TVR Chimaera & Lotus Elise - What could possibly go wrong?
Discussion
Yazza54 said:
Nice pair, I too have a major TVR itch but I just keep thinking that an entry level chim would be a disappointment. Love the S1, would be very tempted to drop a VVC engine in if I were you.
Thanks Yazza. Some good points there. The TVR is great for pootling around. When you’re really pushing on it’s odd as it actually quite likes to rev (limit is about 6k rpm) and the real power comes in at about 3500rpm. It certainly feels like it’s pokey enough, however I would be intrigued to try a 450 and 500. As a first TVR it’s perfectly good.Ref the Elise and VVC. I’d like this one to stay as standard as possible as it’s in such good condition. I’m tempted by a 111s as a replacement in the future - but who knows what’ll happen
TR4man said:
Enjoyed reading that, thanks for posting!
Cheers TR4 
kiethton said:
So 15k miles in the slowtus and only 3 pairs of new trousers!?!?
In seriousness, very nice
may have to pick your brains on TVR's some time soon depending on which way the insurance assessor goes...
I’ll have you know that only one pair of jeans was ripped Kieran :P In seriousness, very nice
may have to pick your brains on TVR's some time soon depending on which way the insurance assessor goes...Definitely up for a chat about Tiv’s. Let me know.
Lovely pair and very interesting to read your thoughts 
Horrible question, but if you had to pick one, which would it be?
I'm contemplating getting either an Elise (probably S2) or a Chimaera as a weekend car next year, and really not sure what style of car I'd prefer...
I've got a light(ish) roadster, and a big V8 at the moment, and not sure if I'd prefer a GT in the TVR style or something even lighter than my MR2 roadster
Horrible question, but if you had to pick one, which would it be?
I'm contemplating getting either an Elise (probably S2) or a Chimaera as a weekend car next year, and really not sure what style of car I'd prefer...
I've got a light(ish) roadster, and a big V8 at the moment, and not sure if I'd prefer a GT in the TVR style or something even lighter than my MR2 roadster
That's a really tough question 
I'll jot down some thoughts which are in no particular order.
I love both cars. Both have fantastic benefits and some drawbacks.
The Elise is raw, and unquestionably fun on a deserted B road. Sitting just a few inches off the floor with the engine fizzing behind you, happily revving up to 7k rpm is magical. Cornering is unreal and has to be one of the most rewarding cars I've driven to date. I really do love it.
The drawback is that as an only car it is a bit extreme. Long motorway journeys do take their toll especially when there is no seat padding, sound deadning or a radio. But it's always worth it when you get to the twisty stuff. I think one of my favourite aspects is how easy it is to get into and drive briskly - but to get the best, you do need to practice, and in the winter months it does need to be respected.
My absolute favourite bit is the pedal set up. Myself and the few others who've driven it have commented on how easy it is to rev match/heel and toe. The brakes are non servo'd so you can really lean on them, and give the throttle a kick to match the revs.
Truth be told, I was looking at getting a Chim when I was changing cars just over a year ago, but less of them were available in my price bracket. It just so happened that my Dad took a closer interest at the time and couldn't resist (made my choice to get the Elise easier
)
The TVR is also raw - also with out traction control, abs and PAS. It's a properly heavy car to drive which demands involvement from the pilot. It drives more like I'd expect a 60's/70's car to - you can feel the flex between body and chassis, and of course handling isn't anything like the Elise but the punch in a straight line makes up for it. I reckon on a sweeping country road, which equally good drivers, the Elise and Chimaera would be very closely matched in terms of pace.
The noise is magnificent and has me giggling like a child any time I take it anywhere vaguely near an echoey place. I also love how much others love it (it's not uncommon to have people come up to me to chat about the car)
The drawback really is how heavy it is round town. The work done no doubt has massively improved things, but trying to parallel park the bugger in a high street is a pain - Also, it's impossible to heel/toe as the brakes are very sensitive - Perhaps a longer term owner can suggest if this is normal or could be changed?
Choosing between them is very difficult because they're both great at what they do, but they do them in slightly different ways. Much as I do love the Elise, I think I'd get the TVR as it's more suited to my use (long trips, plenty of storage) - That said, it's a very narrow win, and whenever it comes to replace the Elise, the frst car I'll look at replacing it with is a slightly newer one.
