TVR Chimaera & Lotus Elise - What could possibly go wrong?
Discussion
Why?
After two years with my Mazda, and three and a bit years for Dad with the Boxster S we both felt like it was a time for change. Both the cars had been wonderfully reliable costing next to nothing (consumables aside) to run. However, Dad had always had a TVR itch he wanted to scratch, and this car came up at the perfect time. For me, I had done 26,000 miles in this car in just under two years. It had served as my daily driver for the last year (roof down every day) and I was genuinely sad to go. However, a move of office, and a advancement in my job meant I could start to look at options for a weekend toy to run and commute during the week on public transport.
The Trevor
Both Dad and I have an absolute love of these things. They're silly, stupid, loud and brilliant! He had come close a couple of times in the past to buying one, but a dodgy dealer, and a dodgy example put him off.
This car is a 1995 (early serpentine for those interested) 400. It's powered by a 4.0 Rover V8. The book says it puts out 240bhp, in reality this is probably 220ish. It appears this example was used quite sparsely in it's early years, covering only a couple of thousand in year one and two. It jumped 10,000 miles one year, and then that dropped again. However, in 2003 it went into storage, and only came out this year. The result is we've bought a 20 year old Chimaera with 18,000 miles.
The car was supplied by Fernhurst. If you know them, you'll know what an excellent reputation they have for their cars. Their opinion was that the car would sell itself to us, and didn't it just! A deal was done, but before we collected it, there was a small amount of work done including, but not limited to:
- New tyres all round (alignment and balancing)
- Refurbished wheels in grey
- Clear indicators and repeaters
- Dashboard top recoved in blue.
- Levin aluminium dashboard and stalks.
To drive it couldn't be any further from the Boxster if it tried. No power steering makes town driving a bit heavy, but maximises feedback. The shift between gears is short, but just right. Handling, well, is crap if you've just jumped out of a Porsche, but I like a challenge! It's an occasion and feels special with the Boxster just didn't feel so.
Lots of Trouble Usually Serious
I had seen this car on eBay some time before I bought it. It was at a good price and looked in good nick. It also had the benefit of the Probax seats from the newer Elise/Exige fitted, a favourable mod for S1 owners.
The car was based in South Wales which was a deterrent I think for other buyers. I watched the price come down until I couldn't take it any more, I had to see it! It was as described and looked amazing in person. A deal was done and I came away with some extra goodies including the original red leather seats, a set of AWI 5-Spoke wheels on track tyres and the original exhaust (sports one on the car).
It's noisy, uncomfortable, uncivilized and unrefined and I bloody love it. It doesn't even have a radio, but I don't care because I wouldn't hear it anyway. The roof takes 10 minutes to take off and you need an Alan Key to secure it in place, again I just don't care.
It's a drivers car through and through, and despite the minuscule 118bhp the K Series engine puts out, it gets down the road very rapidly too. Up to 100mph I think this has to be one of the most fun road cars there is. It doesn't do much after 100 anyway!
Plans?
Use them both as much as possible. Dad and I believe the key to a reliable car is using them properly. The summer is spent doing a lot of events for the Sporting Bears (can't wait for 2016), and we still plan to drive them in winter (aside from on very salty roads).
The TVR needs nothing doing yet. It's serviced and ready to drive. Aside from a sudden case of the windscreen wipers going on strike and the ashtray falling out of the drivers door, nothing has gone wrong *touch wood*.
I have so far put new tyres on the Lotus all round (Toyo T1 R's). It has also had a through mechanical inspection and some minor fixings done at Maidstone Sportscars. Now mechanically perfect, I plan to tackle the cosmetics slowly. Plans I have are:
- Full exterior and interior details
- Repaint wheels in grey.
- Replace door sills with black ones.
- Transfer private reg and replace sticker one with a proper one.
- New exterior stone guards.
- Retrim the steering wheel.
- Lots and lots of trackdays (Goodwood completed already).
Edited by Dalto123 on Sunday 20th December 17:52
Thanks for the replies all. They're a great pair and I will do my best to keep this thread up to date.
