Thinking of buying a Zenos E10. Am I insane?

Thinking of buying a Zenos E10. Am I insane?

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SpudLink

Original Poster:

6,361 posts

198 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
quotequote all
I’ve been planning to by an Evora in the Spring of 2015. The idea was to buy a 2012 model with the various revisions and improvements. Financially it would mean stretching myself very thin, and it would have to serve as the daily driver.

However, in recent weeks the idea of having a Zenos in the garage as an occasional track and weekend plaything has been occupying my mind.

The E10 might just turn out to be as much fun to drive as you would hope for a 650KG 200hp car from guys who worked at Lotus and Caterham. And at a price that allows me to keep a reasonable main car for commuting, shopping etc.
The thing is, the 1st batch of E10s could turn out to be badly flawed pre-assembled kit-cars. I have no mechanical skills, and it’s not as though there is an extensive dealership network and owners community to help out.

Do I need my head examined?

Robert Elise

956 posts

151 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
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maybe not....
the guys seem like real pros and will probably support customers very well. They've been very open up to now.
if you didn't want to be the first, why not wait until the 11 or 12? those will get you to the track and back in more comfort, give you more days out.

Bullett

10,951 posts

190 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
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I think there is a PHer who has ordered an E10S. Can't remeber who but his experiences were very positive when I last spotted the thread (a what car that actually seems to have delivered).

I love these as well but the E10 is a bit too weekend for me. I need a little more practicality although not expecting it to be a full on daily.

rallycross

13,199 posts

243 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
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What is a Zenos?

Matt UK

17,937 posts

206 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
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If I had plenty if spare cash I'd be curious.

But in the real world, as a garage toy I'd struggle to pick this over a Caterham.

SpudLink

Original Poster:

6,361 posts

198 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
quotequote all
rallycross said:
What is a Zenos?
Here's the PH story... Linky


SpudLink

Original Poster:

6,361 posts

198 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
quotequote all
Robert Elise said:
if you didn't want to be the first, why not wait until the 11 or 12? those will get you to the track and back in more comfort, give you more days out.
Yes, the E11 & 12 both look promising, but I know nothing about them apart from a concept sketch silhouette.


The Crack Fox said:
From a financial perspective, though, have you considered a good, used Caterham?
Yes, since I 1st drove one 20 years ago. But I like having the engine behind me on the track.

I guess what I'm hoping for is a car that will feel like an S1 Elise, but more so.


braddo

11,050 posts

194 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
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As regards manufacturer support, Zenos is based in Norfolk so it's not too far from you if you are in central England. For me that would be close enough to not be a fear factor in buying one.

If nothing else, I reckon you should go visit Zenos. smile From comments on here they seem to be very open and obviously a test drive of a prototype might help you make a decision.

However, I would think that the market for selling them will be very small indeed for at least a few years, so I would say they have to be a medium to long term ownership proposition.

SpudLink

Original Poster:

6,361 posts

198 months

Thursday 2nd October 2014
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The Crack Fox said:
They've got a number of test-drive events planned, looks great (quite tempted myself, actually), see here: http://www.zenoscars.com/october/september/
I'll be at the Silverstone event at the end of the month. A short test drive of the prototype on the road, and quick blast around the track as a passenger.
It'll be interesting to meet the people behind Zenos.

There's an article online from someone who's driven it... Link .




anonymous-user

60 months

Tuesday 27th September 2016
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These look mental are they good to own?

SpudLink

Original Poster:

6,361 posts

198 months

Tuesday 27th September 2016
quotequote all
V6Pushfit said:
These look mental are they good to own?
I've now had the car for 14 months, and last Sunday it passed the 5000 mile mark.
The car itself is brilliant to drive. You very quickly get used to the heavy unassisted steering. The brakes and gear change have both been improved since the earlier cars. I have recently had the uprated brakes fitted, and I would advise that to anyone planning to do trackdays. I've also now got a set of the optional OZ wheels, and the reduction in unsprung weight makes a notable improvement in ride and handling at speed.
You can hear every mechanical noise, which will be a bit disconcerting if you're used to something German. I am one of the few people with the NA car, so I don't have the dramatic turbo notices.
If you drive it in the UK, you have to be willing to get rained on sometimes. This would be less of a problem if I had the optional windscreen, which enables you to fit the 'shower cap'.


