RE: Zenos E10: Driven

[CanAm]

As I said on the other thread, I had a test drive of the E10 prototype last week followed by some laps of the Brands Indy circuit with their driver, Emma. Ansar Ali was present the whole time and happy to chat to us three guests at great length.

I won't spoil the forthcoming PH article by saying too much, but I can't really fault it. Tons more cockpit space than a Caterhame, especially the driver's footwell and shoulder space. Very easy to get in and out of too (compared with a Caterham). Even less storage space than a Caterham though.

The show car they had there was beautifully finished inside and out and there are likely to be further improvements for the production models. A particularly neat touch is the full windscreen; the existing dashtop panel and small aeroscreen just unscrews and is replaced by a new module containing the heated screen, new dashtop, wipers and washer bottle, requiring just one plug-in electrical connector to finish the installation - brilliant!

To answer some queries above, the body design will be modified slightly to be IVA compliant (closing up of the gaps between panels). The gear lever may be lower in production cars due to changes in the shift mounting I believe.

[Gorbyrev]

There is much to like and admire here. Weight and compliance seem to be up to S1 Elise standards and the power train package is future proofed. Well done Ali and all the team who have put the E10 together. I can see these selling well and holding their value. Look forward to taking a spin in one. Will you be renting out E10's in the way that Caterham used to? Best way to get to know a car on the public road and a great way to get on a petrolhead's wish list.

[scubadude]

Toaster said:

Looking at your garage you may be a) Jealous, b) in need a style check, c) defiantly have no idea about why people buy small low volume production focussed sports cars.

Just one question what have you designed that has won acclaim from the public?

Heck I know everyone has an opinion and opinion's are like belly buttons but for heavens sake why be so negative and IMHO rude !! Ansar and his team have placed a lot of money in this project and their reputation I wish them well and success.

So you (and others) disagree so a personal attack is totally justified... I guess I deserve that.

I'm not sure how my garage has anything to do with it, as you say it doesn't include a 2 seater track car. The Van is just a tool, its looks are irrelevant, I don't think the Megane is terrible to look at but its not a "sports car" (an important part of which is always the appearance) and besides- I don't think beautiful exterior design could be leveled at any small estate in 2005/6 :-)

I have a very good idea of C thank you, I would very much like one, sadly the Zenos has designed itself out of contention. For trackdays I have used Caterhams, Porsches and a few other things, I've also driven them on the road. I have a hankering for a kit-car but have never found one I really loved the look of.


I am entitled to my opinion and I expressed it as I did because everyone has a verbal climax when a British small car manufacturer shows its offspring- I find it far too back-slapping and a bit gross, some honesty would probably do them good IMO.

Numerous posters have said it needs a windscreen and/or roof, a roof dictates a whole body shape, far easier to take a roof off a design than add it to a roofless one- for example its easy to imagine a drop top Ginetta G40 (which I think looks ok FWIW)

My bad- I guess I don't get the whole naff 90's console game graphics style of car design, the KTM xbow is IMO a total abomination.

Since this is a body on chassis design they could do different/multiple shells. They could IMO do better than this Mk1.

[ManOpener]

scubadude said:

So you (and others) disagree so a personal attack is totally justified... I guess I deserve that.

Given that your response to my disagreeing (politely) with your entirely subjective views on the aesthetics of the Zenos by claiming I was "blind", then yes I'd argue you probably did.

[B'stard Child]

I saw a couple of them at Snetterton a couple of weeks back and I like the look of them (even though they aren't what I like) - looking forward to a closer look this Sunday

[Zenos]

Scubadude,

You may know that we are hosting a PH Sunday Service this Sunday, 26th October. I am really pleased to say we are fully subscribed for this event though something tells me you may not have signed up for it! So, if you fancy a trip up to sunny Norfolk on another day then here is an open invitation for you to come and see the factory and more importantly meet the team. We can also take you through the design process (yes, you may not believe it but there is one!) and at least this way we can explain to you the Zenos approach, our product plans and you may ask any question you like and we will endeavour to answer as best we can.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Ansar

[SpudLink]

MrLizard said:

What colour did you pick?

I ticked 'Solid Colour', but I don't think I have to decide until about Christmas, 16 weeks in advance.

Which colour would do you recommend?

[B'stard Child]

^ Like Zenos Reply above

[JohnT993]

cant wait for the coupe version... Ansar, can 2018 come round fast please :-)

[braddo]

scubadude said:

I'm not sure how my garage has anything to do with it... The Van is just a tool... I don't think the Megane is terrible to look at but its not a "sports car" (an important part of which is always the appearance)...

2 points:

- you chose vehicles to do a job and their looks are a secondary concern. Some people want a fun/track car that does a good job of being a fun/track car, and the looks are a secondary concern. Those people are making the same decision as you.

