Lotus Evora GT410 Sport & Honda e
Discussion
[For Honda e content go to the post on the 25th March onwards!]
Hi everyone!
Right! So, the story starts about six months ago with a really speculative visit to Bell & Colvill and a quick chat to Jamie. I have a feeling that I'm not the only one on PH with a story that starts like that! I had a little bit of money and was considering maybe something second hand, but I really wasn't looking to buy. Honest. Of course, after a while chatting, Jamie introduced me to the 50/50 0% finance offer that Lotus (some? all?) dealers are offering. This, in conjunction with the 20% discount I get from not paying VAT (I get this on one car every three years) made a new Evora very very attainable. I've never been able to make up my mind if I ever wanted to buy a new car or not, on the one hand it's undeniable 'bad value', but on the other, you end up with a car that's exactly as you want it to be. In the end, the combination of it being 'my' car and at a very reasonable price was too much of a temptation and an order was placed late April, for an expected delivery date in August.
Four (ish) months later, it was back to B & C for a very, very good day indeed
1 hapy boi by Alex D, on Flickr
Evora Side at B and C by Alex D, on Flickr
Jamie was amazing when it came to organising everything and throughout the whole process, so a huge shout out to him. The hand controls were sorted before pickup allowing me to see it and drive it away the same day, which isn't necessarily a given. The full, just into six figures spec is as follows:
Evora GT410
Auto Gearbox
Touring Suspension
Sparco Seats
Rear Seat Delete
Tan Leather Upgrade
Alcantara Steering Wheel
Mud Flaps
Air Conditioning
Premium Infotainment
Cruise Control
Sound Insulation
Centre Console Cup Holder
Lower Side Sills Colour Change
Dark Racing Green Paint
Forged Wheel Colour Finish (Bronze, not done through Lotus)
It's worth noting at this point that I have never driven or been in a Lotus before this, and due to needing hand controls I wasn't able to test drive this before buying. I just took it on faith and reviews that it was a good product and well, I haven't been even slightly disappointed.
Okay, so Now I've had the car for about 6 weeks and 4,300 miles, some thoughts on it. Let’s get something out there in the open, I don't think this is a six-figure car. I ended up paying a fair bit less than half of the list price, and at that price point it's a bargain. but six figures? No way. Anyway! That doesn't mean I don't love my car, as I very much do. The good bits of the interior are the luggage space, the seats and the general layout. It's straightforward and everything is reachable by the driver. The much-maligned infotainment is decent, Android Auto means I have Waze and Spotify there, what more could I want? Speakers are fine too, they can be heard clearly without having to turn the volume up too much at motorway speeds. Climate control would be really nice, but I accept that most likely it's either too heavy or too expensive to implement. Seats are really nice, they seem to support me well and in the right places, I managed a 7 hour slog up to Edinburgh with no achy bits. They look cool too. Wheel is nice and dash is reasonable, although the digital speedometer is a godsend, the analogue one is not very clear I find. The tyre pressure monitoring is nice to have. Downsides of the interior are the cheap switchgear and the fact it feels a little conflicted as a car. So, it seems to be pitching itself as almost a GT when you've specced the sound insulation, touring suspension and rear seat delete. It's comfy, quiet and actually has loads of luggage space. Problem is, when you're touring, you do tend to accumulate crap in the cabin and there's nowhere to put it really. The cupholder is in a really bad position, there are no door bins and there's nowhere to put either elbow for both the driver and passenger. This is all utterly irrelevant when you're out on a Sunday drive, but all of a sudden becomes very relevant indeed when you're doing a 300-400 mile trip on motorways to get to more interesting roads. For the money, this irritates me and I think I'll work on sorting it out myself.
Really though, this car is about the driving. After 500 miles of taking it easy (I swear!) and then another few hundred of not taking the piss, the running in service was completed and I was free to go nuts.
Wow. Just wow. Actually, before the running in service I was blown away. When travelling from B & C back to the A3, the nav takes you down a really horrible, lumpy and bumpy NSL road. The Fiesta I have is awful down this road, the C63 Wagon is better but still iffy. The Lotus ate it. I couldn't believe that after all the hype and after everything that has been written about Lotus suspension, in my eyes it still doesn't come close to describing the reality. The car just floats down tough roads, it isn't quite delicate per say, as you need a strong grip on the wheel at times, but wow... It's brilliant. The automatic gearbox is very far from the worst out there, and when in race mode and driving aggressively it does a really good job at keeping the engine in the powerband. The acceleration through gears 1, 2 and 3 is fantastic, certainly for a road car it's hard to see why it would need to be much faster. The Cup 2s are brilliant in the dry and the whole car is whispering, talking or even shouting at you about what's going on beneath the wheels. The exhaust not is really good, although possibly it verges on antisocially loud. Something quieter is on the horizon. Cruising is easy and relaxing, at 70mph it's really civil inside. I can't claim that it's actually quiet, but it's certainly not loud. The steering is utterly fantastic, you get so much feedback about how much grip there is and what the front tyres are doing. The chassis overall is really neutral and easily caught if you do take the piss and get a little out of shape. All in all, I really struggle to see how any driving experience gets better. The car overall might be a little overpriced, but the driving experience certainly isn't.
