I don't get it???
Discussion
Is there anyone that gets this??? Yesterday i actually had someone (I do not know) tell me my Esprit was a beautiful car, but since they did not make them in a "automatic" they could't see buying one. WHAT??? A what??? No shifting??? It scares me that there are these "people" out there. I can see an automatic in a Volvo, "big" Jag, or a Bently or something??? but an Esprit...
Drive topless!!!
(while shifting!!!)
Cameron
Ay? did you slap them silly round their face with a wet fish? I mean its a super car not a bedroom suite. Its a car to be driven, part of the experience I say is all in the gear change and controlling the revs. Like taming the Lion.
Thats the first I heard for someone to say it should come in auto. Must have been a real numty eh.
Thats the first I heard for someone to say it should come in auto. Must have been a real numty eh.
Automatics are so boring to drive! Just push the pedal and go... My father bought a C5 Corvette with an automatic, so my mom could drive it, I don't care how quick it is, it takes all the excitement out of driving. Luckilly he came to his senses and bought a new Z06 about a month ago 
. To tell you the truth, having only ever driven sticks, automatics kind of scare me... never know what its gonna do (random, violent kickdowns, etc).
Dan
. To tell you the truth, having only ever driven sticks, automatics kind of scare me... never know what its gonna do (random, violent kickdowns, etc). Dan
Do you have the same law in the US reagrding taking your test in a Automatic as we do in the UK ? If you pass your test in the UK in an Automatic then you can't drive a manual car. But it's not realy is problem anyway as a) hardly anyone takes their test in an Automatic and b) The number of automatic cars is about zero anyway.
Adrian
Adrian
adrianmugridge said:
Do you have the same law in the US reagrding taking your test in a Automatic as we do in the UK ? If you pass your test in the UK in an Automatic then you can't drive a manual car. But it's not realy is problem anyway as a) hardly anyone takes their test in an Automatic and b) The number of automatic cars is about zero anyway.
Adrian
No, one license covers everything.
Hi,
Actually, many Multi-Mode Automatics, Manu-matics, CVTs, Tiptronics, SMGs, Cambriocorsas have gotten quite good. By removing some of the tasks traditonally performed by the driver, they have truly made the average driver better, at the expense of refining driving technique. Other benefits of these more advanced systems include greater safety, reliability, longer service life and minimized maintenance schedules.
Once you start down the slippery slope of adding driver aids, it's very difficult to return because they are so quickly adopted and assimilated into the driving experience. They become the norm. Add to that that any engineered system is not static, but continually changed (improved?).
The Esprit started down that slope many years ago with the addition of the Turbo, K-jetronic, then GM Engine Management systems. These innovations alone widened the power band so much, that developing very refined driving techniques became much less important.
Drive an S1 and feel how sensitive the car is to proper timing and technique in shifting, applying power, or actively working the cooling system to keep the car On Cam. Or a carb'd Turbo, where you must not only shift more precisely, but even refine your technique of entering right hand turns so as to not starve the Float Bowls. Or monitoring your brake use so as to minimize fade. Many here who pride themselves as good/accomplished drivers may be in for a shock if ever behind the wheel of earlier generation cars.
Many younger owners here have likely had no experience setting points, activating the choke or driving the tach to find the precise engagement point on non-synchromeshed gearboxes. This is not a put down, everybody is the product of their environment. But what they term the Driver Experience is much less involved than it was at an earlier time.
But, if driving a car of earlier vintage, your skills must be much more precise than those required for an SE, S4 or S4s. And to really judge the advancement, drive a Europa and compare it to the Esprit.
Sure, the later cars go faster, but it's a lot less work, and argueably less thrill, to drive a V8 at 160-170mph than it was to take an S1 to 130mph, or a Europa to 120mph. Demonstrating that speed truly isn't everything. One of the reasons that the Esprit carries a reputation as being much more of a Driver's Car is that it is essentially a massaged '60's design and still retains much of that earlier material and technology.
Sports cars in general have become noticeably much more gelded over the past 5 decades. This has allowed many more people to buy/use them which is really what the manufacturers are aiming at. This means that continued innovation is a fact of life. The Esprit replacement is likely to posess an Auto-manual of some sort as well as Active Ride Control and enhanced steering/braking systems. Of course, Lotus is likely to retain more of the driving experience than other manufacturers, but it too will be lessened significantly. Most won't mind or even know the difference.