It was the PH trackday on 12/12/15. If you have any pictures that would be amazing
carphotographer said:
What trackday was that at Goodwood ?
I had a couple of S1 Elises - fantastic cars and despite that I've got a Caterham now I miss the Elise.
Thank-you. I love it, it's like a little go-kart. A Caterham was one of the cars I considered closely, but for the money I got a better Lotus. It's certainly on the list of car's I'd like to own in the future though.I had a couple of S1 Elises - fantastic cars and despite that I've got a Caterham now I miss the Elise.
It was the PH trackday on 12/12/15. If you have any pictures that would be amazing
Sorry for the late reply chaps!
James - You're very welcome to drive it again. As you say it won't set the world alight in a straight line, but the acceleration is more fun than the outright speed, and the feel & feedback this gives is excellent.
Tickle - Cracking 111s you have there, I'd love for my car to be in the same colour as yours! TVR couldn't be more different to drive, handling in comparison is 'clunky', but the acceleration and the similar feeling of being an event to drive make it a very enjoyable car to have
James - You're very welcome to drive it again. As you say it won't set the world alight in a straight line, but the acceleration is more fun than the outright speed, and the feel & feedback this gives is excellent.
Tickle - Cracking 111s you have there, I'd love for my car to be in the same colour as yours! TVR couldn't be more different to drive, handling in comparison is 'clunky', but the acceleration and the similar feeling of being an event to drive make it a very enjoyable car to have
So I thought this thread was overdue an update.
Things have been going well for the Lotus & TVR - But there’s a few things worth noting.
Mechanically the TVR has been fine. However, on New Years Day a fuse blew (not uncommon) meaning that everything aside from the clock on the dashboard died. Thankfully this was rectified promptly and easily.
With the Elise living outside I invested in a hardtop. This has helped make it a lot more weather proof, and just as well I did because the day after I picked it up this happened:
Without the snow, it looks like this
Shortly after this I noticed that the heater fan had been playing up a little bit (ie. It wouldn’t start working unless I put it on the fastest speed/would cut out intermittently). Some searching around suggested the resistor was on it’s way out, and upon inspection, that certainly appeared to be the issue.
Some Elise’s had three small resistors (one per fan speed) or one large one with three separate connectors (like this). One of them was so corroded/rotten that the second I touched it, it fell off. When I was driving afterwards having unintentionally turned on the fan it was shorting out and smoking rather a lot at the front
So I’ve taken the car to another specialist to be taken care of. While they’re at it they’re going to align the window as it wasn’t quite right and was letting a tiny bit of rainwater in.
Today’s wonderful weather meant that the TVR got it’s first wash since October. For a 21 year old car it’s scrubs up very well, although you do need to use a lot of leather cleaner for the interior - I also had a chance to add this to it:
Of course whilst I had the car out of the garage it would be rude not to take it for a proper drive (roof off naturally). I stopped off and got this picture whilst I was at it.
Sadly I didn’t get any video, but I did find a small tunnel to go through - The noise is just infectious!
That’s all for now, and will update in due course
Things have been going well for the Lotus & TVR - But there’s a few things worth noting.
Mechanically the TVR has been fine. However, on New Years Day a fuse blew (not uncommon) meaning that everything aside from the clock on the dashboard died. Thankfully this was rectified promptly and easily.
With the Elise living outside I invested in a hardtop. This has helped make it a lot more weather proof, and just as well I did because the day after I picked it up this happened:
Without the snow, it looks like this
Shortly after this I noticed that the heater fan had been playing up a little bit (ie. It wouldn’t start working unless I put it on the fastest speed/would cut out intermittently). Some searching around suggested the resistor was on it’s way out, and upon inspection, that certainly appeared to be the issue.