Is it perfect? No, of course not. In addition to the interior gripes, I'm thinking it could be a little faster. Does it need to be? No, absolutely not. Do I think the chassis could take an extra 100bhp? Yes, easily. Another small gripe is the exposed carbon. At the time when I discovered that you couldn't get the rear deck painted, I thought it best to go with a carbon roof and bonnet service panel, and black vanity panel behind the roof. I'm not a huge fan of exposed carbon but I thought I'd see how it went. I'm still not a fan actually, and I'm going to look into getting the carbon parts wrapped body colour, as a low-cost way of testing out if I like it or not.
Other than that, the plan is to just drive it a lot. it'll be driven through the winter and I'm considering putting winter bias tyres on it like Michelin Pilot Alpin's. Now I think I've done all the chatting, have some photos!
Lotus Evora NC500 by Alex D, on Flickr
Evora Scotland 2019 by Alex D, on Flickr
Evora at The Mill by Alex D, on Flickr
Evora at Leith Hill by Alex D, on Flickr
Evora at Bell & Colvill by Alex D, on Flickr
Evora Scotland 2019 by Alex D, on Flickr
Evora Scotland 2019 by Alex D, on Flickr
Vmax200 September by Alex D, on Flickr
Vmax200 September by Alex D, on Flickr
Vmax200 September by Alex D, on Flickr
Vmax200 September by Alex D, on Flickr
Now, for the eagle eyed amongst you, you may have spotted a little bit of a bent diffuser. Yep. I picked the car up on a Friday, and on that Saturday I was on my way into Kensington to meet a mate for lunch. When I was sitting at traffic lights in Twickenham, a young lad on a moped ran into the back of me. I was really quite angry, but credit to the lad he didn't leg it, he was properly insured, unhurt and called his insurance co right away to admit fault. It still hasn't been repaired partly because of commitments I had and partly becuase Lotus is a little slow when it comes to sending large parts like a full rear bumper out to the bodyshop. It'll be back to good as new in no time!
Hi everyone!
Right! So, the story starts about six months ago with a really speculative visit to Bell & Colvill and a quick chat to Jamie. I have a feeling that I'm not the only one on PH with a story that starts like that! I had a little bit of money and was considering maybe something second hand, but I really wasn't looking to buy. Honest. Of course, after a while chatting, Jamie introduced me to the 50/50 0% finance offer that Lotus (some? all?) dealers are offering. This, in conjunction with the 20% discount I get from not paying VAT (I get this on one car every three years) made a new Evora very very attainable. I've never been able to make up my mind if I ever wanted to buy a new car or not, on the one hand it's undeniable 'bad value', but on the other, you end up with a car that's exactly as you want it to be. In the end, the combination of it being 'my' car and at a very reasonable price was too much of a temptation and an order was placed late April, for an expected delivery date in August.
Four (ish) months later, it was back to B & C for a very, very good day indeed
1 hapy boi by Alex D, on FlickrEvora Side at B and C by Alex D, on FlickrJamie was amazing when it came to organising everything and throughout the whole process, so a huge shout out to him. The hand controls were sorted before pickup allowing me to see it and drive it away the same day, which isn't necessarily a given. The full, just into six figures spec is as follows:
Evora GT410
Auto Gearbox
Touring Suspension
Sparco Seats
Rear Seat Delete
Tan Leather Upgrade
Alcantara Steering Wheel
Mud Flaps
Air Conditioning
Premium Infotainment
Cruise Control
Sound Insulation
Centre Console Cup Holder
Lower Side Sills Colour Change
Dark Racing Green Paint
Forged Wheel Colour Finish (Bronze, not done through Lotus)
It's worth noting at this point that I have never driven or been in a Lotus before this, and due to needing hand controls I wasn't able to test drive this before buying. I just took it on faith and reviews that it was a good product and well, I haven't been even slightly disappointed.
Okay, so Now I've had the car for about 6 weeks and 4,300 miles, some thoughts on it. Let’s get something out there in the open, I don't think this is a six-figure car. I ended up paying a fair bit less than half of the list price, and at that price point it's a bargain. but six figures? No way. Anyway! That doesn't mean I don't love my car, as I very much do. The good bits of the interior are the luggage space, the seats and the general layout. It's straightforward and everything is reachable by the driver. The much-maligned infotainment is decent, Android Auto means I have Waze and Spotify there, what more could I want? Speakers are fine too, they can be heard clearly without having to turn the volume up too much at motorway speeds. Climate control would be really nice, but I accept that most likely it's either too heavy or too expensive to implement. Seats are really nice, they seem to support me well and in the right places, I managed a 7 hour slog up to Edinburgh with no achy bits. They look cool too. Wheel is nice and dash is reasonable, although the digital speedometer is a godsend, the analogue one is not very clear I find. The tyre pressure monitoring is nice to have. Downsides of the interior are the cheap switchgear and the fact it feels a little conflicted as a car. So, it seems to be pitching itself as almost a GT when you've specced the sound insulation, touring suspension and rear seat delete. It's comfy, quiet and actually has loads of luggage space. Problem is, when you're touring, you do tend to accumulate crap in the cabin and there's nowhere to put it really. The cupholder is in a really bad position, there are no door bins and there's nowhere to put either elbow for both the driver and passenger. This is all utterly irrelevant when you're out on a Sunday drive, but all of a sudden becomes very relevant indeed when you're doing a 300-400 mile trip on motorways to get to more interesting roads. For the money, this irritates me and I think I'll work on sorting it out myself.
