Open day at Hethel....

Open day at Hethel....

Author
Discussion

xsaravtr

Original Poster:

801 posts

269 months

Wednesday 24th July 2002
quotequote all
Any of you chaps going on the 14th September?
I'm gagging for a drive in an Elise...

roosevelt

396 posts

268 months

Tuesday 6th August 2002
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You bet, only just down the road an all that....

xsaravtr

Original Poster:

801 posts

269 months

Tuesday 6th August 2002
quotequote all
I'm coming all the way from 'up North... Huddersfield to be exact...

Frank Baetens

2 posts

274 months

Thursday 8th August 2002
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I'll be there for the whole weekend.
First chance for me to see the place where my Lizzy was build! This open day gives me a special reason to visit the UK (I'm comming from Belgium).

xsaravtr

Original Poster:

801 posts

269 months

Saturday 7th September 2002
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What are the chances of the "new" model being on show?

Si1

5 posts

266 months

Saturday 7th September 2002
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oooh, this is just too un-lucky.

I am English, but moved to Amsterdam this year and I decided to get my 1ft sportscar with all the cash I am making (boring IT job - dont ask)

So in the 14th of Sept I take possession of my lovely titanium lotus Elise.
now if it was 1 day sooner, I could have driven over



Oh well, maybe next time.

gold man

78 posts

277 months

Monday 9th September 2002
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People this will be a really great day out and I advise that anyone who has a spare moment comes down/up/across. See you all there. There will be a few surprises there!
Drive carefully + All the best

Nightmare

5,230 posts

291 months

Tuesday 10th September 2002
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Storm have invited me...wasnt sure whether to go or not, but it sounds like others will so I may too!

N

joust

14,622 posts

266 months

Tuesday 10th September 2002
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Moi and the other (better) half are going - but by that time my elise will be off the road due to moving the main insurance from the elise to moi new Noble - so I'll be going up in the Noble.

Given my problem is that I really don't like the Elise II shape, and the Esprit just depreciates too quick and is just too plain "old" for me, and with no M250 or similar there is nowhere for me to go except to Noble or similar....

I'll be going (then) as an ex. Lotus owner to let them know why I moved, but also the trips into the Lotus inner sanctum just sound too good to miss.

Joust

danger mouse

3,828 posts

268 months

Tuesday 10th September 2002
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It's all just a bit too much like christmas isn't it? I can't wait, Thrust and I will be with bells on, and twinky will be going for a PB around a certain corner...
...mmm danger, I spit in your face(?).
Let's hope it doesn't snow!!!

Hope to bump into some of you there, being new and enthusiastic and all that!

Mouse

matrs

451 posts

290 months

Wednesday 11th September 2002
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Rockingham the same day!

danger mouse

3,828 posts

268 months

Wednesday 11th September 2002
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I know, and Kevster's got a ticket going crying for the rocking-ring,

what can you do? there's just too much temptation around us!

ptc

80 posts

278 months

Monday 16th September 2002
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Was the day all that was hoped for?

danger mouse

3,828 posts

268 months

Monday 16th September 2002
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I assume by your short message, for you it wasn't.

I know where your coming from, Could have thought of far more entertaining uses for the test track than a car park.:boo:

ptc

80 posts

278 months

Monday 16th September 2002
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No just being a sceptical banker!! Was hoping to go but had other commitments.

What this more of a corporate marketing exercise or something the real enthuiast would have enjoyed?

joust

14,622 posts

266 months

Monday 16th September 2002
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What a complete waste of time. Compared to last year, Lotus have totally lost the plot.

If it wasn't for saving the money on the goodies, I would have not been impressed. Whilst the design studio was interesting, this whole idea of "take yourself around" just smacked of "we can't really be arsed/lets fleece as much money from as many people as possible"

Also, given there were "dealer test drives" - I at least expected those to be on the track. But no, instead Lotus make GRP cars go over 200+ yards of gravel just so that we can be in stone chip heaven.

As for having a fun fair there - oh please!

Total waste of time, and has finally placed the nail in the coffin for me. If that is what Lotus think their customers want, then god help us what the next car will be like.

Joust

AndyToone

19,930 posts

291 months

Tuesday 17th September 2002
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It was impressive to see so many Lotii in one place, interesting to see the factory, nothing special to see the design studio (nothing you won't have seen in year-old documentaries). I can understand Lotus leaving the crowd to find their own way round (there were thousands of people there).

Sadly it wasn't an event to go to if you were interested in driving or finding out what Lotus actually thinks they're doing - or what they'll do next. Test drives, announcements - a few suprises and someone actually talking to us would have been wonderful. I guess I just expected more from them.

Is it possible that despite regular criticism, Lotus are getting more faceless than ever?

>> Edited by AndyToone on Tuesday 17th September 11:05

xsaravtr

Original Poster:

801 posts

269 months

Tuesday 17th September 2002
quotequote all
I was quite disapointed not to be able to have a test drive, even after asking several dealers.

Although I did get a go in the car on the rolling road, but it can hardly compare...

Carbon

16 posts

267 months

Tuesday 17th September 2002
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I agree. I'm looking into buying an Elise within the next 6 months.

What I was hoping to get from the day was:

1) A test drive (or at least pay to be a passenger and see what a pro driver can make the car do). What I ended up with was a play on a rolling road.

2) Conversations with existing owners about their cars, costs and dealer service and maybe hands on advice on what to look at when buying one. I did end up having two short chats with owners but no useful advice, I think they were more intersted in polishing than chatting/driving

3) I guided tour around the factory, reasoning behind design and manufacturing decisions, chatting with people from Lotus etc, What I ended up doing was walking around an open factory which looked like come the end of the Friday Nights shift workers just downed tools and walked out. Jordan F1 KNOW how to do a factory walk through.

4) I was hoping to see where Lotus were going, maybe see the M250, sneak preview of new engine ideas, maybe third party Lotus parts companies showing off addons for elises etc. Nothing buy the fabled gull wing and an Expose, both old news.

The main things I got from the Open day was to see a hundreds of elises in one place and I was able to come up with some purchasing decisions: Series 1 (111s), NO cream interior, Driving Lights and Light covers!!!!

danger mouse

3,828 posts

268 months

Tuesday 17th September 2002
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There was one thing that caught my eye. I asked a "guide" about and it he went all "I don't know not my dept." party line on me.

Out the back of the "Here's some old engines we done for other people" bit the was a test rig section. An Elise door being opened and shut by a machine and very large lump of concrete hanging "roadrunner" style over an old esprit to demonastrate roll-over testing.

At the farside of the room was white coupe, best described by Thrust as being of vanquish type proportions. It was under a dustsheet, with only the A post and some of the open door appature exposed. It was showing the pedestrian/a pillar test.

From what I could see, it sat on a stretched elise chassis, but had full sweeping A pillar-cant rails, so it wasn't an Elise. I could be wrong, but I'm sure it was way to big to be an exige. so that leaves one of two likely possibilities...

...an buck from the M250 project, or something altogether likey to replace the old-stager Esprit.

I have not been on PH for that long, and maybe telling you things you already know. If so cool...tell me more, if not, what hell was that thing?



Mouse.