7 years if waiting
Discussion
Aah I remember my first days with my Lotus 
Such bliss.
You know the best bit though? The novelty NEVER wears off... NEVER! This honeymoon feeling is permanent
Although for me, the last 18 months have been trying.... when mine's back on the road (and badder than ever) it'll be like that same feeling tent times over
Enjoy it mate
Such bliss.You know the best bit though? The novelty NEVER wears off... NEVER! This honeymoon feeling is permanent
Although for me, the last 18 months have been trying.... when mine's back on the road (and badder than ever) it'll be like that same feeling tent times over
Enjoy it mate
I first drew a Lotus in my school book when I was 5 years old - it was a modified Esprit I'd seen racing at Oulton Park. Took me 20 years to achieve the goal but it's worth every second and every penny it costs. The 111R is an awesome piece of kit. Now you'll want to start on the mods...
Well boys and girls,
Firstly sorry for not posting i just had my first sailing weekend and managed all of 8 hours sleep so no state to try and pull together a post.
Anyway below (if it's worked) is my new car
Its nothing to different from what you've all seen before but to me she's what i've been after for 7 years.
Reactions from driving it first long'ish road trip (180 miles round trip to Largs marina) on the weekend.
Also driving on cobbles is a no no... so i'll have to rethink my route to work if i cant be bothered with 5 minutes of rattling around (will this damage the car btw?)
But who cares about those slight grips when you find that perfect road (or at least an empty one) its brilliant i enjoy searching for the power and love the over run when moving through Edinburgh.
Will carry on updating this as i come up with questions/requests and mod's (some better lighting is my first objective)
Oh first request; has anyone got a picture of Elises in grey with red soft tops?
Cheers
Tom
Firstly sorry for not posting i just had my first sailing weekend and managed all of 8 hours sleep so no state to try and pull together a post.
Anyway below (if it's worked) is my new car
Its nothing to different from what you've all seen before but to me she's what i've been after for 7 years.
Reactions from driving it first long'ish road trip (180 miles round trip to Largs marina) on the weekend.
- comfortable - more so than any other car i've had
- warm & dry (no leaks here)
- perfectly drivable for long commutes (one offs read below)
- stage 2 exhaust is great at the 30 - 60 a/b roads not so brilliant at the 5am driving the first 40 miles on motorway at ahem 70mph.... (think i'll learn how not to accelerate and maintain a constant speed)
- no where to put drinks etc if carrying a passenger.
- bloody bumpy of the forth road bridge
- fitting in a weeks shopping is interesting especially as i'm still paranoid about something coming loose in the boot.
Also driving on cobbles is a no no... so i'll have to rethink my route to work if i cant be bothered with 5 minutes of rattling around (will this damage the car btw?)
But who cares about those slight grips when you find that perfect road (or at least an empty one) its brilliant i enjoy searching for the power and love the over run when moving through Edinburgh.
Will carry on updating this as i come up with questions/requests and mod's (some better lighting is my first objective)
Oh first request; has anyone got a picture of Elises in grey with red soft tops?
Cheers
Tom
Aah Titanium/Storm Titanium The best colour 
Yeah my mate who went from a Titanium S2 to an ardent red 111R said the difference in reception was incredible, despite the cars looking (to the untrained eye) completely identical. The red got so much more attention.
Having said that, an S1 Exige could be in camouflage and full klingon cloaking gear and still stop traffic, so I'd hate to see one in red!
As for the rattling, don't worry about it too much. Driving it on cobbles is fine, they're tough little cars, the only difference is you hear the bumps, rattles and squeaks more than with a plain-jane car
The best colour Yeah my mate who went from a Titanium S2 to an ardent red 111R said the difference in reception was incredible, despite the cars looking (to the untrained eye) completely identical. The red got so much more attention.
Having said that, an S1 Exige could be in camouflage and full klingon cloaking gear and still stop traffic, so I'd hate to see one in red!