Really though, this car is about the driving. After 500 miles of taking it easy (I swear!) and then another few hundred of not taking the piss, the running in service was completed and I was free to go nuts.
Wow. Just wow. Actually, before the running in service I was blown away. When travelling from B & C back to the A3, the nav takes you down a really horrible, lumpy and bumpy NSL road. The Fiesta I have is awful down this road, the C63 Wagon is better but still iffy. The Lotus ate it. I couldn't believe that after all the hype and after everything that has been written about Lotus suspension, in my eyes it still doesn't come close to describing the reality. The car just floats down tough roads, it isn't quite delicate per say, as you need a strong grip on the wheel at times, but wow... It's brilliant. The automatic gearbox is very far from the worst out there, and when in race mode and driving aggressively it does a really good job at keeping the engine in the powerband. The acceleration through gears 1, 2 and 3 is fantastic, certainly for a road car it's hard to see why it would need to be much faster. The Cup 2s are brilliant in the dry and the whole car is whispering, talking or even shouting at you about what's going on beneath the wheels. The exhaust not is really good, although possibly it verges on antisocially loud. Something quieter is on the horizon. Cruising is easy and relaxing, at 70mph it's really civil inside. I can't claim that it's actually quiet, but it's certainly not loud. The steering is utterly fantastic, you get so much feedback about how much grip there is and what the front tyres are doing. The chassis overall is really neutral and easily caught if you do take the piss and get a little out of shape. All in all, I really struggle to see how any driving experience gets better. The car overall might be a little overpriced, but the driving experience certainly isn't.
Is it perfect? No, of course not. In addition to the interior gripes, I'm thinking it could be a little faster. Does it need to be? No, absolutely not. Do I think the chassis could take an extra 100bhp? Yes, easily. Another small gripe is the exposed carbon. At the time when I discovered that you couldn't get the rear deck painted, I thought it best to go with a carbon roof and bonnet service panel, and black vanity panel behind the roof. I'm not a huge fan of exposed carbon but I thought I'd see how it went. I'm still not a fan actually, and I'm going to look into getting the carbon parts wrapped body colour, as a low-cost way of testing out if I like it or not.
Other than that, the plan is to just drive it a lot. it'll be driven through the winter and I'm considering putting winter bias tyres on it like Michelin Pilot Alpin's. Now I think I've done all the chatting, have some photos!
Lotus Evora NC500 by Alex D, on FlickrEvora Scotland 2019 by Alex D, on FlickrEvora at The Mill by Alex D, on FlickrEvora at Leith Hill by Alex D, on FlickrEvora at Bell & Colvill by Alex D, on FlickrEvora Scotland 2019 by Alex D, on FlickrEvora Scotland 2019 by Alex D, on FlickrVmax200 September by Alex D, on FlickrVmax200 September by Alex D, on FlickrVmax200 September by Alex D, on FlickrVmax200 September by Alex D, on FlickrNow, for the eagle eyed amongst you, you may have spotted a little bit of a bent diffuser. Yep. I picked the car up on a Friday, and on that Saturday I was on my way into Kensington to meet a mate for lunch. When I was sitting at traffic lights in Twickenham, a young lad on a moped ran into the back of me. I was really quite angry, but credit to the lad he didn't leg it, he was properly insured, unhurt and called his insurance co right away to admit fault. It still hasn't been repaired partly because of commitments I had and partly becuase Lotus is a little slow when it comes to sending large parts like a full rear bumper out to the bodyshop. It'll be back to good as new in no time!
Edited by leglessAlex on Thursday 25th March 19:18
williamp said:
Ooohhh thats gorgeous (the car, not you!!)
What did you manage at vmax??
Oi! I'm gorgeous too I'll have you know What did you manage at vmax??
Vmax website says 193.43mph, because they've got the 6 upside down
. It managed 163.43mph, which is slow but that's okay. It's not what this car was built for. Thanks very much for the kind words everyone, hopefully I'll have a good year getting out and about!
Is that a lot? Yeah, it is. £1,200 per month on depreciation is no small amount, but if you were to look at a 24 month lease of, say, a 911 GTS, the Lotus is still significantly cheaper I believe. Obviously, those are fairly 'worst case' numbers, and if you didn't drive it much and kept it two years, you might only lose £500pm. Cheap.
CharlesdeGaulle said:
I really like these and have my eyes on a few second-hand, but your comments about a deal caught my eye. I qualify for a tax-free purchase so if B&C can do a deal I might consider new. Can you give any details or is it best to go direct to the dealer?
My numbers were roughly as follows: £104,000 list, £86,000 minus VAT, £2,000 discount and then 50% of it financed for two years at 0% interest. I'm in for £42,000 or so, and if I keep it just one year I expect to get about £28-30,000 of that back. This would maybe go up to as much as £36,000 back if it was driven as little as sports cars often are. Is that a lot? Yeah, it is. £1,200 per month on depreciation is no small amount, but if you were to look at a 24 month lease of, say, a 911 GTS, the Lotus is still significantly cheaper I believe. Obviously, those are fairly 'worst case' numbers, and if you didn't drive it much and kept it two years, you might only lose £500pm. Cheap.
CharlesdeGaulle said:
Really helpful, thanks - I've mailed B&C.
Hope you enjoy it.
Jamie there is a really top guy, he'll look after you. Hope you enjoy it.
Bear in mind, that was with almost every non-carbon option ticked as I'm not a fan of exposed CF really. A much more sensible spec is probably somewhere in the mid-£90k reigon.