This is one of the reasons why, in my case, reverting to a '50's Roadster (MB 190SL) has some appeal. I do not personally rate the later/coming cars as better so far as the driving experience is concerned. They are however Faster, Safer and more Reliable in the Trade Off. Happy Motoring!... Jim'85TE
>> Edited by lotusguy on Thursday 11th March 15:43
Actually, many Multi-Mode Automatics, Manu-matics, CVTs, Tiptronics, SMGs, Cambriocorsas have gotten quite good. By removing some of the tasks traditonally performed by the driver, they have truly made the average driver better, at the expense of refining driving technique. Other benefits of these more advanced systems include greater safety, reliability, longer service life and minimized maintenance schedules.
Once you start down the slippery slope of adding driver aids, it's very difficult to return because they are so quickly adopted and assimilated into the driving experience. They become the norm. Add to that that any engineered system is not static, but continually changed (improved?).
The Esprit started down that slope many years ago with the addition of the Turbo, K-jetronic, then GM Engine Management systems. These innovations alone widened the power band so much, that developing very refined driving techniques became much less important.
Drive an S1 and feel how sensitive the car is to proper timing and technique in shifting, applying power, or actively working the cooling system to keep the car On Cam. Or a carb'd Turbo, where you must not only shift more precisely, but even refine your technique of entering right hand turns so as to not starve the Float Bowls. Or monitoring your brake use so as to minimize fade. Many here who pride themselves as good/accomplished drivers may be in for a shock if ever behind the wheel of earlier generation cars.
Many younger owners here have likely had no experience setting points, activating the choke or driving the tach to find the precise engagement point on non-synchromeshed gearboxes. This is not a put down, everybody is the product of their environment. But what they term the Driver Experience is much less involved than it was at an earlier time.
But, if driving a car of earlier vintage, your skills must be much more precise than those required for an SE, S4 or S4s. And to really judge the advancement, drive a Europa and compare it to the Esprit.
Sure, the later cars go faster, but it's a lot less work, and argueably less thrill, to drive a V8 at 160-170mph than it was to take an S1 to 130mph, or a Europa to 120mph. Demonstrating that speed truly isn't everything. One of the reasons that the Esprit carries a reputation as being much more of a Driver's Car is that it is essentially a massaged '60's design and still retains much of that earlier material and technology.
Sports cars in general have become noticeably much more gelded over the past 5 decades. This has allowed many more people to buy/use them which is really what the manufacturers are aiming at. This means that continued innovation is a fact of life. The Esprit replacement is likely to posess an Auto-manual of some sort as well as Active Ride Control and enhanced steering/braking systems. Of course, Lotus is likely to retain more of the driving experience than other manufacturers, but it too will be lessened significantly. Most won't mind or even know the difference.
This is one of the reasons why, in my case, reverting to a '50's Roadster (MB 190SL) has some appeal. I do not personally rate the later/coming cars as better so far as the driving experience is concerned. They are however Faster, Safer and more Reliable in the Trade Off. Happy Motoring!... Jim'85TE
>> Edited by lotusguy on Thursday 11th March 15:43
adrianmugridge said:
Do you have the same law in the US reagrding taking your test in a Automatic as we do in the UK ? If you pass your test in the UK in an Automatic then you can't drive a manual car. But it's not realy is problem anyway as a) hardly anyone takes their test in an Automatic and b) The number of automatic cars is about zero anyway.
Adrian
Nope. AND that would part of the frustration here, ANYONE can drive. The test is different from state to state (all about money not safety or knowledge), but I promise that if you come over and ride around with me for a day... you will wonder how some of the people are licensed at all!!!
Jim, good point regarding the different developments, but there comes a point (at least to me) when something defeats its own purpose. The paddle shifters, sequential shifters, etc... all seem to have a place, but the experience is lost somehow. Besides, as someone who as lost a gear (3rd) in a sequential shift car, they have nothing over the 'old school" for limping home. There I was sitting... frustrated... on the side of the track with 4 "usable gears" that were usless due to the fact that I couldn't engage them due to the 3rd failure. But even so... when it worked I was still in control of the shift. And the car was fun ( an DSR open cockpit).
Drive topless!!!
Cameron
>> Edited by autocross7 on Friday 12th March 05:04
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