Lotus is teasing a mysterious new model that debuts on 5 May. The brief video is just 13 seconds long and never actually gives us a good look at the vehicle. At the end, two rows of portions of letters are visible. The upper ones appear to spell Emira, but the other word isn't distinguishable.

The clip starts with a look at a cloudy sky. We then see the red-and-white curbing along the perimeter of the track. The action cuts into the car with a look at a driver wearing gloves gripping the steering wheel. We also see this person's carbon-fibre helmet. Things are blurry, but the vehicle appears to have a stripped interior.

 

The engine also revs in the video. It makes a raw, raspy noise that gives the car an aggressive sound.

Lotus already offers the Emira GT4 race car. With this in mind, we suspect the vehicle in this teaser might be a track-only, special edition of the sports coupe.

The Emira replaces the Elise, Exige, and Evora in the Lotus lineup. The model is available with a Toyota-sourced 3.5-litre supercharged V6 making 400 bhp (296 kilowatts). With a six-speed manual, the mill offers 310 pound-feet (420 Newton-metres) or 317 lb-ft (430 Nm) with the six-speed automatic.

Gallery: Lotus Emira V6 First Edition makes US debut

The drivetrain gets the car to 62 miles per hour (100 kilometres per hour) in 4.3 seconds with the manual or 4.2 seconds with the automatic. Regardless of transmission, the Emira's top speed is 180 mph (290 kph).

The other engine option is a Mercedes-AMG-sourced turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder that makes 360 bhp (268 kW) and 309 lb-ft (420 Nm) in this application. The engine hooks up to an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox. We don't have acceleration specs for this version yet.

The Emira First Edition arrives in the United Kingdom in fall 2022. With the four-cylinder, this model starts at £71,995 or £75,995 with the V6. Lotus says the regular four-cylinder version starts at £59,995.