Sturmy said:
Lovely car and sounds amazing!
We leap frogged each other from Torridon up to Ullapool back in September.
It got to the point that my other half had learnt to drop a window in the rain so we could hear you go by
We were in a very anonymous red VW UP, notable only for having sea kayaks on the roof.
Cheers
James
James! I actually do remember, I think, did I overtake you by any chance? I do vaguely remember overtaking someone with the window down slightly in the rain and hoping they had done it deliberately, it can be rather surprisingly loud if someone isn't expecting it. We leap frogged each other from Torridon up to Ullapool back in September.
It got to the point that my other half had learnt to drop a window in the rain so we could hear you go by
We were in a very anonymous red VW UP, notable only for having sea kayaks on the roof.
Cheers
James
B'stard Child said:
That looks great
If not to personal a question I would be really interested in how they have adapted it to your situation
Not at all! Here's a pic of the setup:If not to personal a question I would be really interested in how they have adapted it to your situation
Lotus Hand Controls by Alex D, on FlickrSo, the steerting ball is somewhat self explanatory, I can only have one hand on the wheel at any one time and it's just a safety thing. The steering isn't light, and if I was using the heel of my hand to spin the wheel around at some point it would slip off, and depending on the situation that could be very bad. I'm thinking of buying a second steerign wheel and modifying it so I can put the stering ball through the wheel, rather than have that big ugly clamp. Something to talk to D:Class Auto about.
The lever below the wiper stalk is connected to the pedals and is very easy to use, pull it for throttle and push it to bake. Dead easy. I don't actually know if I'm going to keep this system though, I might move to a ring system that is closer to what Alex Zanardi uses in his racing cars. I'm very undecided about this, it wouldn't be cheap and it would take some getting used to. Food for thought.
Currently, I'm just enjoying it. I've got some thoughts on interior mods to make it a little more comfortable long distance, and I'm more convinced that I really should wrap all the carbon and black bits (except the A pillars) body colour to see what it looks like. I'd like different mirrors too, the style and positioning of the current ones isn't amazing. The seat could be a little lower too, but that would mean bringing the wheel down and that has an effect on the current hand control setup, so it's not so straightforward.
Halfway through writing this a mate text me saying I've been made readers car of the week. Thanks PH, and thanks everyone for the kind words. Have a pic of the car at Vmax200, credit to Nick with Floorit Photography.
Lotus @ vmax200 by Alex D, on FlickrThe rear visibility isn't great on the move, but it's more than good enough to see if there is someone behind you, even if you don't get a great view.
At low speed, it would be an issue if not for the reversing camera. The combination of the camera, mirrors and small side windows are enough to give you a decent view of what's around you.
As a note, if I end up keeping the car I think I would like to make a custom rear window to replace the slats, I'm not a huge fan of them. It would be something I'd embark on only if I was intending to keep the car a long time. In that case, as some might have gathered from the issues I have already mentioned I think I'd like to steer it towards a slightly 'classier' looking GT car, albeit with a touch more power and the same chassis set up.
Matt, I can fix that Fiesta issue, complete with wheels that are worth more than the car
As a note, when the repair has been done I'd like to offer moolah in return for some nice photos
At low speed, it would be an issue if not for the reversing camera. The combination of the camera, mirrors and small side windows are enough to give you a decent view of what's around you.
As a note, if I end up keeping the car I think I would like to make a custom rear window to replace the slats, I'm not a huge fan of them. It would be something I'd embark on only if I was intending to keep the car a long time. In that case, as some might have gathered from the issues I have already mentioned I think I'd like to steer it towards a slightly 'classier' looking GT car, albeit with a touch more power and the same chassis set up.
Matt, I can fix that Fiesta issue, complete with wheels that are worth more than the car
As a note, when the repair has been done I'd like to offer moolah in return for some nice photos
TheDoggingFather said:
You know where to find me
It's been a bit of a slow month, I've only managed to out another 500 or so miles on it to tip it over 5,000 in about 80 days of ownership. Not bad going, but I could be doing a lot better!
I'm really enjoying it, although the more the engine has freed up the less desire for more power I have. It's a much smoother car now than it was at 1,500-2,500 miles, I really cannot understand those that only ever drive their cars a couple of thousand miles and then sell it! They don't get the full experience at all.
It's certainly going to get winter tyres fitted though, the Cup 2s have become something verging on unpleasnant the colder it's got. In the low teens it was just some slidey fun, in single digits the lack of grip is at the point where any sort of speed feels quite unsafe.
It had a recent visit to C&M to see Phil and Laura after their #romeinalotus Exige trip. It was a story I knew nothing about and I highly recommend searching the hashtag on Instagram and checking out the story, it's really cool. I might have to do it myself some time! I love what they're doing up at C&M and I highly recommend a visit if you haven't already been.
Anyway! Some pics. Fingers crossed the next ones I post will have winter tyres, filthy salt spray on the sills and another few thousand miles.
Lotus GT410 at Caffeine and Machine by Alex D, on Flickr
Lotus GT410 Rear by Alex D, on Flickr
Lotus GT410 Looking Over Goodwood by Alex D, on FlickrThanks guys.
As I said, rear visibility actually isn't so bad. The side mirrors are big and the slats are easy to see through, you can't see in detail what's behind you but you know if something is thee and roughly what it is.
