The Lotus Emotion was first presented in 1991 at the Detroit auto show and it was based on the platform of the Lotus Esprit.
The design of the Lotus Emotion is inspired in part by another concept of Bertone, the Bertone Nivola, which failed to be used for the next Chevrolet Corvette. The Emotion was quite compact with a length of 4.05 meters and a width of 1.90 meters, similar dimensions as those of the Lancia Stratos.