Some Elise’s had three small resistors (one per fan speed) or one large one with three separate connectors (like this). One of them was so corroded/rotten that the second I touched it, it fell off. When I was driving afterwards having unintentionally turned on the fan it was shorting out and smoking rather a lot at the front
So I’ve taken the car to another specialist to be taken care of. While they’re at it they’re going to align the window as it wasn’t quite right and was letting a tiny bit of rainwater in.Today’s wonderful weather meant that the TVR got it’s first wash since October. For a 21 year old car it’s scrubs up very well, although you do need to use a lot of leather cleaner for the interior - I also had a chance to add this to it:
Of course whilst I had the car out of the garage it would be rude not to take it for a proper drive (roof off naturally). I stopped off and got this picture whilst I was at it.
Sadly I didn’t get any video, but I did find a small tunnel to go through - The noise is just infectious!
That’s all for now, and will update in due course
I think it's time for another little update:
Lotus
All is well in the land of Lotus - I've had the car for about 9 months and covered about 8000+ miles (as a weekend car only). It's fair to say in this time I've become quite acquainted with it now.
Since February it has had it's MOT and annual service. I also bought and had clear lenses to the front and sides fitted, the stick on number plate removed and replaced with a standard one. I also transferred my plate onto the car.
I had the work done by a specialist in Surrey who I have to say are absolutely top notch. There was a advisory on the MOT for slight misting of oil from one of the shock absorbers. A look back through the search history showed that all 4 springs, and three of the shocks were replaced over a couple of years - this was the only original one left. I had this replaced and now the suspension is all good - But I am tempted by an S2 Suspension upgrade some time in the future.
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. This certainly highlighted the Elise’s phenomenal mechanical grip.
I've also done a couple of SELOC runs (highly recommended group) and let fellow PH'er Synchromesh have a drive in the better weather we had recently. I'm sure he'll agree that it is good fun, but perhaps not so much as his latest acquisition (get a thread up James!)
Another task was the old stone protectors on the side. These had been bugging me since I got the car, but was quite nervous about removing them. Brave pills taken, and armed with a hair dryer, an old IAM membership card and some Autoglym Intensive Tar Remover, I cracked on with the task removing them.
All in, it took me about a couple of hours or so to remove the old protectors and the glue residue. As much as I'd like to have the car without the protectors, I know that it'd be get chipped and annoy me immensely. So I bought some new ones from Elise Parts and got them fitted.
The interior was also in dire need of a proper clean. So the seats came out and this was how it looked
Several buckets of warm water and a magic sponge later
Annoyingly I forgot it to get a picture at the end. It was Bank Holiday Monday at 7PM and I'd spent enough time outside on the car that day - please forgive me
Next on my task list is to get the AWI 5 Spoke wheels refurbished and fitted to the car. I'd also ideally like to get a new intake system fitted as the current one is looking a bit worse for wear.
As part of the Supercar Siege (with Tunerfest South) in mid June I managed to do a short 15 minute session around Brands Hatch with some rather nice other cars. I wasn’t pushing the car too much (the worry of driving without track insurance, let alone sharing the track with a LaFerrari being driven in an ‘interesting’ manner) meant that I could push the car as hard as I wanted, but still enough for me to enjoy. Another trackday is certainly on the cards.
Bitten by the limit handling bug, I signed up for the SELOC Activity Day at North Weald Aerodrome as a birthday treat for myself (seeing as that was the day before it). An amazing day where you could freely throw the car out of control in an open environment and not worry about hitting anything. It was also immense fun, in particular the final autosolo type course at the end! Video to come soon.
Dad and I went to The Supercar Event this weekend just gone. I have previously volunteered for this event for about 6/7 years in the pit crew, but decided that I would instead spend this year with the Sporting Bears. Saturday’s weather was sketchy, but I managed to take a few passengers out. Sunday from 11am to 4pm was non-stop, and it was wonderful.
As a bonus, we got invited on track at lunchtime to do some demonstration laps to the crowd, and show the cars on offer to ride in, in action. So I quickly set up my GoPro and got this: https://youtu.be/PI4VcpJ0hiE
The event raised £90,000 for the Children’s Trust, £9200 of which was done by the Bears. I’m already looking forward to next year.
TVR
This car has simply been wonderful. And before anyone asks if it has broken down, I’m sorry to report (for you) that no, it has not.