- appearance always being an important part of a sports car - you are being presumptuous about that. But even so, opinions on any car's looks vary greatly from person to person, so you should not be surprised that there are people who really like the Zenos's styling.

[MrLizard]

SpudLink said:

I ticked 'Solid Colour', but I don't think I have to decide until about Christmas, 16 weeks in advance.

Which colour would do you recommend?

I fell in love with the green/black to be honest so wrote that on the sheet, i think you can have metallic etc at a higher cost but i think any bright colours will look good on it..

[suffolk009]

MrLizard said:

SpudLink said:

I ticked 'Solid Colour', but I don't think I have to decide until about Christmas, 16 weeks in advance.

Which colour would do you recommend?

I fell in love with the green/black to be honest so wrote that on the sheet, i think you can have metallic etc at a higher cost but i think any bright colours will look good on it..

I've been thinking about the colours, and other cars that feature a lot of black. The McLaren P1 (slightly more £££s) is the one that sprang to mind. It seems that yellow and white are quite popular - but I'd order my P1 in that lovely dark purple (press car P1 OOV). A friend tells me that McLaren Fire Black (black with orangey/red flakes) is quite stunning to behold.

[Jellinek]

tommobot said:

Zenos said:

Kambites and Soad, thank you for clarifying this point on our behalf. As you mention, the E10 does have a (heated) windscreen as an option which may be interchanged with the aeroscreen that comes as standard.



The two evaluations prototypes - EP1 and EP2 - that are testing and doing the customer drives at the moment do not have windscreens for the moment. We are building three further prototypes - validation prototypes - very shortly and at least one of these will have a windscreen fitted. Regards,

I think that looks fantastic!

Not to keen on the white colour but looks good so far, also not to sure on the negativeness towards this car? Can't see whats not to like to be fair.

I think its a great little car and the aesthetics of the aero version is just about nail-on-the-head. The business sense behind the whole operation is clear too, which is great because it means the company has the best chance of survival in what is a very difficult business.

I do agree though that the full windsreen version looks a little awkward. I couldn't resist a doodle at this point and no doubt I am opening myself up to critics, but it would appear to flow better with a more raked screen. The seating would have to be lowered and it would require an all new front end, but I think the styling sacrifice made to having modularity on the windscreen (i.e. a clip on full screen) is too much.

Personally, I would use a clip on roof panel and include electric side windows that would drop at the push of a button on the fob for the fully enclosed version.
In case you were wondering , I am not stylist, I won't be giving up the day job and this was scribbled for a bit of fun over 5 minutes at lunch.

[/URL]

[daytona365]

For a 5 minute doodle it looks very good, almost Dino like. I'm sure the likes of Pininfarina would have charged at least 10 million euros for such a paper napkin !!

[anonymous-user]

Worth remembering that windscreens with a large curvature are a nightmare for wipers and reflections! (and expensive to make)

(and that the car will require some doors before it gets any kind of roof really!

[SidewaysSi]

Great approach and reply from Ansar above.

I have been driving Caterhams for 12 years and also have an S1 Elise. I think the car needs to be clear what sort of machine it is as it may fall between two stools.

Sounds like a modern Elan in some ways. I wish the team the best of luck and will be keeping an eye on this...

[British Beef]

toppstuff said:

This car will do well not only in the UK but internationally, for the simple reason that taller / larger people can actually fit in it.

It is a constant irritation and a short-sighted obstacle to business growth, that so many track and performance cars can only really be driven by little people.

I agree, Caterham and Elise's Ive tried I struggle to get into and once in feel tight and restricted even without a passenger. Ironically, my Fisher Fury has more interior space than both and is significantly smaller and lighter than an Elise - the benchmark for lightweight sports cars.

This thing looks ideally sized outside and inside!!

[scubadude]

braddo said:

Some people want a fun/track car that does a good job of being a fun/track car, and the looks are a secondary concern.

So you agree it might go better than it looks too?

braddo said:

appearance always being an important part of a sports car - you are being presumptuous about that.

Am I, Please list all famously successful yet ugly sports cars?

If your premise is correct how come some of the most famous and respected sports cars look great but are widely acknowledged to be a bit sh*te dynamically?

[vtecyo]

scubadude said:

Am I, Please list all famously successful yet ugly sports cars?

Caterhams.

[braddo]

scubadude said:

braddo said:

Some people want a fun/track car that does a good job of being a fun/track car, and the looks are a secondary concern.

So you agree it might go better than it looks too?

braddo said:

appearance always being an important part of a sports car - you are being presumptuous about that.

Am I, Please list all famously successful yet ugly sports cars?

If your premise is correct how come some of the most famous and respected sports cars look great but are widely acknowledged to be a bit sh*te dynamically?

Styling is subjective. The importance of a car's styling varies from person to person. Is that so hard to understand?

Pick any sports car you like and you will find people who don't like their looks. Some people find the E-Type really ugly; is that a famous enough car for you?