340R: thoughts from current / previous owners?

[Kananga]

Hi,

I’ve been flicking back through the last few pages of the Lotus section and haven’t seen many discussions on the 340R.

Just wondering if anyone had thoughts/views as I’m thinking of buying one and keen to hear what people thing of them.

I’ve driven a friend’s S1 Elise, which was a great experience. Lovey car for high day / holiday drives out, and nice that it wasn’t slow, nor too fast for road use.

I was recently taken for a spin in a 3-Eleven that I was interested in buying, and that was amazing.

Just wondered what real world experiences there are, and whether the infamous K-series is reliable or does the 340r come from an era of less-than-good build quality ?

I’m trying to go and see the one up for sale at Bell & Colvil which seems to be one of the few for sale at the moment.

Keen to hear thoughts from anyone who has owned/driven one!

[Gareth135R]

I've owned two...around 12-13 years ago.

Fantastic cars...

Pros: Extremely rare nowadays, still look fresh, stunning looking car.

Cons: Still a K series with dreaded risks of HGF....and a bit of a pain to change. Generally have to remove the whole body which is labour intensive. Can't leave it anywhere without security...UK weather...you get wet. Probably in modern times, no that fast. Way over priced for what you get....back 13 years ago I sold mine for £20k

[mrhatmostly]

Have owned a 340 and a 211. Amazing cars and a real buzz but just never used them enough because of what they were.
If it shared the garage with an Elise/exige it would be perfect.

[Kananga]

Thanks! It will be sharing the garage with an Exige Sport 350.

I ended up buying one a 340R on impulse, as I love the idea of having a lightweight toy which is a sense of occasion and piece of ‘old Lotus’ history.

It’s a 1-owner example, with less than 10k miles. Lovely provenance, but just needs a bit of recommissioning as it was in storage for a few years recently.

Planning to make it perfect and enjoy on high days and holidays !

[BAMoFo]

Kananga said:

Thanks! It will be sharing the garage with an Exige Sport 350.

I ended up buying one a 340R on impulse, as I love the idea of having a lightweight toy which is a sense of occasion and piece of ‘old Lotus’ history.

It’s a 1-owner example, with less than 10k miles. Lovely provenance, but just needs a bit of recommissioning as it was in storage for a few years recently.

Planning to make it perfect and enjoy on high days and holidays !

It sounds like you have bought a great example. I've owned mine for over 7 years and at one time it had a Launch Edition 2-11 as its stablemate. I kept the 340R and sold the 2-11 because the 340R is more practical for road use and I think it has more character due to the highly strung K series. It doesn't get used much but I find the pleasure of ownership alone to be worth it and any opportunity to take it for a run out feels special.

[Kananga]

Thanks! Exactly my thinking. I had a test drive recently in a 3-11 and almost bought it but the seller decided they wanted more money so I passed on it.

Then stumbled into this 340 which I couldn’t pass up as it was in lovely condition with nice provenance.

Need to get a couple of things sorted in the interior and the previous owner had lost the decat pipe (which I think is essential as the car had the factory 190hp upgrade).

Can’t wait to get it sorted and try it out properly on the road!

[BAMoFo]

Kananga said:

Thanks! Exactly my thinking. I had a test drive recently in a 3-11 and almost bought it but the seller decided they wanted more money so I passed on it.

Then stumbled into this 340 which I couldn’t pass up as it was in lovely condition with nice provenance.

Need to get a couple of things sorted in the interior and the previous owner had lost the decat pipe (which I think is essential as the car had the factory 190hp upgrade).

Can’t wait to get it sorted and try it out properly on the road!

You can buy the cat bypass pipes pretty cheaply on eBay or the usual Lotus spares specialists. I would advise you to join the 340R owners club on Facebook (I don't have an account but hijack my missus' to access it because it is an invaluable resource). There was a group buy on there to buy a titanium decat pipe for somewhere around £90 if my memory serves me right. The same guy that is arranging it also has contacts with Blueflame who manufactured the original titanium exhaust system which was an optional extra and is well worth having if your car doesn't already have it.

The 340R can be notoriously difficult to get through the MOT emissions test at the best of times. I wouldn't be worried about the K series failing as long as you do regular oil changes and ensure that the engine oil is fully up to temperature before revving it high and working it hard. The water temperature gets up to temperature very quickly due to the design of the cooling system so don't rely on that to provide you with an indication that you can start thrashing it.