I'll jot down some thoughts which are in no particular order.I love both cars. Both have fantastic benefits and some drawbacks.
The Elise is raw, and unquestionably fun on a deserted B road. Sitting just a few inches off the floor with the engine fizzing behind you, happily revving up to 7k rpm is magical. Cornering is unreal and has to be one of the most rewarding cars I've driven to date. I really do love it.
The drawback is that as an only car it is a bit extreme. Long motorway journeys do take their toll especially when there is no seat padding, sound deadning or a radio. But it's always worth it when you get to the twisty stuff. I think one of my favourite aspects is how easy it is to get into and drive briskly - but to get the best, you do need to practice, and in the winter months it does need to be respected.
My absolute favourite bit is the pedal set up. Myself and the few others who've driven it have commented on how easy it is to rev match/heel and toe. The brakes are non servo'd so you can really lean on them, and give the throttle a kick to match the revs.
Truth be told, I was looking at getting a Chim when I was changing cars just over a year ago, but less of them were available in my price bracket. It just so happened that my Dad took a closer interest at the time and couldn't resist (made my choice to get the Elise easier
)The TVR is also raw - also with out traction control, abs and PAS. It's a properly heavy car to drive which demands involvement from the pilot. It drives more like I'd expect a 60's/70's car to - you can feel the flex between body and chassis, and of course handling isn't anything like the Elise but the punch in a straight line makes up for it. I reckon on a sweeping country road, which equally good drivers, the Elise and Chimaera would be very closely matched in terms of pace.
The noise is magnificent and has me giggling like a child any time I take it anywhere vaguely near an echoey place. I also love how much others love it (it's not uncommon to have people come up to me to chat about the car)
The drawback really is how heavy it is round town. The work done no doubt has massively improved things, but trying to parallel park the bugger in a high street is a pain - Also, it's impossible to heel/toe as the brakes are very sensitive - Perhaps a longer term owner can suggest if this is normal or could be changed?
Choosing between them is very difficult because they're both great at what they do, but they do them in slightly different ways. Much as I do love the Elise, I think I'd get the TVR as it's more suited to my use (long trips, plenty of storage) - That said, it's a very narrow win, and whenever it comes to replace the Elise, the frst car I'll look at replacing it with is a slightly newer one.
Thanks for the info. I think I'm leaning towards the Chim, but that changes often. I'll have to try both and decide I suppose. What a chore that will be
I tried getting into and out of an S1 Elise at the Leeds Castle supercar siege a few years ago, and I did take a perverse amount of pleasure from the difficulty of the task. It certainly adds a sense of occasion (along with the view of the wings), and light cars just feel nice to drive.
But as you say, V8 giggle is hard to resist
I tried getting into and out of an S1 Elise at the Leeds Castle supercar siege a few years ago, and I did take a perverse amount of pleasure from the difficulty of the task. It certainly adds a sense of occasion (along with the view of the wings), and light cars just feel nice to drive.
But as you say, V8 giggle is hard to resist
Cracking pair of cars. I run an a Lotus and a TVR myself. I've had my Cerbera since 2010, it's been trouble free, though it's a weekend car really. My wife runs a supercharged Exige as her daily and is addicted to it. As you have found with your two, both mine are great but in very different ways. Both are an occasion to drive. Incidentaly, she ditched her boxster s as she quickly became bored of it. Here are mine....
Edited by Cerberaherts on Tuesday 3rd January 23:09
Edited by Cerberaherts on Tuesday 3rd January 23:12
Codswallop - You're very welcome. I'm not the greatest at writing down my thoughts, but they're both lovely cars. I noticed from your profile that you appear to be in Kent? If you wanted a closer look at either car, I'm sure something could be arranged (and sway your decision )
CerberaHants - I think you may well have the perfect combination there! Absolutely love the Cerb, what's it like to drive? I've been a passenger in an Exige S2 like your wife's and was hugely impressed and also drove this S3 Supercharged Elise earlier last year which is very similarly powered - Just need to wait 15 years for the depreciation to make it affordable!
