 1966. Lotus’s US page calls the Emira the last in a line of Lotus models powered by internal combustion engines, which makes this six-speed feel less like an option and more like a last call. If you are shopping mid-engine with a clutch, the other factory books worth reading are Porsche’s 718 Cayman and 718 Boxster.
The bottom line: £96,500 buys the 2026 Emira V6 SE, and Lotus’s own book lists a six-speed manual with a limited-slip diff as standard. In the US, it is the only Emira with a clutch pedal.
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