The Lotus Emeya is a four-door, fully electric sports car that boasts of being really fast and really luxurious, and being a rival to the Porsche Taycan. I had the fun assignment of driving it over the weekend to see what this “Hyper GT” label was all about.

To the recollection of enthusiasts, Lotus cars are of British origin dating back to 1948, and have been around long enough to earn racing credibility on a global scale. The car brand’s founder, Colin Chapman, was a believer in simplicity in engineering, and popularized the phrase, “To add speed, add lightness.” This thought process led the Lotus brand to a peak of success for its engineering prowess. However, Lotus did have its share of uncertain times after Chapman’s death.

Fast-forward to the present day, Lotus cars has made a comeback under the majority ownership of Chinese car company Geely. Research and development have been taking place in three parts of the world—China, the UK and Germany—redirecting the focus on creating a lineup of performance electric vehicles. The Emeya S is an evident nod to the brand’s origins and its founder. But as a full-electric vehicle, I had my doubts on how much of the past has actually been represented.

The exterior shell is gorgeous enough to catch quite a few stunned looks and crouched necks. It will get you access to special parking privileges reserved for sports cars in public establishments. The daylight-running lamps are sleek, sloping downwards in true sports-car fashion. The barely-there red streak for a rear light amplifies its aggressive appearance. On street appeal alone, it’s a 10.

It’s a lowrider with little to no space between the fenders and the 21-inch wheels. All other angles point to aerodynamics with geometric lines and multiple air ducts. The grille is cleverly designed for two functions. It opens to minimize drag, driving the point of a car that goes fast because it travels light. When closed, it serves as a battery-cooling system.

There are two ways to unlock a Lotus Emeya: with a key fob the size of a pebble or with a hotel-style key card. When scanned, the key card automatically unlocks then starts the car. The use of the card is an innovative concept worth enjoying, and, personally, it is the better option over the possibility of losing the minuscule pebble key.

The interior absolutely wins with luxurious amenities. It’s equipped with a few showstopping tricks for both driver and passenger. For starters, the LED mood lighting offers an obnoxious color palette to choose from. You’ll find carbon-fiber touches throughout the interior, integrating Chapman’s philosophy of reducing weight for the best performance output.

The audio source is by KEF, which initially created home sound systems, but has since formed a partnership with Lotus to deliver clear and crisp in-car sound.

The seats are made from a combination of Nappa leather and upcycled materials, efficiently crafted for superior comfort. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Rear passengers have the luxury of a Swedish massage in the middle of traffic, which can be customized through their own touchscreen situated on the armrest between the bucket seats. There is, of course, a 15.6-inch state-of-the-art touchscreen at the cockpit serving as both control center and source of entertainment.

This vehicle is extremely roomy and comfortable, especially for rear passengers who get a business-class experience. Considering the wide seating space provision, there’s still surprisingly ample trunk space under the liftback lid.

I’ve driven a couple of EVs. But one that’s almost a supercar? Well, this is a first. Admittedly, there was a mental balancing act between knowing the brand as a British classic while relating it to its current electrified existence.

That said though, the drive was superb, as expected from a car priced at P8,500,000. Paired with adjustable air suspension, you get an impressive driving experience. If it hasn’t been stressed enough, the car company has roots in delivering excellent weight distribution, which has thankfully been applied to the present model. The result brings equally excellent performance on the road—the “0-100km/h in four seconds” kind (the top-of-the-line R variant will get you there in 2.78 seconds). Side note: I was not very keen on the abruptness of the brakes no matter how gently you put pressure on the pedal. But I seem to have solved the discomfort by adjusting the suspension level to High.

The car does, however, take note of speed limits, lane departure, and possible collision, and it will boldly kill the fun and alert you to comply. Another interesting safety feature are the intelligent automatic door sensors, which will stop all four doors from opening all the way if they sense an obstruction.

On the downside, all that performance significantly eats up the battery power. Fully charged, the Emeya S is said to have a 500-610km range, and claims its Hyperfast charging feature restores battery life to 80% in less than 15 minutes.

Overall, it was a worthwhile experience driving around a seamless embodiment of dynamism and luxury for a weekend. While I had my doubts, the Emeya S does an exceptional job incorporating sensibilities from some classic Lotus models as it pushes itself forward as a serious threat to disrupt markets, being the excellent fully electric grand tourer that it is.