The Emme/Lotus 422T
An Unlikely Partnership Between Scooter Makers and Supercar Specialists
The Emme 422T is a Brazilian car that was a collaboration between the Brazilian company Emme, known for producing scooters, and British supercar maker Lotus. It’s a confluence so singularly unusual that it demands the affections of aficionados despite the heinous looks.
Birthed in 1997, the car came with a 2.2L 4-cylinder engine, capable of delivering over 121 hp per liter and producing 354 Newton meters of torque. This engine setup, along with a five-speed manual transmission, allowed the car to achieve impressive performance metrics, including a 0 to 60 mph acceleration time of just 4.9 seconds. Not bad for 1997.
Only 12 to 15 units were ever built, and the 422T was only sold in Brazil, making it nearly impossible to find elsewhere. Its scarcity only adds to the mystique, even though its design aesthetic could only be described as challenging convention at best, and polarizing at worst.
The Emme 422T stands not merely as a vehicle, but as a chapter in automotive history that speaks to the audacious dreams and fleeting realities of carmakers at the periphery of the global industry. Perhaps it’s a chapter best left forgotten?