My parents enjoyed a week's holiday in the car taking it down to the west country covering about 800 miles total and behaved impeccably despite being left to stand for a few days. Only on the last day did fuse 14 (which powers the dashboard) decide to take a break - but this was quickly replaced with assistance from the Steve Heath TVR Bible.
We also took both cars on a family holiday near Malvern. We popped across to the Black Mountains, swapping cars part way through, thoroughly enjoying the scenery, the driving experience, and being able to drive these cars on the roads they deseve to experience more often than they do.
I also took it to Bournemouth at the start of the June for the Bournemouth Wheels event and covered 410 miles in two days. An afternoon of passenger rides for the public ensued, and I was genuinely surprised at how much positive attention the car got!
It was a hot day with quite a bit of town traffic and I did notice the temperature raise to circa 100/110 degrees at which point I let the car have a break. I think the positioning of the licence plate in the centre of the grill is not helping matters,so this has been moved down. A gentle(ish) drive home bought the temperature back down to an acceptable 90 degrees. Somewhat surprising was the economy, figures were double checked, but it appeared with a very gentle drive (between 65-70mph in 5th gear) I achieved 35mpg! Normal service was resumed later and got 22mpg out of a tank.
Some pictures from Bournemouth
My parents are planning a 3 week tour away in the car to France in September, and if things come together nicely (which they were before Brexit!), I’ll be flying down to Nice to collect the car from them and drive it home (via the Route Napoleon naturally) - Only time will tell if this does go ahead, but I sincerely hope it does!
Lotus
All is well in the land of Lotus - I've had the car for about 9 months and covered about 8000+ miles (as a weekend car only). It's fair to say in this time I've become quite acquainted with it now.
Since February it has had it's MOT and annual service. I also bought and had clear lenses to the front and sides fitted, the stick on number plate removed and replaced with a standard one. I also transferred my plate onto the car.
I had the work done by a specialist in Surrey who I have to say are absolutely top notch. There was a advisory on the MOT for slight misting of oil from one of the shock absorbers. A look back through the search history showed that all 4 springs, and three of the shocks were replaced over a couple of years - this was the only original one left. I had this replaced and now the suspension is all good - But I am tempted by an S2 Suspension upgrade some time in the future.
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. This certainly highlighted the Elise’s phenomenal mechanical grip.
I've also done a couple of SELOC runs (highly recommended group) and let fellow PH'er Synchromesh have a drive in the better weather we had recently. I'm sure he'll agree that it is good fun, but perhaps not so much as his latest acquisition (get a thread up James!)
Another task was the old stone protectors on the side. These had been bugging me since I got the car, but was quite nervous about removing them. Brave pills taken, and armed with a hair dryer, an old IAM membership card and some Autoglym Intensive Tar Remover, I cracked on with the task removing them.
All in, it took me about a couple of hours or so to remove the old protectors and the glue residue. As much as I'd like to have the car without the protectors, I know that it'd be get chipped and annoy me immensely. So I bought some new ones from Elise Parts and got them fitted.
The interior was also in dire need of a proper clean. So the seats came out and this was how it looked
Several buckets of warm water and a magic sponge later
Annoyingly I forgot it to get a picture at the end. It was Bank Holiday Monday at 7PM and I'd spent enough time outside on the car that day - please forgive me
Next on my task list is to get the AWI 5 Spoke wheels refurbished and fitted to the car. I'd also ideally like to get a new intake system fitted as the current one is looking a bit worse for wear.
As part of the Supercar Siege (with Tunerfest South) in mid June I managed to do a short 15 minute session around Brands Hatch with some rather nice other cars. I wasn’t pushing the car too much (the worry of driving without track insurance, let alone sharing the track with a LaFerrari being driven in an ‘interesting’ manner) meant that I could push the car as hard as I wanted, but still enough for me to enjoy. Another trackday is certainly on the cards.
Bitten by the limit handling bug, I signed up for the SELOC Activity Day at North Weald Aerodrome as a birthday treat for myself (seeing as that was the day before it). An amazing day where you could freely throw the car out of control in an open environment and not worry about hitting anything. It was also immense fun, in particular the final autosolo type course at the end! Video to come soon.
