Reply With QuoteBuy a Lotus then open a beer!
(The Lotus is better than the beer was...)
Hi all,
I am presently looking to secure a nice Elise and have set my heart on a series 3 1.6 club racer. Not the most powerful machine in the world but for my purposes it would seem ideal. It will be my 4th Elise and one I am planning on keeping this one.
Anyone else got one, or any other Lotus for that matter? Time for uploading pics is now!
Buy a Lotus then open a beer!
(The Lotus is better than the beer was...)
S1 is where it’s at, big lotus fan here. Not tried the 1.6 lump.
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The gloominess of the picture pretty much sums up our trip to Scotland for the NC500. Photo was taken just next to the Kylesku Bridge. Love it, great to drive - just keep tissues handy to plug the windows when it rains...
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Windows can be fettled to fit, just takes some love and care. Would love to do the NC500
I loved the S1 but holed the radiator the first time I tracked one at Thruxton - ended up buying VX220 Turbo, that had a stage 1 upgrade, which was awesome on smoother some fast sweeping roads - I miss it a lot some days.
It's just a matter of time...
Lovely. You have had that 160 for quite some time if I recall.Originally Posted by Middo
S1 is where it’s at, big lotus fan here. Not tried the 1.6 lump.
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Yup, circa 18 years I think.
Good man. I am sure we might (just might) have discussed my buying it on Seloc. But I may misremember.
Back in the day,an Elite nearly broke my will to live.
I have nearly sold it twice, mainly due to lack of use. Couldn’t bring myself to do it really.
I’ve had 3 Elises and 2 Caterhams from 108hp to nearly 300hp
Fondest memories are of my first basic S1, ordered in 1997!
Last was an R500 duratec spec caterham
I still think the lowest powered variants of the caterhams and Elises were the most fun overall
Them 160’s are amazing, I remember lusting after one when they first came out.
S1 is where it’s at, big lotus fan here. Not tried the 1.6 lump.
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Yeah I think the 134 BHP of the club racer will put it in the lowered power category but looks to be bags of fun.
Im in the wish I had one club. The faster ones have a reputation on the race tracks for keeping up with some quite exotic stuff.
For UK roads these days the one your looking at is ideal since thee are cameras everywhere anyway.
I've had my Sport 220 for a few years now
I only gave up my lotus fad when I got in to motorbikes. I was on seloc and did many Sunday am breakfast runs, including a very hairy one with a rather serious pile up and ambulance. The airfield days were fun and thought me a lot about driving.
I will have another i reckon one day. It did get a bit silly though, and my Sunday mornings ended up starting at 4.30
Am just to get a quiet bit of road
My dearly departed Lotus Type 104 aka Vauxhall Lotus Carlton
Have you thought about a VX220 normal or turbo?
Why?
A bit OT, but my younger brother (with the car collection) bought a new 1970 Lotus Europa a year out of high school. He adored that car. After three weeks of ownership it was stolen. A week later the police found it and directed us to an impound lot on the outskirts of the city (Minneapolis). It took us a long time to find it, as the fibreglass car had been burned up and there was basically nothing left but a "Y" frame, two axles, and a partially melted powertrain. My brother sobbed for hours. He later bought a used 1957 Plymouth!
Had this for over 8yrs now. Probably only done 300 miles in the past 3 yrs. Came close to buying a 340r a few times over the years.
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OOOooooffff!.My dearly departed Lotus Type 104 aka Vauxhall Lotus Carlton
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
When I were a lad there used to be a gorgeous Lotus Europa parked in the drive of neighbours along the road. I drooled at that car every day on way to and from school bus.A bit OT, but my younger brother (with the car collection) bought a new 1970 Lotus Europa a year out of high school. He adored that car. After three weeks of ownership it was stolen. A week later the police found it and directed us to an impound lot on the outskirts of the city (Minneapolis). It took us a long time to find it, as the fibreglass car had been burned up and there was basically nothing left but a "Y" frame, two axles, and a partially melted powertrain. My brother sobbed for hours. He later bought a used 1957 Plymouth!
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Another Lotus fan here. I have have a 98 S1 Elise since 2002 and have had so much fun with it. Met some great people back in the day through Seloc events such as Cloggy Run and French Frolic. Still have the car but haven’t driven it for two years. When the weather is good for it I’m busy on the farm. Now in love with Porsche which gives a little more comfort and refinement but for raw driving fun little if anything can compete with an Elise.
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I’ve had a few but never an Elise. Started with a VX220 in 2005, then Exige S2, 2-Eleven and finally an Exige S3 in 2015
More photos of the Evora please! Specs?