Agreed point on the Boxster S. There wasn't anything wrong with Dad's at all, it was a lovely car, but it lacked the character and sense of fun of the TVR.
)CerberaHants - I think you may well have the perfect combination there! Absolutely love the Cerb, what's it like to drive? I've been a passenger in an Exige S2 like your wife's and was hugely impressed and also drove this S3 Supercharged Elise earlier last year which is very similarly powered - Just need to wait 15 years for the depreciation to make it affordable!
Agreed point on the Boxster S. There wasn't anything wrong with Dad's at all, it was a lovely car, but it lacked the character and sense of fun of the TVR.
Dalto123 said:
Codswallop - You're very welcome. I'm not the greatest at writing down my thoughts, but they're both lovely cars. I noticed from your profile that you appear to be in Kent? If you wanted a closer look at either car, I'm sure something could be arranged (and sway your decision )
CerberaHants - I think you may well have the perfect combination there! Absolutely love the Cerb, what's it like to drive? I've been a passenger in an Exige S2 like your wife's and was hugely impressed and also drove this S3 Supercharged Elise earlier last year which is very similarly powered - Just need to wait 15 years for the depreciation to make it affordable!
Agreed point on the Boxster S. There wasn't anything wrong with Dad's at all, it was a lovely car, but it lacked the character and sense of fun of the TVR.
Thanks dalto. The Cerbera is a 4.5 red-rose car, so it's a bit of a handful. If you fancy a ride out in it sure we could arrange something over one of the TVR meets in the summer...)CerberaHants - I think you may well have the perfect combination there! Absolutely love the Cerb, what's it like to drive? I've been a passenger in an Exige S2 like your wife's and was hugely impressed and also drove this S3 Supercharged Elise earlier last year which is very similarly powered - Just need to wait 15 years for the depreciation to make it affordable!
Agreed point on the Boxster S. There wasn't anything wrong with Dad's at all, it was a lovely car, but it lacked the character and sense of fun of the TVR.
Dalto123 said:
Codswallop - You're very welcome. I'm not the greatest at writing down my thoughts, but they're both lovely cars. I noticed from your profile that you appear to be in Kent? If you wanted a closer look at either car, I'm sure something could be arranged (and sway your decision )
Thanks for the offer Dalto123 - I was based in Kent until a few days ago, but am in the process of relocating to Cornwall at the moment. Should complete on my new place by end of January hopefully, and then thoughts can move back to re-organising my fleet )
Dalto123 said:
I think it's time for another little update:
<snip>
As part of an Advanced Driving course (won't go too far into it as I don't think you'll be interested) I spent a couple of hours at Bruntingthorpe testing out limit handling on the car.
<snip>
Do go on... <snip>
As part of an Advanced Driving course (won't go too far into it as I don't think you'll be interested) I spent a couple of hours at Bruntingthorpe testing out limit handling on the car.
<snip>
I'm in want of some training, and would be interested to hear first person reports on some of the options out there.
Thanks NCoT 
- How's the S2 going by the way? Lovely car.
Basically, I've been working on developing my driving to gain entry to a driving organisation/club called HPC - You can find more about them here.
I started out by going to their 'Young Drivers Day' in 2012 which gives younger drivers a taster of 'advanced driving' and was really impressed. It taught me more about observation and anticipation, looking/reading the road much much further ahead, and how to make the most out of the sometimes modest power & performance of your car (I was driving a 50bhp Micra at the time). It made my drive a lot safer, smoother and a more progressive.
I was advised at the time to go down the route of ROSPA or IAM as a means of getting first qualification/initial training. I joined the IAM in mid 2013 as it happened to be local and the 'Skills for life' package had everything I needed at a very reasonable price (membership to IAM, training/mentoring by the volunteers and my test). By October 2013 I had passed, and in early 2014 started further training for HPC.
I was matched with a local club member happy to mentor me. We met up for drives up until very early last year (unfortunately, as we were both very busy, it meant that there were longer breaks during our drives than expected). Anyway, satisfied with my drives, I was recommended to go for my initial assessment in Feb/March. I was given a couple of small pointers to work on and return in a month or so.