Dad and I went to The Supercar Event this weekend just gone. I have previously volunteered for this event for about 6/7 years in the pit crew, but decided that I would instead spend this year with the Sporting Bears. Saturday’s weather was sketchy, but I managed to take a few passengers out. Sunday from 11am to 4pm was non-stop, and it was wonderful.
As a bonus, we got invited on track at lunchtime to do some demonstration laps to the crowd, and show the cars on offer to ride in, in action. So I quickly set up my GoPro and got this: https://youtu.be/PI4VcpJ0hiE
The event raised £90,000 for the Children’s Trust, £9200 of which was done by the Bears. I’m already looking forward to next year.
TVR
This car has simply been wonderful. And before anyone asks if it has broken down, I’m sorry to report (for you) that no, it has not.
My parents enjoyed a week's holiday in the car taking it down to the west country covering about 800 miles total and behaved impeccably despite being left to stand for a few days. Only on the last day did fuse 14 (which powers the dashboard) decide to take a break - but this was quickly replaced with assistance from the Steve Heath TVR Bible.
We also took both cars on a family holiday near Malvern. We popped across to the Black Mountains, swapping cars part way through, thoroughly enjoying the scenery, the driving experience, and being able to drive these cars on the roads they deseve to experience more often than they do.
I also took it to Bournemouth at the start of the June for the Bournemouth Wheels event and covered 410 miles in two days. An afternoon of passenger rides for the public ensued, and I was genuinely surprised at how much positive attention the car got!
It was a hot day with quite a bit of town traffic and I did notice the temperature raise to circa 100/110 degrees at which point I let the car have a break. I think the positioning of the licence plate in the centre of the grill is not helping matters,so this has been moved down. A gentle(ish) drive home bought the temperature back down to an acceptable 90 degrees. Somewhat surprising was the economy, figures were double checked, but it appeared with a very gentle drive (between 65-70mph in 5th gear) I achieved 35mpg! Normal service was resumed later and got 22mpg out of a tank.
Some pictures from Bournemouth
My parents are planning a 3 week tour away in the car to France in September, and if things come together nicely (which they were before Brexit!), I’ll be flying down to Nice to collect the car from them and drive it home (via the Route Napoleon naturally) - Only time will tell if this does go ahead, but I sincerely hope it does!
Just a small update as I've now comfortably passed the 10k mile mark in this car. This weekend just gone I did about 550 miles around Oxfordshire, Leicestershire and up near Derby at three motoring events in three days! Saturday was the Young Driver's Day with HPC - my first year as a 'Graduate'. Highly recommended for any driver aged 26 or under to gain exposure to another style of driving.
On Sunday I was at Donington's Fast Car Festival for the PH Sunday Service. A gentle run up there with no traffic was quite pleasant - as was spending the day in the company of friends I haven't seen for quite some time.
However, this Monday was one of the day's I had been looking forward to most; a charity trackday, taking members out for hotlap rides in the car around Bruntingthorpe.
I duly set up my GoPro and external mic - placement yet to be perfected; RIP Headphone Users - and got took this footage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXjQbKjlUDA
And as a big bonus, I was allowed to takevictims passengers in this!
I can confirm everything you've heard about these. It's truly, truly nuts. The biggest adrenaline fix I've had. The rate at which speed was gained on the straights, carried through bends, and lost on the approach to them was out of this world. Acceleration was relentless and we topped out at 145mph on the main runway.
Suffice to say my Man Maths is working overtime to try and justify one...
....Oh and I'm back at Brunters this Saturday too...With the TVR for company!
On Sunday I was at Donington's Fast Car Festival for the PH Sunday Service. A gentle run up there with no traffic was quite pleasant - as was spending the day in the company of friends I haven't seen for quite some time.
However, this Monday was one of the day's I had been looking forward to most; a charity trackday, taking members out for hotlap rides in the car around Bruntingthorpe.