Zenos as a company have done everything to make ownership a positive experience. As the owner of one of the earliest cars I've had a few teething problems. Each time they collect the car from my house, resolve the issue, and return it to me. And always at a time that's convenient for me. They've also been generous with discounts when I've asked for options to be added. I don't know if this is special treatment because I was one of the first to jump onboard, but I'm pretty sure Porsche would have laughed in my face when they realised I was out of warrantee.


On Sunday night I stayed in a four star hotel at Zenos' expense. An invitation they extended to existing owners who wanted to join them at Snetterton on Monday. That's the sort of thing that helps turn customers into 'brand advocates'.

anonymous-user

60 months

Tuesday 27th September 2016
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Very interesting thank you. I will give them a call I think.

ads_green

838 posts

238 months

Thursday 3rd November 2016
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Have to echo the above - I have the first e10r and zenos have been utterly brilliant.
As with any new product had a few minor niggles and they have all been sorted without any fuss and zenos have gone way above and beyond to make sure all is well.

madmover

1,728 posts

190 months

Monday 7th November 2016
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SpudLink said:
I've now had the car for 14 months, and last Sunday it passed the 5000 mile mark.
The car itself is brilliant to drive. You very quickly get used to the heavy unassisted steering. The brakes and gear change have both been improved since the earlier cars. I have recently had the uprated brakes fitted, and I would advise that to anyone planning to do trackdays. I've also now got a set of the optional OZ wheels, and the reduction in unsprung weight makes a notable improvement in ride and handling at speed.
You can hear every mechanical noise, which will be a bit disconcerting if you're used to something German. I am one of the few people with the NA car, so I don't have the dramatic turbo notices.
If you drive it in the UK, you have to be willing to get rained on sometimes. This would be less of a problem if I had the optional windscreen, which enables you to fit the 'shower cap'.


Zenos as a company have done everything to make ownership a positive experience. As the owner of one of the earliest cars I've had a few teething problems. Each time they collect the car from my house, resolve the issue, and return it to me. And always at a time that's convenient for me. They've also been generous with discounts when I've asked for options to be added. I don't know if this is special treatment because I was one of the first to jump onboard, but I'm pretty sure Porsche would have laughed in my face when they realised I was out of warrantee.


On Sunday night I stayed in a four star hotel at Zenos' expense. An invitation they extended to existing owners who wanted to join them at Snetterton on Monday. That's the sort of thing that helps turn customers into 'brand advocates'.
What have they done to sort the great stick? When I drove it, i thought that was the worst part of everything as it just felt completely wrong IMO.

Glad you're enjoying it smile

SpudLink

Original Poster:

6,361 posts

198 months

Tuesday 8th November 2016
quotequote all
madmover said:
What have they done to sort the gear stick? When I drove it, i thought that was the worst part of everything as it just felt completely wrong IMO.

Glad you're enjoying it smile
They've replaced the gear lever with the optional 'short shift' lever. The cables have all been replaced with a different specification. They have changed the route through the engine bay to reduce the effect of heat from the exhaust on the cables. It's never going to be the same as the stubby Caterham shift, but the improvement is noticeable.
You can see the new gear shift in action in this video...
https://youtu.be/ZWJSqH7vYeY



Edited by SpudLink on Tuesday 8th November 13:13

ads_green

838 posts

238 months

Tuesday 15th November 2016
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madmover said:
What have they done to sort the great stick? When I drove it, i thought that was the worst part of everything as it just felt completely wrong IMO.

Glad you're enjoying it smile
I've never experienced the standard as the E10R comes with the revised shortshift as standard. However I did come from many many Lotus based cars including a 211 so can comment on the difference. With the 211 I had to fit a custom (google letsla) gear bracket as the standard one has pins and clips and rattles like a b*stard when you shake it. Also fitted stiffer engine mounts t reduce the engine moving.
The E10R standard shifter is better than all the changes I made with the 211. I've never missed a change and it slots in bolt action like. The throw is perfect for me and I've let passengers who are Lotus owners try the shift on the road and all of them couldn't believe how well it worked.