Am i barking up the wrong tree....

[Havoc856]

Hi everybody,

I've been toying with getting a Lotus in one way shape or form for the last 6yrs. I've currently got a Ford Focus RS Mk2 that i've owned from the off and keep defaulting back to it as being rather good at everything. I've decided after a fairly hefty uprooting recently that i should stop procrastinating as i'm not getting any younger and life is decidedly unpredictable.

I'm in the Army and have a German Shepherd so i normally have at least a big bag or a big dog in the passenger seat... This burning drive for a Lotus isn't going away though. I've driven all of the Elise/Exige cars and found every one from a 111S to a 260 RGB to be a riot. They're.... well, they're just a little small - this would be my only car... and i'm sure you can see where this is going...

So my RS is 1450kg with 400bhp... the Evora (apparently) is 1400kg with 276bhp... but it does have ample space for aforementioned furry and bag. I can't stretch to a supercharged Evora alas. The starting price is a few grand out of reach. Dare i say on paper it seems a little slow - i'm yet to get in one (although this is coming shortly).

I'm not overly bothered about paper stats.. its how it drives that is important to me, but i do want decent performance.

Basically i'm posting this for both Evora and Elise/Exige forums to try to put together a balanced view on things from owners opinions.

[Havoc856]

Perfect responses, thank you!

I've looked at the Mk3... Even spec'd modestly its a £35,000 car - I'd be questioning why i decided a hatchback over an Evora S or CR for that money.

I preferred the 190 Exige to the 220 and 240. The 260 was just mental and hilarious. The 111S was a lovely drive too. I think i'd miss the rush the RS can provide in the sudden smash of boost... but maybe i need to get hold of Aimee and get in the 276 i've been staring at for weeks.

[Havoc856]

Toaster said:

What a dilemma, its a nice one to have but as an Evora owner and a former German Shepard owner I think you may want to stick with the RS. The Evora is a great car but not sure id want to subject the German Shepard to having to be in it. Its only my opinion but I wouldn't buy an Evora if I had a Dog such as yours.

You realise i'm not living in it right? It'd be for short trips back to the family home etc, not for 3 hour marathons. If you're concerning yourself with the noise, she falls straight asleep in a rock hard straight through exhaust fitted RS too.

Not to mention the seats are Recaro CS in the RS as well as the Evora. Additionally the intention is the entire rear bench area is hers for the short trips.

[Havoc856]

BravoV8V said:

Does Aimee know you feel this way?

Valid shout!

I've begun the search, it didn't start well with the one i'm after being off the road for a steering rack issue must... be... patient...

Thanks for the help guys. You've been cracking.

[Havoc856]

Thanks again, I've managed to stumble across a thread where there's a fairly simple rear seat delete guide so if she does get arsey... then I have a backup plan.

Tbh she sits on the front seat quite happily now and normally starts off in the footwell then gets nosey!

[Havoc856]

Copied from the Readers cars section!

So after six long years of looking for a Lotus that fit my life, i finally went up to Lotus Silverstone to see Aimee about a Grey Evora... I'd driven virtually every Elise and Exige variant up to that point (and bored friends about wanting one) and despite loving them, they just were too impractical for my needs Aimee didn't disappoint with the car - it's lovely and the forged alloys are works of art! So i bought it there and then!

Believe it or not the rear "seats" are damn useful for comfortably loading up grip bags or my dog - although she prefers the footwell, even though its a tighter fit

I just can't stop driving it, i love how special it feels, the handling and the noise it makes. I went out to buy a kettle tonight and ended up 30 miles away at Sandbanks....

20160404_192151 by Simon Cox, on Flickr

I've been fairly corrupted by blown cars for the last 8yrs so this is a return to my roots and naturally aspirated - it's taken an adjustment period to get used to not having instant access to huge waves of power, but the fun of rev hunting and instant throttle delivery that naturally aspirated engines give over the softness of blown engines has made me grin from ear to ear!

I've found the clutch pretty heavy and reversing has become a bit of a bugger considering the beeps go from nothing to "OMG stop" in a second. Practice makes perfect!

Spec:

2011 Carbon Grey Lotus Evora
N/A V6 300bhp (near as makes no odds)
Essex Autosport Remap
2Bular Exhaust c/w sports cat
Drop in sports air filter

Future:

Decent phone mount
New PH smiley required
Track day at Snetterton 300 on 5th May and Silverstone in August!
Polish, DA and a general tidy up of the seat (bolster wear)
Difflow 5 elm diffuser
A decent weighted gear knob... i find the shift a little light and imprecise (in other words i fluff a few gear changes)

Gratuitous Picture Collection:

C_7D6206 by Simon Cox, on Flickr

C_7D6210 by Simon Cox, on Flickr

C_7D6213 by Simon Cox, on Flickr

C_7D6214 by Simon Cox, on Flickr

C_7D6215 by Simon Cox, on Flickr

C_7D6218 by Simon Cox, on Flickr

Thanks for the guidance!

[Havoc856]

Sumsion said:

Any dog worth it's salt will want to sit in the front ! I then coax mine from the front seat into the footwell and away we drive .

20160402_101048 by Simon Cox, on Flickr

[Havoc856]

wantacar said:

I went to look at this car last year, unfortunately it rained very heavily and I came away somewhat disappointed.....it wasn't in sport mode either.....

it was a bit scruffy but looks 100% tidied up now!

They've also wrapped the wing mirrors and the roof??

Congrats!

Did you get a good deal? PM me if it isn't too personal a question.

I am still looking but am after a brighter color. White, yellow or red.

Not the same car fella - this doesn't have wrap on it, id have noticed when i detailed it last weekend if it did - it does have a high amount of ventureshield on it through.

I do know which car you're on about though... i had my eye on that one too

C_7D6302 by Simon Cox, on Flickr

C_7D6333 by Simon Cox, on Flickr

C_7D6265 by Simon Cox, on Flickr

C_7D6261 by Simon Cox, on Flickr

C_7D6324 by Simon Cox, on Flickr

Edited by Havoc856 on Wednesday 6th April 07:53

[Havoc856]

bosshog said:

Why not just get an Elise/Exige and something like a cheap mini/fiesta/focus for the dog? Best of both worlds? Thats what I did, won't have it any other way (sold my M3). Just can't stop grinning driving the Elise.

I'm in the Army and whilst i would love an Exige S 260 Cup i can't fit my Bergen or a grip bag in it, let alone a dog. The Evoras V6 is something else compared to the K/2ZZ imo.

[Havoc856]

My Sector111 "bk" arrived the other day and is now fitted - it's lovely and adds a certain heft to the shift that i thought was otherwise lacking. I'm delving into some Gliptone leather care over the weekend to renovate the bolsters somewhat and otherwise just enjoying the car!

In a week and a half i've covered 934 miles... Absolutely loving it!

It seemed fairly criminal not to take a few HDR and play around tonight.... Although it's been a while and there wasn't much in the way of clouds and i have to double check my settings in the camera as i only managed three exposures instead of the normal 6 i used to shoot to avoid some artefacts.

Disappearing Sun by Simon Cox, on Flickr

Glint by Simon Cox, on Flickr

Whilst the world is on fire... by Simon Cox, on Flickr

My name is Max... by Simon Cox, on Flickr

and some slightly more surrealistic shots...

Surreal Views by Simon Cox, on Flickr

Road to Nowhere by Simon Cox, on Flickr