In April I went for my two day entry course with one of the assessors. It's a really intensive two days of driving where you are assessed the whole time. You drive in a variety of environments (town, country roads etc) and conditions. It was absolutely shattering, but well worth it. At Bruntingthorpe, we worked on the limit handling side of things which was both very interesting and very fun. It meant that I was able to find the absolute limit of grip that the car had, and learnt how to bring it to a controlled stop from ever increasing speeds, as well as learning to avoid obstacles in the process.
I haven't done the process/club enough justice with this post, but I have become an indefinitely better driver thanks to the course, and look forward to further developing my drive.
If there's any more I can tell you drop me a PM and I'll gladly help
- How's the S2 going by the way? Lovely car.bitwrx said:
Do go on...
I'm in want of some training, and would be interested to hear first person reports on some of the options out there.
Ok I shall I'm in want of some training, and would be interested to hear first person reports on some of the options out there.
Basically, I've been working on developing my driving to gain entry to a driving organisation/club called HPC - You can find more about them here.
I started out by going to their 'Young Drivers Day' in 2012 which gives younger drivers a taster of 'advanced driving' and was really impressed. It taught me more about observation and anticipation, looking/reading the road much much further ahead, and how to make the most out of the sometimes modest power & performance of your car (I was driving a 50bhp Micra at the time). It made my drive a lot safer, smoother and a more progressive.
I was advised at the time to go down the route of ROSPA or IAM as a means of getting first qualification/initial training. I joined the IAM in mid 2013 as it happened to be local and the 'Skills for life' package had everything I needed at a very reasonable price (membership to IAM, training/mentoring by the volunteers and my test). By October 2013 I had passed, and in early 2014 started further training for HPC.
I was matched with a local club member happy to mentor me. We met up for drives up until very early last year (unfortunately, as we were both very busy, it meant that there were longer breaks during our drives than expected). Anyway, satisfied with my drives, I was recommended to go for my initial assessment in Feb/March. I was given a couple of small pointers to work on and return in a month or so.
In April I went for my two day entry course with one of the assessors. It's a really intensive two days of driving where you are assessed the whole time. You drive in a variety of environments (town, country roads etc) and conditions. It was absolutely shattering, but well worth it. At Bruntingthorpe, we worked on the limit handling side of things which was both very interesting and very fun. It meant that I was able to find the absolute limit of grip that the car had, and learnt how to bring it to a controlled stop from ever increasing speeds, as well as learning to avoid obstacles in the process.
I haven't done the process/club enough justice with this post, but I have become an indefinitely better driver thanks to the course, and look forward to further developing my drive.
If there's any more I can tell you drop me a PM and I'll gladly help
Dalto123 said:
Thanks NCoT - How's the S2 going by the way? Lovely car.
Cheers! It's covered up for the winter but I will be getting it a fresh MOT and selling up when the weather picks up. With a young family I just don't get the opportunity to use it enough and I don't want it to deteriorate. Also, whilst I like it and it's a real occasion to drive, it's never really got under my skin the way my Saab has. I hope to be back in a TVR one day though. - How's the S2 going by the way? Lovely car.So several months later, I’ve got another update, I hadn’t quite realised it had been quite this long, rather a lot has happened!
TVR
Things have been faultless with the old girl. Having just crossed the 30k mile mark, this means we’ve now done about 12,000 miles in the car. Dad is very pleased with the car and is currently in France (due to return tomorrow night) with my mother, having done a tour down to the lavender fields in Provence, and over to Bordeaux and back.
The part worn Toyo T1R’s have now been replaced with Rainsport 3’s all round which are an improvement, but I need to do a few more miles on them in other weather conditions before I can report back in any more detail.
The biggest change is that the rear screen annoyingly became detached from the roof fabric, and whilst you can stitch in a new screen, from the research we conducted, we found it to not be a lasting solution. So a whole new hood has been fitted (just as well, the old one did have a few marks).
The car was dropped off at D&C Trimming who are based in part of the old TVR factory in Blackpool, and whilst the car was there, we had the centre tunnel retrimmed as the bolsters which were originally cream marked very easily and were a pain to clean.
