RE: Vegantune Evante: Spotted
Discussion
Strider said:
I relaunched the Mk 1 with George Robinson then launched the Mk 2, although why they just stopped production of the car that was starting to sell while they developed a revised model that was heavier, slower, less nimble and a lot less pretty is still a mystery. Press coverage was extensive and highly favourable. We even had it on the cover of Performance Car and Director and a huge piece in The Daily Telegraph. Looking back, I feel very lucky to have been part of a special era in British automotive manufacturing, even if not all the lessons-learnt about these companies living on little more than passion and hope were positive. Evante was the last of a bread that could not survive in the twenty first century. This is one of the Mk 2 launch pics, with a youthful me at the wheel. 
I remember the Performance Car article and cover you mention! Edited by Strider on Thursday 25th April 10:05
williamp said:
Back in 1990 fast lane magazinec compared one to the (then new) M100 Elan and it campared very favourabley. I think the author decided he would choose the evanter, but many more would choose the Elan.
They also had it up against the TVR 390SE and Scimitar 1800 ti a bit before that Remember being interested in reading that one as had the TVR factory 390 SE on demo for a bit
Back in the day Vegantune used to fettle the Elan engines getting 150bhp and putting their own cam covers on the cars. They also restored Elans as in full restorations. I bought a series 4 Elan that Vegantune had just converted to Sprint spec and it was a lovely car the engine felt far stronger than the 25bhp quoted for the original Sprint's. Their work was to a really good standard every wire was marked the paintwork was spot on etc it really looked and ftike a new car. I took the car to be serviced by them at Spalding, they all seemed to love their jobs and Lotus. I even bought some new different spec knock on alloys after this pic from Christopher Neals in Northwich I bet there are not many of them still around. Here is my car plus an engine pic that wasn't mine I had the original black new lotus cam covers.
Test drove a mk1 a few years ago that a classic car dealer was selling. Was an excellent drive, and very good looking and I almost bought it
Like the Elan it feels very small in modern traffic. Could never understand the ugly mk2 face(arse)lift - spending money they didn't have on a super low volume model....to make it worse.
Like the Elan it feels very small in modern traffic. Could never understand the ugly mk2 face(arse)lift - spending money they didn't have on a super low volume model....to make it worse.
Strider said:
I relaunched the Mk 1 with George Robinson then launched the Mk 2, although why they just stopped production of the car that was starting to sell while they developed a revised model that was heavier, slower, less nimble and a lot less pretty is still a mystery. Press coverage was extensive and highly favourable. We even had it on the cover of Performance Car and Director and a huge piece in The Daily Telegraph. Looking back, I feel very lucky to have been part of a special era in British automotive manufacturing, even if not all the lessons-learnt about these companies living on little more than passion and hope were positive. Evante was the last of a bread that could not survive in the twenty first century. This is one of the Mk 2 launch pics, with a youthful me at the wheel.
Edited by Strider on Thursday 25th April 10:05
Nice to hear from someone close to the project. I remember when they came out and the press was gushing praise. I hate these PH articles that start with '... you've never heard of.', some of us are over 40! I certainly remember the evante and have the appropriate levels of appreciation; it was an excellent car.
Turbobanana said:
Gez79 said:
The original version is much prettier.
Think those rear lights are actually off a Triumph TR7/8 unless someone is going to tell me that triumph used Alfa lights?
Right on both counts - apologies for my earlier recollection that they were Alfa GTVs.Think those rear lights are actually off a Triumph TR7/8 unless someone is going to tell me that triumph used Alfa lights?
Gez79 said:
Turbobanana said:
Gez79 said:
The original version is much prettier.
Think those rear lights are actually off a Triumph TR7/8 unless someone is going to tell me that triumph used Alfa lights?
Right on both counts - apologies for my earlier recollection that they were Alfa GTVs.Think those rear lights are actually off a Triumph TR7/8 unless someone is going to tell me that triumph used Alfa lights?
[quote=fatbutt]
Nice to hear from someone close to the project. I remember when they came out and the press was gushing praise. I hate these PH articles that start with '... you've never heard of.', some of us are over 40! I certainly remember the evante and have the appropriate levels of appreciation; it was an excellent car.
[/quot
Thanks FB. Good to hear that so many PHers remember the cars through the press articles. The Mk 1 really was very good and pretty too. The story behind the management of the business was rather different. One day it will make a fine book.
Nice to hear from someone close to the project. I remember when they came out and the press was gushing praise. I hate these PH articles that start with '... you've never heard of.', some of us are over 40! I certainly remember the evante and have the appropriate levels of appreciation; it was an excellent car.
[/quot
Thanks FB. Good to hear that so many PHers remember the cars through the press articles. The Mk 1 really was very good and pretty too. The story behind the management of the business was rather different. One day it will make a fine book.
Kevin-sz0nv said:
Back in the day Vegantune used to fettle the Elan engines getting 150bhp and putting their own cam covers on the cars.
They did rather more than that, in the end, as the pic demonstrates: they eventually produced their own engine (based on a Crossflow block, with their own head and cam carriers), the Vegantune VTA. The big difference, as shown in the pic, is that it had belt driven cams instead of the chain driven cams of the Lotus engine, but it remained 8 valves.They supplied to Caterham, at one stage, when the Lotus Twin Cam went out of production and supplies dried up.
From memory, it was a little more powerful than the Sprint spec. Lotus Twin Cam in standard tune (130bhp vs. 126bhp for the Sprint), but could be tuned up to 175bhp.
williamp said:
Back in 1990 fast lane magazinec compared one to the (then new) M100 Elan and it campared very favourabley. I think the author decided he would choose the evanter, but many more would choose the Elan.
If I remember correctly, that was a piece by Peter Dron. If the client wanted to come out on road tests, I'd invite them out with Peter as he was not only an extraordinarily skilled driver, but also extraordinarily brave. A few minutes in the passenger seat ensured that future outings would be uncompromised by the client's CEO gushing sales brochure praise.Vegatune were also producing 'tall block' Lotus twincam engines with re cast original pattern chain drive Lotus TC heads as late as 1979 for supply to Caterham. I know this as I have one sitting next to me in my office as I write (which came from a factory built Caterham Silver Jubilee edition). The head casting is very much better that the earlier Lotus ones.
Incidentally a Zetec fits an Elan without resulting in the jacked up appearance - there's a 200BHP Dunnel engine in this one and it goes like effin' stink!
Incidentally a Zetec fits an Elan without resulting in the jacked up appearance - there's a 200BHP Dunnel engine in this one and it goes like effin' stink!
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