I duly set up my GoPro and external mic - placement yet to be perfected; RIP Headphone Users - and got took this footage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXjQbKjlUDA
And as a big bonus, I was allowed to take
I can confirm everything you've heard about these. It's truly, truly nuts. The biggest adrenaline fix I've had. The rate at which speed was gained on the straights, carried through bends, and lost on the approach to them was out of this world. Acceleration was relentless and we topped out at 145mph on the main runway.
Suffice to say my Man Maths is working overtime to try and justify one...
....Oh and I'm back at Brunters this Saturday too...With the TVR for company!
Update time again!.
So it’s been just over a year since we took ownership of the cars. I think this update will serve well as a reflection of that time.
Lotus
Now with around 66,000 miles on the clock, this means I’ve added 15,000 miles to the car in a year and a bit - not bad I think. It's thrown a little hiccup here and there along the way (Heater resistor, alarm rewiring and shock absorber replacement) but I have to say generally, she’s been very very reliable.
In September I went to Woodbidge circuit with my mate Callum. Throughout the day we both managed to progressively build up our pace to the point where I certainly felt like I was getting very close to my limits. A ride in a Honda'd S1 with the Nitron suspension setup has convinced me that the £1500 I'd probably spend on getting it is worthwhile. What a car!
Pics from the day can be seen below, and the video can be seen HERE and HERE
This month I finally got my AWI wheels that were included in the sale refurbished and fitted to the car. Personally I think they look ace, but accept that it's subjective colour choice. As winter is coming, the hardtop also got fitted, so this is how she presently looks
In other news, a few months ago I also swapped cars for a few day with Callum. He had the Lotus and I had his E92 M3 Competition Pack. Two very contrasting cars with different interpretations of being a 'sports car'.
I must say the E92 was seriously impressive. Most of the time it was docile and easy to drive, just like a normal 3 series. But when the fancy took you, it could seriously shift. It had enough torque/power to get along nicely, but you if you wanted to press on, you still needed to put your foot down to get it going - surprising for a 400bhp car.
My only slight gripe is that it's so well insulated, you feel cocooned, and the sense of speed isn't there until you're well into licence losing territory. The Lotus is more raw, and whilst the written performance isn't anywhere near that of the E92, is just a bit more fun. Nonetheless, as a fast daily driver/only car, the M3 would be seriously tempting.
Just a couple of days ago I was at Bruntingthorpe for a track day. It was an excellent chance to once again push the Elise, but this time in much more challenging conditions. Ice on the last corner, and just before the road through to the runway from the perimeter road allowed me to experiment with the limits of the car’s grip in a safe environment. This did result in some rather nice oversteer moments, which due to forgetting to set up my camera - I didn’t capture
With Christmas just gone, I got new black leather sill pads to replace the worn red ones already fitted. There’s currently a few jobs that are going to be done.
As I’ve managed to pile on quite a few miles, it needs another service. While it’s there, I will investigate having the following jobs done too.
1. Fit new sill pads.
2. Fit air intake (to be purchased)
3. Remove carpet fixers (I plan to fit them down with velcro - much better than the current fixers)
4. Buy/fit Yokohama AD08r tyres.
Longer terms plans include:
1. Recover crash pad and door cards in alcantara, and have custom carpet mats made.
2. New air intake fitted.
3. Either fit Probax with harness holes, or original seats recovered.
4. Fit harness bar and hardness.
5. Upgrade to adjustable suspension.
..Yeah, it's probably cheaper to run a B6 RS6
TVR
Truth be told, I’d planned to post this update sooner. However, due to an unforeseen incident, this did not happen. Anyway, I’ll get to that later.
The main update on this car is that it did indeed go to France. My parents took it on a two and a half week, 2300 mile trip all the way down to Monaco and back via the back roads (OK, and some autoroutes). The trip was such a success that they're already planning the next trip back for next summer to the lavender fields in Provence, and who knew with all the luggage they had it could still hold 20+ bottles of wine!
