RE: The last ever Lotus 340R: Spotted
Discussion
Ruxpin said:
Alpinestars said:
I managed mid 20s for mine. Just before they took off. Great timing.
Sorry....It's a great car and despite the 2 engines we have since put in it, the love for it is still very much there! I think you/we were very unfortunate with the previous 1.9 build. It is going well now though...nothing sounds quite like a VHPD at 7k+rpm!
https://youtu.be/JDXCtxKxITo
It still surprises me how different the 340R drives to an S1 with the same/similar geo.
I agree with the noise, it's amazing with the carbon tube - that's what I miss most about it. And it is very different to an S1, pretty benign without a LSD, but I do think the steering is a bit vague (tin foil hat at the ready), especially when compared to things like the atom/caterfields etc. It just doesn't have the same "bite".
Having ordered and been one of the first to own one (even attending the launch at the Hippodrome!) and lived through all the problems that went with it, this just makes me laugh. Rose tinted glasses on. It was under developed, down specc'd from the original brief of 340bhp/tonne (thats what the '340' moniker really meant) and problematic from day one. Try obtaining the unique spares. The whole ownership was a nightmare and I couldn't wait to offload it. It wasn't even that quick without paying extra for the 190bhp upgraded ECU. Standard was 177bhp. And it was heavier than it was ever supposed to be.
A mates car went up in flames whilst he was driving it. Inherent misfire. I was a bit wary of it after that.
White elephant.
A mates car went up in flames whilst he was driving it. Inherent misfire. I was a bit wary of it after that.
White elephant.
Edited by Aero8 on Wednesday 4th October 13:13
Aero8 said:
Having ordered and been one of the first to own one (even attending the launch at the Hippodrome!) and lived through all the problems that went with it, this just makes me laugh. Rose tinted glasses on. It was under developed, down specc'd from the original brief of 340bhp/tonne (thats what the '340' moniker really meant) and problematic from day one. Try obtaining the unique spares. The whole ownership was a nightmare and I couldn't wait to offload it. It wasn't even that quick without paying extra for the 190bhp upgraded ECU. Standard was 177bhp. And it was heavier than it was ever supposed to be.
A mates car went up in flames whilst he was driving it. Inherent misfire. I was a bit wary of it after that.
White elephant.
Clearly not even slightly bitter about the increase in values. A mates car went up in flames whilst he was driving it. Inherent misfire. I was a bit wary of it after that.
White elephant.
Edited by Aero8 on Wednesday 4th October 13:13
Rawwr said:
That seems like a bit harsh. It was incredibly enjoyable to drive, relative to the Elise. I'm not saying that mine didn't have its problems but it was a turn of the millennium Lotus product and expectations had to be well-managed.
I was actually toning down my opinion of it quite considerably!Edited by Aero8 on Thursday 5th October 17:43
HeMightBeBanned said:
Clearly not even slightly bitter about the increase in values.
Lol well as an owner you would say that wouldn't you?! I wish you good luck if you're trying to up the value of yours, but its only worth what someone will pay, not what a dealer tries to speculate.The car was slated by the press when it was new, it just wasn't what it was supposed to be. Read any of the reports written at the time.
As an aside, I made alot more by selling it and buying something much more desirable. No regrets.
Edited by Aero8 on Thursday 5th October 17:42
Aero8 said:
HeMightBeBanned said:
Clearly not even slightly bitter about the increase in values.
Lol well as an owner you would say that wouldn't you?! I wish you good luck if you're trying to up the value of yours, but its only worth what someone will pay, not what a dealer tries to speculate.The car was slated by the press when it was new, it just wasn't what it was supposed to be. Read any of the reports written at the time.
As an aside, I made alot more by selling it and buying something much more desirable. No regrets.
You presume too much. I didn't buy mine as an investment. I bought it because it's a car I'd always wanted to own. I do more miles in it than my Elise and find it a joy to own and drive. You just sound like a bitter old man.
Edited by Aero8 on Thursday 5th October 17:42
chickensoup said:
not really the last one produced, rather the last one road registered
Dont think they made 340, as I dont think there were 340 buyers!, but there were more than 203, so not the last
every lotus model is fairly rare by mondeo standards anyway
I estimate there are only ever about 140 Mondeo Estate 2.5T's ever sold in the UK... rather rarer than the 340R! Dont think they made 340, as I dont think there were 340 buyers!, but there were more than 203, so not the last
every lotus model is fairly rare by mondeo standards anyway
Edited by Fastdruid on Thursday 5th October 22:31
HeMightBeBanned said:
Aero8 said:
HeMightBeBanned said:
Clearly not even slightly bitter about the increase in values.
Lol well as an owner you would say that wouldn't you?! I wish you good luck if you're trying to up the value of yours, but its only worth what someone will pay, not what a dealer tries to speculate.The car was slated by the press when it was new, it just wasn't what it was supposed to be. Read any of the reports written at the time.
As an aside, I made alot more by selling it and buying something much more desirable. No regrets.
You presume too much. I didn't buy mine as an investment. I bought it because it's a car I'd always wanted to own. I do more miles in it than my Elise and find it a joy to own and drive. You just sound like a bitter old man.
You sound like a bitter old owner rofl.
Edited by Aero8 on Friday 6th October 09:06
Fastdruid said:
chickensoup said:
not really the last one produced, rather the last one road registered
Dont think they made 340, as I dont think there were 340 buyers!, but there were more than 203, so not the last
every lotus model is fairly rare by mondeo standards anyway
I estimate there are only ever about 140 Mondeo Estate 2.5T's ever sold in the UK... rather rarer than the 340R! Dont think they made 340, as I dont think there were 340 buyers!, but there were more than 203, so not the last
every lotus model is fairly rare by mondeo standards anyway
Thats correct. It didn't sell.
Equus said:
lotuslover69 said:
the lotus eleven series 2 is often called the lotus 13
Not by anyone I know!However, looking at that photo of the Eleven it looks a lot like a Westfield to me.
Jon
Aero8 said:
HeMightBeBanned said:
Clearly not even slightly bitter about the increase in values.
Lol well as an owner you would say that wouldn't you?! I wish you good luck if you're trying to up the value of yours, but its only worth what someone will pay, not what a dealer tries to speculate.The car was slated by the press when it was new, it just wasn't what it was supposed to be. Read any of the reports written at the time.
As an aside, I made alot more by selling it and buying something much more desirable. No regrets.
The 340R had Elise 190 suspension and geo, and also had better tyres than regular Elise. Otherwise, no real mystery to what was different.
MikeGalos said:
When the 340R came out there was a program in the US where you could import cars to the US that weren't certified for road use here if they were technologically or historically interesting and if the factory never sold any in the US.
I placed an order for one with a UK dealership, put down a deposit and started on the program paperwork and arranging shipping.
Then Lotus decided to import ten of them for track-only use and they no longer qualified.
And thus ended my plans for having the only street-legal Lotus 340R in the US.
One of these official import cars with only 347 miles on it sold in the USA last week for $50k. Even with import costs to bring it back home that would be about half the price of the one advertised in the lead story.I placed an order for one with a UK dealership, put down a deposit and started on the program paperwork and arranging shipping.
Then Lotus decided to import ten of them for track-only use and they no longer qualified.
And thus ended my plans for having the only street-legal Lotus 340R in the US.
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