I love driving a Lotus because…

[Gad-Westy]

ziggy328 said:

I've averaged over 900 miles a month in mine over the past 2.5 years. 250 is a doddle

30 miles per day! Hard core!

Sorry, couldn’t resist.

[Shnozz]

Gad-Westy said:

Yeah. I was only kidding really. I don’t find it much hardship at all other than the noise. It’s pretty comfy. But if I was clutching around for bad things to say about it, long distance is definitely not its strongest suit. Another 500 miles to do on Thursday on route to Le Mans.

• en route. The least you could do when travelling to France

Enjoy. I’m envious. Miss doing LM trips.

I keep toying with the idea of swapping the exige for a Huracan but it’s still just so much fun at not a lot of expense.

[ziggy328]

Gad-Westy said:

ziggy328 said:

I've averaged over 900 miles a month in mine over the past 2.5 years. 250 is a doddle

30 miles per day! Hard core!

Sorry, couldn’t resist.

[John D.]

Gad-Westy said:

I do like this side to Lotus life. I remember a drive a few months ago out in the north Pennines. Glorious summer evening and not another car on the road for miles except another red Lotus! Enthusiastic waves exchanged.

It's amazing how much attention these cars get from the wider public. I'm naturally quite an introvert so a red exige isn't necessarily the ideal car for me! Everybody seems to take notice of it. Kids all seem to think it's a lambo and waft their camera phones at it. One of my old neighbours was convinced it was a Ferrari for quite a while! I don't always love that level of attention but occasionally it's sparked up some great conversations with other enthusiasts and it's nice to feel you're driving something that is genuinely interesting.

I'm much the same. Picked up my new Elise a few weeks ago. First petrol station I stopped at a teenage lad came over to say he loved the car.

I love the smell of an S1 Elise. That lovely mix of plastic and hot metal.

[ziggy328]

I just wish bloody summer would arrive. WTAF is going on with it this year!!

[superpippo]

At least it's not only in Switzerland then.....

[PlywoodPascal]

John D. said:

I'm much the same. Picked up my new Elise a few weeks ago. First petrol station I stopped at a teenage lad came over to say he loved the car.

I love the smell of an S1 Elise. That lovely mix of plastic and hot metal.

and coolant

[Tickle]

PlywoodPascal said:

and coolant

....with a hint of oil mixed through.

[PlywoodPascal]

so cosmopolitan isn't it.
if TVR is pie and chips then Lotus is a stir fry

[John D.]

PlywoodPascal said:

John D. said:

I'm much the same. Picked up my new Elise a few weeks ago. First petrol station I stopped at a teenage lad came over to say he loved the car.

I love the smell of an S1 Elise. That lovely mix of plastic and hot metal.

and coolant

I do remember the first time I took my old Elise to Steve Williams Sports Cars, and he smelt the leaking rad within seconds.

[Gad-Westy]

Shnozz said:

• en route. The least you could do when travelling to France

Enjoy. I’m envious. Miss doing LM trips.

I keep toying with the idea of swapping the exige for a Huracan but it’s still just so much fun at not a lot of expense.

Quite right. If it helps, read everything I write with a slight bad French accent that I will be employing to be better understood despite speaking entirely in English. There’ll be pointing too.

10 years since I was last at LM. Missed it too!

[Gad-Westy]

Shnozz said:

Gad-Westy said:

Yeah. I was only kidding really. I don’t find it much hardship at all other than the noise. It’s pretty comfy. But if I was clutching around for bad things to say about it, long distance is definitely not its strongest suit. Another 500 miles to do on Thursday on route to Le Mans.

• en route. The least you could do when travelling to France

Enjoy. I’m envious. Miss doing LM trips.

I keep toying with the idea of swapping the exige for a Huracan but it’s still just so much fun at not a lot of expense.

Just to report back on this. LM was excellent. I mean 12 euros for a beer hurts a bit but the actual event, atmosphere and racing itself was superb. The Exige was fantastic too. I came back in one hit, about 650 miles with a couple of breaks. I really felt surprisingly fine! Only slight blot in the copybook is that it's developed an annoying rattle from somewhere behind the dash. Need to investigate that.

[Shnozz]

Gad-Westy said:

Shnozz said:

Gad-Westy said:

Yeah. I was only kidding really. I don’t find it much hardship at all other than the noise. It’s pretty comfy. But if I was clutching around for bad things to say about it, long distance is definitely not its strongest suit. Another 500 miles to do on Thursday on route to Le Mans.

• en route. The least you could do when travelling to France

Enjoy. I’m envious. Miss doing LM trips.

I keep toying with the idea of swapping the exige for a Huracan but it’s still just so much fun at not a lot of expense.

Just to report back on this. LM was excellent. I mean 12 euros for a beer hurts a bit but the actual event, atmosphere and racing itself was superb. The Exige was fantastic too. I came back in one hit, about 650 miles with a couple of breaks. I really felt surprisingly fine! Only slight blot in the copybook is that it's developed an annoying rattle from somewhere behind the dash. Need to investigate that.

Pleased to hear you had a great time hombre! I am planning a road trip through Spain over winter so also pleased to hear a 650 jaunt was possible! I sometimes take mine between home in Leeds and Hamble and that is just under 300 miles - not sure I would want to ideally do double that in a day but nonetheless!

I WILL make it back to LM soon though. Trouble is I have a fondness for the more uncouth times of early 2000s, the speeding and general debauchery before Audi corporationed the village and everyone was drinking warm stubbies and not 12 euro pints!

Glad you had a blast.

[Mr E]

Gad-Westy said:

Only slight blot in the copybook is that it's developed an annoying rattle from somewhere behind the dash. Need to investigate that.

I have a 21 year old elise. I’ve narrowed down the source of the annoying rattle to “most of the car”. Hope that helps.

[Gad-Westy]

Mr E said:

Gad-Westy said:

Only slight blot in the copybook is that it's developed an annoying rattle from somewhere behind the dash. Need to investigate that.

I have a 21 year old elise. I’ve narrowed down the source of the annoying rattle to “most of the car”. Hope that helps.

I know what you mean and no stranger to Lotus percussive soundtracks but this one is a pronounced knocking and sounds like something important might be working loose. Definitely need to have a check.

[Gad-Westy]

Shnozz said:

Pleased to hear you had a great time hombre! I am planning a road trip through Spain over winter so also pleased to hear a 650 jaunt was possible! I sometimes take mine between home in Leeds and Hamble and that is just under 300 miles - not sure I would want to ideally do double that in a day but nonetheless!

I WILL make it back to LM soon though. Trouble is I have a fondness for the more uncouth times of early 2000s, the speeding and general debauchery before Audi corporationed the village and everyone was drinking warm stubbies and not 12 euro pints!

Glad you had a blast.

Must admit it has given me a bit of an appetite to plan some more longer trips in mine. These sort of excursions are what I love owning a silly car for and I realise I have taken my eye off that a little in recent years. Spain sounds a great idea.

[B'stard Child]

ziggy328 said:

Every other Lotus driver at the very least acknowledges you.

I was out today and an Emira was coming the other way. Middle aged lady driver fingers off the steering wheel wave to me.

Small gestures make all the difference

I'm pretty sure I've never had another Lotus drive acknowledge me in mine..........

Why would they recognise a big green minicab as something that came out of the same shed in Hethel as an other Lotus

[ziggy328]

Sorry. What?

[B'stard Child]

ziggy328 said:

Sorry. What?

You mean "Big Green Minicab"



Sorry better picture the turbo smoke was embarrassing

[ziggy328]

I see. Nice car. I remember the absolute revelation they were when launched