Donington Show
Laurie Vaughn gives us the low down on last weekend's show
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Its about this time of year that many Lotus owners start looking at the sky and rubbing their chins. The rain momentarily stops and cars around the country are taken out of garages, the oil checked, tyres pumped up, before the enthusiastic owner jumps in. They then push them back into the garage and take the 'other car' to go and buy some parts at the annual Lotus show, before the rain starts again.
Club Lotus organise and host this show, typically held in March at Donnington Park. This event sets the stage for the up and coming summer months, and provides an excuse for most owners to take their cars out for the day and meet up with like minded individuals.
Following the old adage 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' (no pun intended), the format to the show remains the same. If you were an Elise driver/fan then as usual there was plenty on display, most of which could leave a large hole in your wallet. Fancy a bit more poke? Try a Honda engine on for size. This newly engineering conversion will be available soon with engine options up to 260bhp! (tEd: road test coming soon)
Or perhaps you fancied a new paint job in those colours TVR has made oh so famous, complete with quad headlamp conversion for your S1 Elise?
Other displays included JPS and Essex liveried F1 cars, Essex Esprits, Europas, Elites, Elans (both types), Sunbeams, Carltons and the old favourites 6,7 and 11. Overall a broad spectrum of Lotus heritage which should have provided something for everyone.
Esprit owners and fans might have felt a little left out since the Club Lotus launch of 'Team Esprit' has apparently been postponed until the Castle Coombe track day in May. Lets hope that this means that they can make more of an effort of featuring the Esprit at this event.
The sunshine on Sunday brought the usual eclectic mix of Lotus' to the carpark, some even making the trip from Holland. This also provided an ideal meeting place for many people who had travelled from all over the country, putting faces to people they'd only ever met on that new flanged internet malarky. Will it ever catch on? Don't ask us.
Yes the format is a little tired and static, but if you have an ailing Lotus or cash burning a hole in your pocket (mutually exclusive?), this show remains about the only event to get your fix, and see it all under one roof.
Laurie, are you listening?
I designed the Honda K20A engine conversion you wrote about, and was at Donington specifically to answer questions anyone had about it. Where did you get the 180 HP figure? It's far from the truth! Please send me an E-mail at: joe@prototyperacing.com for the actual facts and figures. I think a retraction or apology might be in order.
Joe
- that is is super, supercar territory!! 
- well done - hope we see you again on this side of the pond in the not too distant future with more goodies. 
some members of the Lotus-Club-Deutschland visited the meeting in Donington. You can see a lot of photos at www.ramspott-brandt.de (in the "gallery").
Regards from Germany
Stephan
Happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Keep in mind, this is low HP model. Once Jonny has fitted the Jap spec cams and intake manifold, which his ECU is mapped for, you'll see a substantial increase in Torque and HP at every RPM.
I certainly wish Lotus hadn't been so myopic, and had left us some space for more rubber in the rear! There's a limited slip available that helps matters as well, but the Japs have a nasty little habit of keeping all the best bits for their home market, so I have to import all those parts from Japan. We'll see what we can do about getting them shipped directly to the UK in the near future.
Cheers,
Joe
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