The car behaved impeccably with no issues. Most surprising my Dad reports, was the reaction to the car. Quite often he'd come back to the car with small crowds around it, and tried in his best (usually wrong) French to have a chat with those who were interested. The police even pulled them over in Monaco because they wanted to show my parents a picture of another Chim they'd seen and wanted a closer look at their one
Coincidentally, my very good friend and PH'er Matt lives very near to Monaco (and drives a lovely Jaguar XJ SV8) - Imagine my surprise one evening when I find messages from my parents and from Matt one saying they're spotted a UK registered Jag, the other that they've parked behind a TVR - Small world!
Unfortunately - There was a rather unpleasant surprise. Upon coming home and having its inspection done at a nearby specialist, it transpired that the suspension was pretty knackered. The shock absorbers whilst not leaking fluid, were working properly resulting in the car just riding on its springs. A full replacement of shocks and springs was recommended.
Secondly, the diff also required a rebuild. This wasn’t a total failure, but my very basic understanding of the situation was that the bearings inside were loose/seals not working properly (don’t quote me on that!) This was part of the reason the car was slightly juddery at lower speeds.
Anyway - A couple of weeks ago, I collected the car. It’s now running on Nitron shocks and springs, and the diff is rebuilt. It’s transformed the way the car rides and handles. Round town it’s much smoother and no juddering to be found. The ride is smoother and feels more planted.
On Christmas day, me and a couple of mates decided to venture up to London and get some photographs of our cars in various locations. The idea being that there will be very little traffic about. My photographer friend Dan is responsible for these (I can only dream of being this good!)
And the best news - I’ll be on the insurance on a permanent basis from 5th January so I can drive it even more! Roll on 2017
So it’s been just over a year since we took ownership of the cars. I think this update will serve well as a reflection of that time.
Lotus
Now with around 66,000 miles on the clock, this means I’ve added 15,000 miles to the car in a year and a bit - not bad I think. It's thrown a little hiccup here and there along the way (Heater resistor, alarm rewiring and shock absorber replacement) but I have to say generally, she’s been very very reliable.
In September I went to Woodbidge circuit with my mate Callum. Throughout the day we both managed to progressively build up our pace to the point where I certainly felt like I was getting very close to my limits. A ride in a Honda'd S1 with the Nitron suspension setup has convinced me that the £1500 I'd probably spend on getting it is worthwhile. What a car!
Pics from the day can be seen below, and the video can be seen HERE and HERE
This month I finally got my AWI wheels that were included in the sale refurbished and fitted to the car. Personally I think they look ace, but accept that it's subjective colour choice. As winter is coming, the hardtop also got fitted, so this is how she presently looks
In other news, a few months ago I also swapped cars for a few day with Callum. He had the Lotus and I had his E92 M3 Competition Pack. Two very contrasting cars with different interpretations of being a 'sports car'.
I must say the E92 was seriously impressive. Most of the time it was docile and easy to drive, just like a normal 3 series. But when the fancy took you, it could seriously shift. It had enough torque/power to get along nicely, but you if you wanted to press on, you still needed to put your foot down to get it going - surprising for a 400bhp car.
My only slight gripe is that it's so well insulated, you feel cocooned, and the sense of speed isn't there until you're well into licence losing territory. The Lotus is more raw, and whilst the written performance isn't anywhere near that of the E92, is just a bit more fun. Nonetheless, as a fast daily driver/only car, the M3 would be seriously tempting.
Just a couple of days ago I was at Bruntingthorpe for a track day. It was an excellent chance to once again push the Elise, but this time in much more challenging conditions. Ice on the last corner, and just before the road through to the runway from the perimeter road allowed me to experiment with the limits of the car’s grip in a safe environment. This did result in some rather nice oversteer moments, which due to forgetting to set up my camera - I didn’t capture
With Christmas just gone, I got new black leather sill pads to replace the worn red ones already fitted. There’s currently a few jobs that are going to be done.
As I’ve managed to pile on quite a few miles, it needs another service. While it’s there, I will investigate having the following jobs done too.