Certainly.
It’s an Evora S with a few, er, improvements: engine/exhaust, brakes, suspension, rear deck lid etc.
Now puts out 426fhp & 330lbft.
The Evora S is the best car I’ve driven. Superb choice!
(The Europa SE is probably the 2nd best, but they are very rare.)
Driven these roads for loads of years now, long before the NC500 evolved into what is now, not nearly as much fun now, too much traffic around.
DSC_9165_zpstfyygvlf by Tom Peach, on Flickr
VX220SC here. They're all very similar. Mine's probably closer to an exige in spec (250bhp charge cooled, Nitrons, gt uprights, grippy tyres, harnesses, aggressive geo) but they're all very similar. Worth joining the forums (Seloc, MLOC) if you are looking to buy as quite often you'll get a more cosseted car. Unless it's a specific Lotus dealer (Hoffmans or Jon Seal type) they tend not to have a clue what they are doing. Certainly don't buy from 'TVRGlen' as he's known.
I've driven an S1 (185bhp), an S2 (118bhp) and the VX on track and they all have their bits that I prefer. The S2 looks prettiest (in my view), the S1 has the nicest feel through the steering wheel/brakes and the VX the best gear change. All three of these cars were very well looked after and had a lot of upgrades on them.
Had my S2 111s for just over 11 years now, was only supposed to have it for 3... Despite owning it for so long I'm yet to take it on a track daySuspension, intake, exhaust and brake pads have been upgraded, dipped beams are HIDs (makes sooo much difference) and it currently sits on Yoko AD08RS tyres with a 4 wheel geo by my local specialist. It was also pretty much re-shelled a couple of years back so it's in good nick, and it's driven every week regardless as to the time of year.
Been to Le Mans in it, a road trip around the southern half of Ireland (where the first 'photo was taken, looking down towards Dingle) and twice up to Scotland for a whisky trip and parts of the NC500.
Dingle
Inch Beach
Inch Beach
Somewhere in Scotland
B&W
Last edited by CardShark; 26th June 2020 at 16:20.
My three - owned each of these for about 3 years .
Elise 111S
Exige S 240PP
Evora
My Elise S2 111S (K series) chasing down a Porsche Carrera GT at Ascari:
Didn’t you take it to Santa Pod, which they then disagreed with?
Yep, oops
Do different manufacturers have varying policies in regard to what constitutes voiding the warranty then?
I have never tracked a car I've owned (although I've been on many track days).
Lotus 7 S3 with steel BDA fitted - it's an old pic -my youngest son (behind the wheel) has just graduated !
Track use will invalidate most car warranties.
However, Lotus stipulate that track use is ok, as long as it isn’t timed. (The cars are, after all, designed primarily as track day cars). Any form of racing will involve timing of one sort or another whilst track days specifically ban any form of timing. Timing your car down the Santa Pod strip (and publishing said timings on the internet) will therefore invalidate a Lotus warranty.
And I can confirm they definitely go to the bother of scouring the internet. In my case I encountered “warped” rear discs after very few miles which the factory decided was down to me using the car on a handful of runs on a Pistonheads organised event at Santa Pod.
Anyhow, they make great cars, the guys at Lotus Silverstone are fantastic and the people at Lotus hq could learn a thing or two from them. I also wish they’d stop bringing out a new special edition every other week.
Bravo and Alex,
Thanks - worth knowing.
I've always loved Lotus. Think it started with the JPS F1 cars.
It was a great bit of kit, had it for a year and part ex’d it back to the same dealer for what I paid for it. Whereas the Exige depreciated pretty hard
So when I started this thread I had a planned budget of £20K for an Elise. Due to circumstances (holiday cancelled) I now find myself with a slightly bigger budget, maybe another £6K. So my search has expanded to 1.6 S3’s and even the odd 1.9 Exige. I know these are quite different cars but what would the wise TZers do in this situation?
I’m thinking an older Exige maybe a better car for holding it’s money over say, 5 years....Thoughts very welcome.
I’d go for a Europa SE....good luck finding one though!
With £26k, I would give serious consideration to an NA Evora.
Unless you plan on being on track every weekend, the Evora is a far more composed car than an Elise or Exige. It is far more useable for 90% of the time and far more comfortable for the other 10%.
Is it now for sale through Jon Seal? Saw he had a red 2-11 for sale recently.
When comparing the Elise and Exige, it's worth considering the roof off motoring. You can convert the Exige to have the roof off but for me, the Elise would win with the prospect of roof off motoring. You aren't always on track.
https://www.facebook.com/jonsealsportscars for the latest he has in. Always worth a message too.
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