When review units of the Lotus Emira hit US shores last year, we tested it and found it to be a very compelling sports car, both as a thrill machine and a value proposition. Yet despite receiving almost universal praise from the automotive media, the Emira had one major problem on this side of the Atlantic: it could not be delivered to customers because it wasn’t certified by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
Now, nearly three years after hopeful Lotus owners began putting down deposits to secure this lightweight two-door, they’ll be able to start taking delivery of their cars soon. As reported by Motor1, a user on the Lotus Talk forum made a public records request, finding that the Emira received its CARB approval on February 29th, following the submission of new engine calibration for its supercharged V6 back in January.
As Motor1 notes, the Emira technically could’ve gone on sale earlier as only 14 US states follow the regulations set by CARB. However, the British carmaker stopped all sales until the Emira was 50-state legal.
For now, there’s no exact date when owners can expect to take delivery, but given that this latest approval lifts Emira’s main hurdle, we expect it to be relatively soon. We’ve contacted Lotus for official comment on the Emira’s certification and will update this article once we receive an official statement.