As for the rattling, don't worry about it too much. Driving it on cobbles is fine, they're tough little cars, the only difference is you hear the bumps, rattles and squeaks more than with a plain-jane car
Yep all I ever wanted was a TVR Griffith (11 years old), and then the S2 Elise when it came out in 2001. This year:
BTW It's just a conincidence that they're both the same colour.
Congrats to that man, who also realsied his dream.
Good feeling isn't it?
BTW It's just a conincidence that they're both the same colour.
Congrats to that man, who also realsied his dream.
Good feeling isn't it?
Edited by Wildfire on Tuesday 13th October 00:42
Does anybody leave their hard topon all year round?
Went to take it off last night (couldn't as i dont have the tool in the bag) and tbh im now in no rush to do so.
Is this strange i'd of thought the first thing i'd do is get it off. Although the canvas is red so i'm a bit out off by having it on the car for that reason too.
Went to take it off last night (couldn't as i dont have the tool in the bag) and tbh im now in no rush to do so.
Is this strange i'd of thought the first thing i'd do is get it off. Although the canvas is red so i'm a bit out off by having it on the car for that reason too.
CooperS said:
Does anybody leave their hard topon all year round?
I do. No-one is going to put a blade through it (it's parked on a London street), it looks better and will keep the cabin dryer. Open-top motoring is very important for some people but not for others. I'm in the latter camp - it just doesn't do much for me and I would not have bought an Elise without a hardtop.
Good car choice by the way - titanium paint + hardtop is my favourite looking elise (both S1 and S2).
CooperS said:
Does anybody leave their hard topon all year round?
Went to take it off last night (couldn't as i dont have the tool in the bag) and tbh im now in no rush to do so.
Is this strange i'd of thought the first thing i'd do is get it off. Although the canvas is red so i'm a bit out off by having it on the car for that reason too.
I've never fitted nor used a fabric roof on any of mine. S1 Elise - carbon hard top, on all the time. VXT - normal body colour hard top, on all the time (though did take it off around 3 times in a few years of ownership for perfect summer days, hardtop went straight back on when I got home though). Actually IMO the VXT looked *better* with the hardtop fitted.Went to take it off last night (couldn't as i dont have the tool in the bag) and tbh im now in no rush to do so.
Is this strange i'd of thought the first thing i'd do is get it off. Although the canvas is red so i'm a bit out off by having it on the car for that reason too.
Now I've got an Exige. No reason to choose anything else - a soft top is a *negative* factor for me and the Exige shouldn't leak due to wiggly fitting of badly adjusted hard-tops (it doesn't - the Exige is perfect).
At least with the Exige I won't get the occasional shout and wave of 'GET THE ROOF OFF' from Elise drivers like I used to in the VXT and S1
Continually replacing (at my cost due to insurance excess) the knifed fabric roof of my girlfriend's MX-5 back when we lived in a village outside Sevenoaks somewhat killed any fondness I may have had for open-roof motoring. It was knifed 5 times, three times at home and twice in random locations. Unfortunately we can't afford a house with a garage or lockable driveway so our cars live on the street / car park. And since there was no reason for the damage to Becky's car (no enemies, no pattern to the damage, and a couple of the times there were other cars vandalised in the same location at the same time so I don't think anyone was picking on her especially) it seems like just yet another aspect of scumball Britain and the sheer number of jealous scum who can only amuse their tiny, vicious little minds by damaging other people's loved possessions. It's not as if where we lived was a rough area, quite the opposite. So since I don't want to constantly worry about where I park my car, I'll have a hardtop please.
It's personal choice at the end of the day - some people (here and on SELOC) will demand that you remove the roof at *every* slight chance of dry weather and you're mad/gay/an idiot if you don't, and I've been on the receiving end of two nutballs standing up in their S1 Elise in a traffic jam from the other side of the road, pointing and shouting 'get the roof off'
Madmen, but done in reasonably good humour I still prefer my Lotuses with hardtops fitted though griffter said:
CooperS said:
Oh first request; has anyone got a picture of Elises in grey with red soft tops?
Cheers
Tom
Cheers
Tom
This is my car pre-purchase. It now has black wheels and a Tigga front spoiler, negating any claims of girliness due to its pink roof!
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