Looking forward to having a whole car again, fingers crossed it doesn't take the two weeks (!) they think it will.
As I said, rear visibility actually isn't so bad. The side mirrors are big and the slats are easy to see through, you can't see in detail what's behind you but you know if something is thee and roughly what it is.
Looking forward to having a whole car again, fingers crossed it doesn't take the two weeks (!) they think it will.
fridaypassion said:
The Cup 2s are a bit dodgy in anything but warm conditions I have found too. I think the 410 runs a bit more toe than the standard Evora which probably exacerbates the issues with the grip levels going in the colder weather. I recently had a Cayman GT4 that felt very planted in cold weather with the same tyres on. I think the Evora geo relies on the tyres been able to really dig in to get the grip when they are warm. I'm swapping mine out for PS4s when my rears die. First set only lasted about 3k so not long to go on these ones. I'm considering some geo tweaks as well much to my embarrassment despite working with these cars and having a reasonable amount of experience with track cars I haven't even had a basic geo on the Evora!
Ohh, that is interesting. I might get the geo looked at, but I'll need to go to someone that knows their stuff and can offer some good advice on any tweaks and their effects. Only 3k out of the rears!? Damn, I need to check my tread depth when the car is back from getting repaired, I knew they were soft but didn't think they'd wear that fast. To be fair, I've probably only managed about 500 miles of hard driving, and the rest has always been girlfriend friendly, lots of acceleration but not too much corner aggression.
This is a really silly thing to say maybe, but I miss it already. I didn't realise how much pleasure I got at 06:20am leaving the flat and seeing the Lotus right in front of me every day, even if I was then getting in the Fiesta.
scottos said:
Lovely spec and could help but grin at the first picture that showed the plate with you stood next to it!
Commendable effort on the miles so far too! Have these been business or fun miles? Any decent road trips worth mentioning so far?
Thank you! I have to say, that grin just about summed up a very, VERY good day. Plate was the cherry on top Commendable effort on the miles so far too! Have these been business or fun miles? Any decent road trips worth mentioning so far?
It's done a fair chunk of the NC500, a route that looked something like this:
That, including the trip up and back from London, contributed something like 1,700 miles to the total. It also got taken to Bath for my birthday weekend at the end of August, but it hadn't yet had it's running in service, so there wasn't so much hard driving that time.
I'm so so bad at taking photos of it when off on a roadtrip, and on the NC500 trip there was a bit too much driving to be looking around for good photo spots. I'm considering doing the NC500 again in the first week of March, possibly with some guys from Caffeine & Machine also in a Lotus, but I dunno.
Time for a little update! The car has been flawlessly going about it's business with no dramas at all, I've spun it once (whoops) and got into a bit of a tankslapper (double whoops) and may have even got my first ever points here in Ireland, but other than all that, things have been good.
It's been back to visit where it was born, care of the guys from Caffeine & Machine, they very very kindly invited me along to the factory! I highly recommend anyone that hasn't already seen it gets into Instagram and searches for #romeinalotus. It was an awesome trip, and one I think I'll have to do myself sometime.
It's currently with me here in Galway on the west coast of Ireland, where my folks live. It's very very attention grabbing here, very few people have sports cars like that in Ireland due to the running costs, tax would be something like €2,400 per year here and I don't actually think |, as a 28 year old bloke, would be able to insure it at all.
It's sitting at 7,450 miles now and well, it might just be one of the best suspended cars out there. It's just been absolutely eating the roads here in Ireland, and they're some of the roughest I know of. It's not that they're gravelly or potholed (although some are), but it's more that they have dips and humps in them that unsettles the car and makes it difficult to maintain control. The Evora, with the touring suspension, just eats the roads up and always seems to have the grip and the poise you'd expect.
I guess it's difficult or even impossible for me to really put into words what this is like unless you've driven the car on roads like those here. I didn't even believe that body control like that was possible, everything that has been written about Lotus suspension is absolutely, utterly true. I would love to try a 911 GT3 on the same roads to see how it compares.
Anyway, have some crap photos of the car and some okay photos of the scenery! Oh, it passed a funny mileage number too that I got a snap of
Funny mileage because I'm a child. by Alex D, on Flickr
Sitting pretty at Caffeine & Machine by Alex D, on Flickr
More aerodynmaic streaklines by Alex D, on Flickr
Filthy rear wheel and streaklines by Alex D, on Flickr
1 loww boi by Alex D, on Flickr
Rare west coast Irish sun! by Alex D, on Flickr
Getting soaked at Gurteen Bay by Alex D, on Flickr
Find the road less travelled... by Alex D, on Flickr
Find the road less travelled... by Alex D, on Flickr
Gurteen Bay by Alex D, on Flickr
Connemara Lough by Alex D, on Flickr
Killary Harbour looking West by Alex D, on Flickr
Killary Harbour in the sun by Alex D, on Flickr
It's been back to visit where it was born, care of the guys from Caffeine & Machine, they very very kindly invited me along to the factory! I highly recommend anyone that hasn't already seen it gets into Instagram and searches for #romeinalotus. It was an awesome trip, and one I think I'll have to do myself sometime.
It's currently with me here in Galway on the west coast of Ireland, where my folks live. It's very very attention grabbing here, very few people have sports cars like that in Ireland due to the running costs, tax would be something like €2,400 per year here and I don't actually think |, as a 28 year old bloke, would be able to insure it at all.
It's sitting at 7,450 miles now and well, it might just be one of the best suspended cars out there. It's just been absolutely eating the roads here in Ireland, and they're some of the roughest I know of. It's not that they're gravelly or potholed (although some are), but it's more that they have dips and humps in them that unsettles the car and makes it difficult to maintain control. The Evora, with the touring suspension, just eats the roads up and always seems to have the grip and the poise you'd expect.
I guess it's difficult or even impossible for me to really put into words what this is like unless you've driven the car on roads like those here. I didn't even believe that body control like that was possible, everything that has been written about Lotus suspension is absolutely, utterly true. I would love to try a 911 GT3 on the same roads to see how it compares.
Anyway, have some crap photos of the car and some okay photos of the scenery! Oh, it passed a funny mileage number too that I got a snap of
Funny mileage because I'm a child. by Alex D, on FlickrSitting pretty at Caffeine & Machine by Alex D, on FlickrMore aerodynmaic streaklines by Alex D, on FlickrFilthy rear wheel and streaklines by Alex D, on Flickr1 loww boi by Alex D, on FlickrRare west coast Irish sun! by Alex D, on FlickrGetting soaked at Gurteen Bay by Alex D, on FlickrFind the road less travelled... by Alex D, on FlickrFind the road less travelled... by Alex D, on FlickrGurteen Bay by Alex D, on FlickrConnemara Lough by Alex D, on FlickrKillary Harbour looking West by Alex D, on FlickrKillary Harbour in the sun by Alex D, on Flickrcolm89 said:
Aha, I've just stumbled across this thread! I was chatting to you at the ferry port in Holyhead! Hope you're having a good Christmas in Galway!
Ah Colm! was great to chat to you, I hope you had a good time back home. I had a great time, probable points aside. The car has just ticked over 8,000 miles now and gets better every day. Still need to get a slightly quieter exhaust and also get the carbon that I don't like wrapped to see if I'd prefer it body colour.
I'm procrastinaing as I don't much want to spend £1,000 on tyres and then have nowhere to keep them for the 8 months of the year they wont be on the car... But then, on the other hand, it's really not enjoyable at the moment because of it. It was okay in Ireland as it was warm there, as it usually is this time of year, but yeah.
Sigh, next week. Maybe.
Sigh, next week. Maybe.
mumbojumbo1 said:
Queuing this morning at Waitrose Kingston and saw you blast up and over the bridge. Exhaust sounds awesome and cars looking great!
Oh man, that was me leaving in a huff after the fifth shop I'd been in still not having any flour 
Thank you for the kind words, I'm liking it more and more each day, at least I was until a week ago when all this lockdown and social distancing kicked in.
I'm stuck on 9,800 miles covered since getting it in mid August last year. Was dying to cross the 10k mark in six months, but sadly not.
Evora at Home by Alex D, on FlickrThanks Dino, looking forward to that thread on your new whip
The adaptations are straightforward, the really good thing is that cars like this from companies like Lotus have the option for an automatic. I used to firmly be on the side of the manual, and I still think it should be the default for a proper drivers car, but things like this Evora and the 991 GT3 coming with an auto option has been a godsend for me.
Never liked the idea of a private plate, but that's the one the car was registered on, and I think it's subtle enough that someone only twigs (ahem) why it's funny when I get out...
F1GTRUeno said:
Stonkingly good looking car in that colour scheme.
Glad that adaptations are available so you can enjoy it too.
Love the numberplate.
Thanks for the kind words, I know that green over tan with gold wheels is currently super trendy and not at all original, but it looks so damn good! Glad that adaptations are available so you can enjoy it too.
Love the numberplate.
The adaptations are straightforward, the really good thing is that cars like this from companies like Lotus have the option for an automatic. I used to firmly be on the side of the manual, and I still think it should be the default for a proper drivers car, but things like this Evora and the 991 GT3 coming with an auto option has been a godsend for me.
Never liked the idea of a private plate, but that's the one the car was registered on, and I think it's subtle enough that someone only twigs (ahem) why it's funny when I get out...
Time for another update that isn't really and update, given the rather particular conditions we're all living under at the mo.
It's been the only car I've used for shopping trips, and the odd errand here and there, and it's now over 10,000 miles since I picked it up last August! I'm reasonably pleased with this, I've always been a big believer in driving these kind of cars a lot, but I wondered if I would put my money where my mouth is when the time came.
I've been thinking about it's future a lot, too. I don't really know what to do, whether to keep it a while or chage it for something else. It's an utterly fantastic car when you're on a road and driving it enthusiastically, but I also have nothing to judge it against. I'd love to move on to a 911, 991-gen GT3 I think, and then a GTR after that, and then possibly back to Lotus and whatever they have out at that time. Money and space prevent me from having all these cars at once, but then I wonder will I truly remember what TW19 LEG was like after a few weeks in something else?
Just finding one to drive isn't an option sadly, proper hand controls have to be fitted or else the experience is just awkward. Oh well. Plenty of time yet to decice, and there's nowt I can do about it right now.
The other day, passing Ham Common on my way up to Richmond to get some groceries, I did manage to find a friend...
An Evora Finds a Fren: A Short Story. by Alex D, on Flickr
It's been the only car I've used for shopping trips, and the odd errand here and there, and it's now over 10,000 miles since I picked it up last August! I'm reasonably pleased with this, I've always been a big believer in driving these kind of cars a lot, but I wondered if I would put my money where my mouth is when the time came.