So the interior has gone from this:
To this:
Lotus
In January a big service was done, and a new air induction system installed to replace the old hole hidden one as well as a tiny exhaust alteration. Consequently, it’s bloody loud! Also, new Yokohama AD08r tyres were fitted which have been a vast improvement on the old T1R’s.
New sill pads were also fitted which really lifted the interior (along with the new OEM floor mats).
Otherwise mechanically the only other change was all 4 brake pads in early May. I’m hoping for now that’s the only work it needs for now.
The big update here is that I took the car round Europe at the end of May with a couple of mates. This had been about 6 months in the planning, the idea being we would go to several destinations around France, Italy and Germany via the driving roads.
Day one:
Took us from London to Lyon, It was a long motorway slog with an early start, but we did factor a stop at Reims en-route which was nice:
Day two:
Time for more interesting roads. Lyon to Monaco via the route Napoleon and for the Lotus to come into it’s own.
It’s fair to say that this was one of the best days driving I’ve had. The weather was spot on at 25 degrees, the roads were clear and more than adequate progress was made, but I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
The day ended at our overnight stay in La Turbie in the hills above Monaco, and dinner in Italy - just because you can!
Day three:
A rest day in Monaco. As we were in this part of the world, I had to take the chance to try and drive the F1 circuit. As we were there a week early, the circuit was in the process of being set up and the tunnel was unfortunately shut. Nonetheless I still got to drive most of it which made me very happy!
Late in the afternoon I got to realise a dream and drive a Ferrari! Fellow PH’er and very good friend, Geekman, works for a supercar experience company, so it’s fair to say that we had the opportunity to drive the car (a F430 F1 Spider) like it was meant to.
Initial impressions: It’s a wide car! This was a particular shock getting out of the little Lotus. The gearbox, if not driven correctly is a bit crap - it intact reminded me of the one in a Smart Car, only slightly less bad! Credit where it’s due, the brakes were excellent - not over servo’d and you got a pretty good feel for them in a short time. The noise from the stock exhaust was magnificent, and the sound it made as I took it to the upper part of the rev range through the tunnels towards Italy is something that will stay with me for a very long time.
Some more pictures from the south of France below:
Day four:
Monaco to Bormio. This was another motorway day (all 500 kilometres!) and my first taste of Italian road manners. I can only say that you have to embrace the madness and you’ll be fine!
Moving inland from the sea meant that there was a substantial increase in temperature. 34 degrees to be precise. In a car with no air conditioning, it’s fair to say that I strongly resembled Lee Evans at the end of one of his stand up shows.
Have to say the best part though was Lake Como - Quite simply the scenery was stunning and was certainly worth the long drive over for. I had ‘You only live twice’ playing as I pootled down the narrow lakeside lanes and envisaged myself Bond
Our overnight halt was just outside Bormio. The evening there was one I’ll never forget. Long story short, owing to the miracle of alcohol and Googlel Translate, we went from being the awkward outsiders in a out of season ski-town to having one of the best nights drinking I think I’ve ever had!
Day five:
Bormio to Munich. Another long drive ahead where we would cross Austria to get to Germany, but not before driving one of the roads I wanted to tick off my bucket list; Passo dello Stelvio.
My expectations were set in advance, I knew that this wasn’t a fast road. I wish it were as quiet as when Top Gear drove it in the Aston, Porsche and Lambo, but even so, as we climbed the mountain, and the grass turned to snow, I had a wonderful time. The views were out of this world beautiful. I pulled over to grab a few snaps, and even managed some video of it which can be viewed below
After Stelvio, we pressed on through Austria until we hit Germany. Quite honestly, I had totally forgotten about the derestricted autobahn’s until we got there, and in the interest of seeing what Norfolk’s finest could achieve, I naturally booted it.
Turns out that despite being a 17 year old loaded with a fat driver and his luggage, it can exceed it’s proclaimed 126mph and eventually hit 132mph GPS. OK, so not massive speed I admit, and I may have made use of a downhill bit, but it did hit 124 without issue on the flat, and cruised quite happily at 110. God I love Germany!
Day six:
We spent this day in Munich, and planned to visit the BMW museum.
I’d love to tell you more about this, but unbeknown to me, I had what I now know to be the first symptoms of my appendicitis. Something that I ended up in hospital for the night I got home from this trip (but that’s another story).
So unfortunately as I felt so unwell, I can’t tell you much about the museum as I was back in my hotel room trying to sleep off the pain!
Day seven:
Munich to Cologne to London
On our last day, we took the country roads from Germany, across Belgium near to Spa Francorchamps then got onto the autoroutes back to Calais.
All in, the trip added about 2200 miles to the odometer and the car was faultless
Am I glad I did it? Without any doubt, yes.
Would I do it again in the Lotus? Sod that!
To simply explain. Once we got to the driving roads, the Elise came into it’s own. I’ve never had the pleasure to drive such amazing roads, in such a capable car. My jaw was hurting from the smile on my face.
However, these roads were few and far between, often with many hundreds of miles of monotonous motorways separating them. In a car with fixed bucket seats and a noisy engine a few inches behind you, without a radio and air condition, it was physically tough. My counterparts in the 911 consistently reminded me about the cooled seats they had and the debate they’d been having over the optimum air conditioning temperature. Hilarious.
Despite my frustrations I still love the Elise dearly. On which note, I should say that I’m considering moving on from it. After nearly 2 years and a good 23,000 miles, I’ve decided an S2 111s is a logical step forward for me. The more car like interior, coupled with that slightly more powerful K Series is mighty tempting. Not to mention the high probability of them being the next Lotus model to increase in value (man maths at work here!)
TVR
Things have been faultless with the old girl. Having just crossed the 30k mile mark, this means we’ve now done about 12,000 miles in the car. Dad is very pleased with the car and is currently in France (due to return tomorrow night) with my mother, having done a tour down to the lavender fields in Provence, and over to Bordeaux and back.
The part worn Toyo T1R’s have now been replaced with Rainsport 3’s all round which are an improvement, but I need to do a few more miles on them in other weather conditions before I can report back in any more detail.
The biggest change is that the rear screen annoyingly became detached from the roof fabric, and whilst you can stitch in a new screen, from the research we conducted, we found it to not be a lasting solution. So a whole new hood has been fitted (just as well, the old one did have a few marks).
The car was dropped off at D&C Trimming who are based in part of the old TVR factory in Blackpool, and whilst the car was there, we had the centre tunnel retrimmed as the bolsters which were originally cream marked very easily and were a pain to clean.
So the interior has gone from this:
To this:
Lotus
In January a big service was done, and a new air induction system installed to replace the old hole hidden one as well as a tiny exhaust alteration. Consequently, it’s bloody loud! Also, new Yokohama AD08r tyres were fitted which have been a vast improvement on the old T1R’s.
New sill pads were also fitted which really lifted the interior (along with the new OEM floor mats).
Otherwise mechanically the only other change was all 4 brake pads in early May. I’m hoping for now that’s the only work it needs for now.
The big update here is that I took the car round Europe at the end of May with a couple of mates. This had been about 6 months in the planning, the idea being we would go to several destinations around France, Italy and Germany via the driving roads.
Day one:
Took us from London to Lyon, It was a long motorway slog with an early start, but we did factor a stop at Reims en-route which was nice:
Day two:
Time for more interesting roads. Lyon to Monaco via the route Napoleon and for the Lotus to come into it’s own.
It’s fair to say that this was one of the best days driving I’ve had. The weather was spot on at 25 degrees, the roads were clear and more than adequate progress was made, but I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
The day ended at our overnight stay in La Turbie in the hills above Monaco, and dinner in Italy - just because you can!
Day three:
A rest day in Monaco. As we were in this part of the world, I had to take the chance to try and drive the F1 circuit. As we were there a week early, the circuit was in the process of being set up and the tunnel was unfortunately shut. Nonetheless I still got to drive most of it which made me very happy!
Late in the afternoon I got to realise a dream and drive a Ferrari! Fellow PH’er and very good friend, Geekman, works for a supercar experience company, so it’s fair to say that we had the opportunity to drive the car (a F430 F1 Spider) like it was meant to.
Initial impressions: It’s a wide car! This was a particular shock getting out of the little Lotus. The gearbox, if not driven correctly is a bit crap - it intact reminded me of the one in a Smart Car, only slightly less bad! Credit where it’s due, the brakes were excellent - not over servo’d and you got a pretty good feel for them in a short time. The noise from the stock exhaust was magnificent, and the sound it made as I took it to the upper part of the rev range through the tunnels towards Italy is something that will stay with me for a very long time.
Some more pictures from the south of France below:
Day four:
Monaco to Bormio. This was another motorway day (all 500 kilometres!) and my first taste of Italian road manners. I can only say that you have to embrace the madness and you’ll be fine!
Moving inland from the sea meant that there was a substantial increase in temperature. 34 degrees to be precise. In a car with no air conditioning, it’s fair to say that I strongly resembled Lee Evans at the end of one of his stand up shows.
Have to say the best part though was Lake Como - Quite simply the scenery was stunning and was certainly worth the long drive over for. I had ‘You only live twice’ playing as I pootled down the narrow lakeside lanes and envisaged myself Bond
Our overnight halt was just outside Bormio. The evening there was one I’ll never forget. Long story short, owing to the miracle of alcohol and Googlel Translate, we went from being the awkward outsiders in a out of season ski-town to having one of the best nights drinking I think I’ve ever had!
Day five:
Bormio to Munich. Another long drive ahead where we would cross Austria to get to Germany, but not before driving one of the roads I wanted to tick off my bucket list; Passo dello Stelvio.
My expectations were set in advance, I knew that this wasn’t a fast road. I wish it were as quiet as when Top Gear drove it in the Aston, Porsche and Lambo, but even so, as we climbed the mountain, and the grass turned to snow, I had a wonderful time. The views were out of this world beautiful. I pulled over to grab a few snaps, and even managed some video of it which can be viewed below
After Stelvio, we pressed on through Austria until we hit Germany. Quite honestly, I had totally forgotten about the derestricted autobahn’s until we got there, and in the interest of seeing what Norfolk’s finest could achieve, I naturally booted it.
Turns out that despite being a 17 year old loaded with a fat driver and his luggage, it can exceed it’s proclaimed 126mph and eventually hit 132mph GPS. OK, so not massive speed I admit, and I may have made use of a downhill bit, but it did hit 124 without issue on the flat, and cruised quite happily at 110. God I love Germany!
Day six:
We spent this day in Munich, and planned to visit the BMW museum.
I’d love to tell you more about this, but unbeknown to me, I had what I now know to be the first symptoms of my appendicitis. Something that I ended up in hospital for the night I got home from this trip (but that’s another story).
So unfortunately as I felt so unwell, I can’t tell you much about the museum as I was back in my hotel room trying to sleep off the pain!
Day seven:
Munich to Cologne to London
On our last day, we took the country roads from Germany, across Belgium near to Spa Francorchamps then got onto the autoroutes back to Calais.
All in, the trip added about 2200 miles to the odometer and the car was faultless
Am I glad I did it? Without any doubt, yes.
Would I do it again in the Lotus? Sod that!
To simply explain. Once we got to the driving roads, the Elise came into it’s own. I’ve never had the pleasure to drive such amazing roads, in such a capable car. My jaw was hurting from the smile on my face.
However, these roads were few and far between, often with many hundreds of miles of monotonous motorways separating them. In a car with fixed bucket seats and a noisy engine a few inches behind you, without a radio and air condition, it was physically tough. My counterparts in the 911 consistently reminded me about the cooled seats they had and the debate they’d been having over the optimum air conditioning temperature. Hilarious.
Despite my frustrations I still love the Elise dearly. On which note, I should say that I’m considering moving on from it. After nearly 2 years and a good 23,000 miles, I’ve decided an S2 111s is a logical step forward for me. The more car like interior, coupled with that slightly more powerful K Series is mighty tempting. Not to mention the high probability of them being the next Lotus model to increase in value (man maths at work here!)
Edited by Dalto123 on Saturday 22 July 23:29
Edited by Dalto123 on Saturday 22 July 23:32
Edited by Dalto123 on Sunday 23 July 18:48
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