It can be said that the measure of a man is his dedication to the fulfillment of his dreams and passions. With that in mind, Robert Burt stands tall among men. Mr. Burt is the owner of one of the newest Lotus franchises in the United States and a long time vintage racing enthusiasts.
Born in Kent and growing up in London during the 50’s and 60’s, Robert, like many English boys of the time became passionate towards cars. It was a glorious time in Britain's automotive history, filled with tremendous marquees, rising to arguably the peak of their existence. Jaguar’s XK series, MG’s A and B, Triumph’s TR’s, Aston’s DB4 5 and 6, the list goes on and on, and each one further enforcing young Robert’s passion.
As a young man, Robert applied his love for the automobile to his studies and spent time as an apprentice in Rover’s engineering department. His off work hours were spent working on his Austin Mini, attempting to extract every ounce of performance from the car. In 1970, Robert moved to the United States and, with the financial backing of his father, in 1973 opened a repair shop in Trenton, New Jersey. Within a few years the shop’s reputation for it’s care of european auto’s had made it among the most sought after in the region and lead to the acquisition of sales outlets for Saab, Alfa Romeo and Peugeot.
For nearly a quarter century, the Princeton based dealerships under Robert’s direction have won repeated industry awards and honors including being New Jersey’s only official alternative fuel outlet for Honda.
But there is more to life than just business. Robert has spent much of his time outside of his work and family on vintage racing and the restoration of historic cars. Among his current collection are several Lotus and Aston Martins, many with incredible racing history. In a recent visit with Mr. Burt, I was able to view and discuss a few of his historic racers at Steel Wings, an Aston Martin repair and restoration facility located in a suburb of Philadelphia Pennsylvania.
Among the cars I was able to discuss with Mr. Burt were his beautifully restored Lotus 26R raced at Sebring in 1965 and a race prepped Elite which also saw action at Sebring. One of the cars Robert is most proud of is a Lotus XI, chassis number 339 which raced in 1958 at Sebring and finished 3rd overall and 1st in class. Currently, the car is being prepared for a race to take place later this year at Le Mans.
His love for Lotus race cars lead Mr. Burt to add Lotus to his family of dealerships in 1999 and since has become one of the leading sales and service representatives for the brand in the US. Unlike many dealerships which have been faced with selling perhaps 2 or 3 Esprits per year for the best part of the last decade, Princeton Sport and Specialist Cars has committed more than a corner of the showroom and a part time mechanic to the marquee. He has been hard at work to bolster his dealership for the impending U.S. launch of the Elise. His service department now includes 5 fully trained and certified Lotus technicians. His sales staff for the Lotus brand has doubled in just the few years that he has been selling the brand.
When it comes to the Elise, Robert sees it as Lotus’ rebirth, not only in the U.S. but also as a brand. The car brings the marquee back to the segment of the market that for so long it dominated. Selling the cars, along with other manufacturers, only further enforces how special the brand is. During our discussion, Mr. Burt outlined the difference between the typical Lotus driver and the other brands he represents. “Lotus drivers love automobiles and love to drive. The experience is what is important. There is more to a car than mere transportation. These are not people going through a mid-life crisis”
He then continued to explain the importance of the Elise to the Lotus brand.
“The Elise, perhaps more than any car since the first Elan and Elite during the 60’s, embodies the soul of Lotus. When Mazda introduced the Miata in the late 80’s, it was said to be the modern Lotus. Although similar in many ways, the Miata lacked the spirit of the original Elan.”
We spoke regarding the Elise and how it will compete with the likes of the Boxster and Corvette in the U.S. Robert doesn’t seem to think that the Elise will directly compete with any car currently offered here. He continued to explain that, “The beauty of the new Elise is that the driver does not need high speeds to truly enjoy the experience. There are no opportunities in this region of the country to run a car at high speed for a prolonged period of time. The Elise is better suited to this market than much of it’s competition.”
I asked him what he thought about the Toyota powerplant and whether it would help or hurt the brand. He acknowledged that with the exception of the M100 Elan, which he made sure to add was a remarkable car, all the Lotus models offered here for the past 30 years have been powered by Lotus designed and built powerplants and that the switch to another manufacturer’s engine may concern some buyers. “From a business sense”, he continued, “the use of the Toyota unit will enforce the reliability of the car as a whole and help to boost sales figures. When it comes down to it, Lotus needs to sell cars. Using the Toyota powerplant enables the Elise driver to go out and get back without fear of the car breaking down.”
This doesn’t mean that the Lotus faithful aren’t buying the cars. Quite to the contrary. One of his first 10 orders was placed by an individual who currently has 3 Elise which he uses for racing. Others on the list have been Lotus owners for over 30 years.
That’s not to say that enthusiasts are the only ones buying the new Elise. Besides attracting a much larger range of individuals than the outgoing Esprit, the Elise is also bringing in speculators to the dealership looking to make a quick dollar on the car. Just as in England during the launch of the Series 1 car, evidently there are a number of individuals who have obtained positions on waiting lists at dealers in order to purchase and then flip the cars, taking advantage of the demand in the marketplace for this incredible automobile.
It is important to remember that there are theoretically enough orders in place in the U.S. to lay claim to every Elise appropriated for the market until early 2005! An early position holder stands to make a sizable profit from relinquishing his/her vehicle.
His waiting list has begun to close in on the triple digits, but he has insisted on not following some of the practices of other American dealers and tack on premiums on the Elise. He has resisted the pressure to bump people in line and engage in some of the poor business practices of other dealers who for the first time in recent memory see an opportunity to capitalize on the franchise. “You need to respect the customers. You need to see the whole picture and we are committed to being a part of the Lotus brand for the long term.”
As far as where to go from here, Mr. Burt sees at least a 3 car lineup with the Elise at the entry level, a mid range “Boxster-fighter” and a new Esprit type car topping out the range. He went on to say how critical it is for Lotus to introduce the new mid-range car soon to take advantage of the momentum created by the Elise.
After the interview, I could not help but be impressed with the man and his passion. He set out to fulfill a dream and not only has he achieved it, he has also managed to keep his dignity and honor in the process. Indeed, if this is any indication of the caliber Lotus has chosen for it’s revitalized dealer network in the U.S., than Lotus is truly insured of a promising future.
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