I've been thinking about it's future a lot, too. I don't really know what to do, whether to keep it a while or chage it for something else. It's an utterly fantastic car when you're on a road and driving it enthusiastically, but I also have nothing to judge it against. I'd love to move on to a 911, 991-gen GT3 I think, and then a GTR after that, and then possibly back to Lotus and whatever they have out at that time. Money and space prevent me from having all these cars at once, but then I wonder will I truly remember what TW19 LEG was like after a few weeks in something else?
Just finding one to drive isn't an option sadly, proper hand controls have to be fitted or else the experience is just awkward. Oh well. Plenty of time yet to decice, and there's nowt I can do about it right now.
The other day, passing Ham Common on my way up to Richmond to get some groceries, I did manage to find a friend...
An Evora Finds a Fren: A Short Story. by Alex D, on FlickrTime for some updates!
I've had the car almost exactly ten months and 12,504 miles as of last night. Lets just say I took the advice that we were able to drive as far as we wanted to heart, and have been out around Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire a lot. Some thoughts on the last few thousand miles.
Firstly, while I am very aware that I have a large amount of free time compared to most, I understand people that don't drive their sports cars much even less than I did when I first bought the car. The car has come alive since about seven or eight thousand miles, and I have considered it properly broken in since about ten thousand.
The car hasn't put a foot wrong in my ownership, and I don't expect it to given that it's late in the model cycle and the Toyota bits. The interior quality has been good in my car, no squeaks or rattles to speak of. I don't think the interior is very well thought out for a car that, to me, is more of a GT than anything else, the lack of armrests is very irritating when on the way to more interesting roads and the position of the cupholder is similarly annoying, as well as there being only one of them. I realise that this position is often dismissed as the concerns of someone that doesn't drive their car properly, but I disagree. You can't be on it all the time, and for very very little weight penalty it would be nice to have a decent cupholder and elbow rest. I've spanked my car around the NC500 and loved it, but there was still a boring, 8 hour, 400 mile schlep up there to get out the way first which would have been greatly improved by having these small things. I believe I have complained about this before but I haven't checked previous posts, ahem.
I'm considering adding them myself, the 400 door cards fit (although they're expensive) and maybe paying a visit to d:class auto to investigate a custom central armrest. In addidion to this, I'd really like a round, smooth steering wheel and to move the cruise control buttons off the wheel and onto a stalk. Thsi will need a bit of investigation and I'm in no rush at all, they're very minor things.
Talking of modifications, I have done my first two! The 2bular exhaust was sourced courtesy of Nick at PJS Sports Cars who did an excellent job of fitting it as well as the carbon panel I bought myself. I've gone for a twin exit exhaust that should be a little quiter then standard for the track noise limits, enabling me to do my first ever track day soon! Most likely Donnington, for friendliness and run off purposes, ahem. I'm waiting for it to bed in and settle down before giving my final thoughts on it, but I'm pretty happy so far.
The second bit was a carbon panel to replace the black plastic panel between the roof and the rear deck. This was from Elise Parts in Holland, and I'm satisfied. It's not a perfect match either weave or colour wise, and the line in the middle doesn't quite match up, but it's miles better than it was before. I'm really not very fussy about stuff like this when it's an aftermarket part, and how long do I spend looking down from above at that line anyway? No bother. Should it have been this way from the factory, or at very least been offered as an option? Of course. Lotus were proper, proper broke when they developed this car though, so I guess I'll given them a pass on that. Pics!
Carbon roof by Alex D, on Flickr
Dat ass tho... by Alex D, on Flickr
Now, while I was at PJS, they weighed it for me... Lotus. Oh Lotus. You are supposed to make light cars, you know. The spec I have is probably the heaviest spec possible with extra weight options ticked and it had a full tank at the time, but still.
1 lardy boi by Alex D, on Flickr
Other than all that, everything is going smoothly and I'm pretty happy with it. It would be nice if it was faster, but as it's kinda lardy, I accept it. If the decision is made to keep it then it'll be getting bumped to 500bhp as a minimum, however.
Here are some more pics, although please excuse the condition. I'm much more interested in driving it than cleaning it, and so it's pretty much perpetually filthy.
I've had a fetish for driving through fords recently, and here's a couple of snaps from the ford in Shilton, in the Burford area. This is long enough to get some good splash going, I might have to come back with a photographer friend for some action shots.
Fresh out of the ford at Shilton by Alex D, on Flickr
Fresh out of the ford at Shilton by Alex D, on Flickr
I'd like to try and keep it looking like this:
IMG_20200521_121836 by Alex D, on Flickr
But really, it spends most of it's time looking like this:
At rest in Burford by Alex D, on Flickr
Here's some assorted random photos. I've got a long way to go before being able to get a decent shot of the car, but I'm trying.
Brothers by Alex D, on Flickr
Taking in the sunrise by Alex D, on Flickr
Still working on the angles, ahem by Alex D, on Flickr
Sunrise Silhouette by Alex D, on Flickr
I've had the car almost exactly ten months and 12,504 miles as of last night. Lets just say I took the advice that we were able to drive as far as we wanted to heart, and have been out around Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire a lot. Some thoughts on the last few thousand miles.
Firstly, while I am very aware that I have a large amount of free time compared to most, I understand people that don't drive their sports cars much even less than I did when I first bought the car. The car has come alive since about seven or eight thousand miles, and I have considered it properly broken in since about ten thousand.