1. Fit new sill pads.
2. Fit air intake (to be purchased)
3. Remove carpet fixers (I plan to fit them down with velcro - much better than the current fixers)
4. Buy/fit Yokohama AD08r tyres.
Longer terms plans include:
1. Recover crash pad and door cards in alcantara, and have custom carpet mats made.
2. New air intake fitted.
3. Either fit Probax with harness holes, or original seats recovered.
4. Fit harness bar and hardness.
5. Upgrade to adjustable suspension.
..Yeah, it's probably cheaper to run a B6 RS6
TVR
Truth be told, I’d planned to post this update sooner. However, due to an unforeseen incident, this did not happen. Anyway, I’ll get to that later.
The main update on this car is that it did indeed go to France. My parents took it on a two and a half week, 2300 mile trip all the way down to Monaco and back via the back roads (OK, and some autoroutes). The trip was such a success that they're already planning the next trip back for next summer to the lavender fields in Provence, and who knew with all the luggage they had it could still hold 20+ bottles of wine!
The car behaved impeccably with no issues. Most surprising my Dad reports, was the reaction to the car. Quite often he'd come back to the car with small crowds around it, and tried in his best (usually wrong) French to have a chat with those who were interested. The police even pulled them over in Monaco because they wanted to show my parents a picture of another Chim they'd seen and wanted a closer look at their one
Coincidentally, my very good friend and PH'er Matt lives very near to Monaco (and drives a lovely Jaguar XJ SV8) - Imagine my surprise one evening when I find messages from my parents and from Matt one saying they're spotted a UK registered Jag, the other that they've parked behind a TVR - Small world!
Unfortunately - There was a rather unpleasant surprise. Upon coming home and having its inspection done at a nearby specialist, it transpired that the suspension was pretty knackered. The shock absorbers whilst not leaking fluid, were working properly resulting in the car just riding on its springs. A full replacement of shocks and springs was recommended.
Secondly, the diff also required a rebuild. This wasn’t a total failure, but my very basic understanding of the situation was that the bearings inside were loose/seals not working properly (don’t quote me on that!) This was part of the reason the car was slightly juddery at lower speeds.
Anyway - A couple of weeks ago, I collected the car. It’s now running on Nitron shocks and springs, and the diff is rebuilt. It’s transformed the way the car rides and handles. Round town it’s much smoother and no juddering to be found. The ride is smoother and feels more planted.
On Christmas day, me and a couple of mates decided to venture up to London and get some photographs of our cars in various locations. The idea being that there will be very little traffic about. My photographer friend Dan is responsible for these (I can only dream of being this good!)
And the best news - I’ll be on the insurance on a permanent basis from 5th January so I can drive it even more! Roll on 2017
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.
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.
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.
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
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
Thanks Lynch - We're very happy with it now, it's also a lot easier to keep looking nice as the arm rests used to wear/look dirty very soon after washing.
Kieran - We only got pulled over in Germany
Agreed, it certainly goes well for what it is, but the S2 has better seats (I prefer the standard ones with adjustable lumbar support), lower and slimmer sills, and a more conventional interior. It means that for an only car, it's slightly more bearable than mine which is a bit hardcore.
Kieran - We only got pulled over in Germany
Agreed, it certainly goes well for what it is, but the S2 has better seats (I prefer the standard ones with adjustable lumbar support), lower and slimmer sills, and a more conventional interior. It means that for an only car, it's slightly more bearable than mine which is a bit hardcore.
Hi Mark - Thankyou. Reims was an excellent stop. It was great to have a wander around the old grandstands. Only a couple of hours or so from calais too IIRC so about the right time for a little break!
For breakdown cover I went with the RAC. It cost me around £130 for the top level/best cover they offer for the week.
For breakdown cover I went with the RAC. It cost me around £130 for the top level/best cover they offer for the week.
James - 95% of the use is road. I do trackdays, but not that often - for the road, I think the S2 may be a better choice. However, I do agree that the S1 is probably more 'pure'.
Kieran - Cheeky git But in my defence, it was only one pair of jeans that I was pushing the boundaries of fitting into anyway. Lesson learnt!
Kieran - Cheeky git
But in my defence, it was only one pair of jeans that I was pushing the boundaries of fitting into anyway. Lesson learnt!Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff