Lotus Elise Stories - where did yours start?

[Jim H]

I’d always been an admirer of Chapman.

No more needs to be said.

My first Corrado was pretty wrecked from hard driving.

I was looking at a Gun Metal grey Celica is for sale.

Or, how about this?

A Lotus Elise?

Mortgage extension immediately.

[Jim H]

I bought mine when I was 30.

20 years ago.

Drop it into third, riotous exhaust bark.

Massive grin. 😊

[Jim H]

It’s loud, it’s brutally uncomfortable, I can hardly get in and out of with the roof on (at my age), it vibrates like hell, the brakes need a heluva push, it’s hardly got any suspension, the gear selection isn’t great and sometimes it terrifies an old man like me!

But when you get it on some fast bends and the road is clear.

There is nothing like it.

The bark from the exhaust and induction note is intoxicating.

First run out in it since August last year. I was a gibberish wreck for a good hour afterwards.

[Jim H]

Oh yeah, and my back is absolutely killing me today.

[Jim H]

keo said:

Jim H said:

Oh yeah, and my back is absolutely killing me today.

You really aren’t selling this Lotus ownership Jim

Car looks ace, my Elise was red.

Well I was 30 when I bought it. I’m 51 now!

Let’s call it perseverance

I’m a silly old sod. Let’s just say it’s strangely pleasing to have something wrong in your life on a number of levels - yet so right…

Edited by Jim H on Sunday 7th April 11:45

[Jim H]

The story goes something like this. My 30th was coming up, and I had a bit of a hump on about it - I saw myself leaving my twenties and I wasn’t happy about it. A good mate of mine lived right in the centre of Milan and I liked to jet off out there for the weekend often. My 30th, off to Milan it was, we had a right blast! Gig on the Saturday night (The Flaming Lips). Awake sharpish Sunday morning very hungover and we were off up to my mates other place at Courmayeur for a bit of Snowboarding. Which I’d never done before….!

My mate was injured (so he maintained) and couldn’t Snowboard but he laughed so much at me trying - and failing. Jeez did I hurt myself.

I got back to the UK and I still needed something else. And that’s when I stumbled upon the Elise, by absolute chance. I just had to buy it.

21 years later.

I’ve been whatsapping my mate today (Milan). He lives in Norway now.

We’ve been reminiscing about that mad weekend of my 30th.

His words: “Jim, you did the right thing getting through your mid-life crisis 21 years ago”.