The car hasn't put a foot wrong in my ownership, and I don't expect it to given that it's late in the model cycle and the Toyota bits. The interior quality has been good in my car, no squeaks or rattles to speak of. I don't think the interior is very well thought out for a car that, to me, is more of a GT than anything else, the lack of armrests is very irritating when on the way to more interesting roads and the position of the cupholder is similarly annoying, as well as there being only one of them. I realise that this position is often dismissed as the concerns of someone that doesn't drive their car properly, but I disagree. You can't be on it all the time, and for very very little weight penalty it would be nice to have a decent cupholder and elbow rest. I've spanked my car around the NC500 and loved it, but there was still a boring, 8 hour, 400 mile schlep up there to get out the way first which would have been greatly improved by having these small things. I believe I have complained about this before but I haven't checked previous posts, ahem.
I'm considering adding them myself, the 400 door cards fit (although they're expensive) and maybe paying a visit to d:class auto to investigate a custom central armrest. In addidion to this, I'd really like a round, smooth steering wheel and to move the cruise control buttons off the wheel and onto a stalk. Thsi will need a bit of investigation and I'm in no rush at all, they're very minor things.
Talking of modifications, I have done my first two! The 2bular exhaust was sourced courtesy of Nick at PJS Sports Cars who did an excellent job of fitting it as well as the carbon panel I bought myself. I've gone for a twin exit exhaust that should be a little quiter then standard for the track noise limits, enabling me to do my first ever track day soon! Most likely Donnington, for friendliness and run off purposes, ahem. I'm waiting for it to bed in and settle down before giving my final thoughts on it, but I'm pretty happy so far.
The second bit was a carbon panel to replace the black plastic panel between the roof and the rear deck. This was from Elise Parts in Holland, and I'm satisfied. It's not a perfect match either weave or colour wise, and the line in the middle doesn't quite match up, but it's miles better than it was before. I'm really not very fussy about stuff like this when it's an aftermarket part, and how long do I spend looking down from above at that line anyway? No bother. Should it have been this way from the factory, or at very least been offered as an option? Of course. Lotus were proper, proper broke when they developed this car though, so I guess I'll given them a pass on that. Pics!
Carbon roof by Alex D, on FlickrDat ass tho... by Alex D, on FlickrNow, while I was at PJS, they weighed it for me... Lotus. Oh Lotus. You are supposed to make light cars, you know. The spec I have is probably the heaviest spec possible with extra weight options ticked and it had a full tank at the time, but still.
1 lardy boi by Alex D, on FlickrOther than all that, everything is going smoothly and I'm pretty happy with it. It would be nice if it was faster, but as it's kinda lardy, I accept it. If the decision is made to keep it then it'll be getting bumped to 500bhp as a minimum, however.
Here are some more pics, although please excuse the condition. I'm much more interested in driving it than cleaning it, and so it's pretty much perpetually filthy.
I've had a fetish for driving through fords recently, and here's a couple of snaps from the ford in Shilton, in the Burford area. This is long enough to get some good splash going, I might have to come back with a photographer friend for some action shots.
Fresh out of the ford at Shilton by Alex D, on FlickrFresh out of the ford at Shilton by Alex D, on FlickrI'd like to try and keep it looking like this:
IMG_20200521_121836 by Alex D, on FlickrBut really, it spends most of it's time looking like this:
At rest in Burford by Alex D, on FlickrHere's some assorted random photos. I've got a long way to go before being able to get a decent shot of the car, but I'm trying.
Brothers by Alex D, on FlickrTaking in the sunrise by Alex D, on FlickrStill working on the angles, ahem by Alex D, on FlickrSunrise Silhouette by Alex D, on FlickrThanks for the kind words guys. I'm still thinking about adding more green (roof, mirrors, half the rear deck, front access hatch) but I can't find the right shae of green wrap to get an idea of what it looks like and I'm not sure I have the money or the balls to dive right in and get it painted.
It's not really a big deal, but with me on board it's 270-285bhp/ton and I guess I'd just like some more. 350bhp/ton would be rather tasty, and getting on for what the Exige 410 can offer. Not too fast for the road, but more than fast enough for every possible road and situation.
Fonzey said:
Looks great Alex, and really good going on the 10months so far - puts most Lotus owners to shame!
After reading your comment but before seeing the weigh scale picture I was expecting it to be much heavier by the way you built up to it - 1400kg has still got to be pretty damn good (in class) when you consider just how much more liveable an Evora is compared to the contemporary Exige at only a couple hundred KG lighter.
Thanks Fonzey. I guess that in 2020 terms it's still quite a light car, and I know that Lotus aren't exempt from physics. The 911 991.1 GTS is supposedly around 1470kg with the PDK, but I don't know what the real figure is like. I see that car as very much the main competitor price and performance wise. After reading your comment but before seeing the weigh scale picture I was expecting it to be much heavier by the way you built up to it - 1400kg has still got to be pretty damn good (in class) when you consider just how much more liveable an Evora is compared to the contemporary Exige at only a couple hundred KG lighter.
It's not really a big deal, but with me on board it's 270-285bhp/ton and I guess I'd just like some more. 350bhp/ton would be rather tasty, and getting on for what the Exige 410 can offer. Not too fast for the road, but more than fast enough for every possible road and situation.
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