The Magnificent 7
Discussion
Hi Fellow PHers,
I always enjoy the readers cars threads, I am often impressed with the skills of enthusiasts, highlights for me being the meticulously repaired green 1970’s 911 and also the Rover 75 Tourer, the Jaguar I Pace engine dramas (and the associated repairs) are simply beyond what I think anyone could endure. I greatly admire people with the patience that I seem to lack.
I am afraid that whilst I do have some basic spanner skills, my car ownership is primarily about driving them. My circumstances are that my income has been consistent and the option for children didn’t happen with my wife, so I have been able to waste much of my spare income on cars, I now have seven cars to my name, nearly all of which appear to be British, although I promise that have not done that on purpose. I will add them as I plod through the list:
1999 LOTUS ELISE. My first sports car, bought with the money that my grandfather left me, a car that I purchased after my friends brother ( a person with no fear ) took me out in his Elise .This is the car that is most familiar to me, we have driven it to Scotland, Wales, Spain, Andorra, Ibiza, France and for 10 years I awoke at 06.00 on Sunday mornings to drive the Essex backroads. We even took it on our honeymoon.
My main observations with this car is that it is not particularly nippy in a straight line, despite having lead a blessed life and having been indulged with multiple modifications – It produces about 160BHP. That said, it does generate some fairly impressive cornering speeds which have been significantly improved from the stock Lotus arrangement. Early on in my ownership I decided that I would arrange for the factory at Hethel to service it, the guys there suggested that the dampers should be upgraded to Nitrons and I can say to anyone thinking of getting an Elise that it is a night/day difference, the standard Koni’s are simply terrible by comparison.
About 10 years ago I embarked upon a weight saving project with the Elise that was both expensive and ultimately a waste of time, I have mostly reversed all of the changes as it turned it into a stiff heap of vibration. The Tillet seats were quite lovely though:
There are many things that I have established with a series 1 Elise in my 25 years of ownership:
• Get the oil up to temperature before you extend the revs and you should avoid HGF, as I have managed over my 50K miles.
• Do not bother with a radio
• Always wear earplugs
• They rattle like a cutlery drawer ( always wear ear plugs )
• Store it inside
• It is not much fun in the wet
• Get the geometry checked every 2 or 3 years
• It can cruise all day long at 90 MPH
My summary of the car? Well, the Series 1 does receive a lot of hype, but by 2024 standards it lacks a bit of thrust. That said, if you do not drive a more modern car and stay in the Elise for a few days, it is pretty quick. Noting that the national speed limit is 60MPH, It’s performance is perfect for road driving. In terms of footprint on the road, it could not be better suited to UK roads, especially as pot holes do not seem to smash it to pieces......
I always enjoy the readers cars threads, I am often impressed with the skills of enthusiasts, highlights for me being the meticulously repaired green 1970’s 911 and also the Rover 75 Tourer, the Jaguar I Pace engine dramas (and the associated repairs) are simply beyond what I think anyone could endure. I greatly admire people with the patience that I seem to lack.
I am afraid that whilst I do have some basic spanner skills, my car ownership is primarily about driving them. My circumstances are that my income has been consistent and the option for children didn’t happen with my wife, so I have been able to waste much of my spare income on cars, I now have seven cars to my name, nearly all of which appear to be British, although I promise that have not done that on purpose. I will add them as I plod through the list:
1999 LOTUS ELISE. My first sports car, bought with the money that my grandfather left me, a car that I purchased after my friends brother ( a person with no fear ) took me out in his Elise .This is the car that is most familiar to me, we have driven it to Scotland, Wales, Spain, Andorra, Ibiza, France and for 10 years I awoke at 06.00 on Sunday mornings to drive the Essex backroads. We even took it on our honeymoon.
My main observations with this car is that it is not particularly nippy in a straight line, despite having lead a blessed life and having been indulged with multiple modifications – It produces about 160BHP. That said, it does generate some fairly impressive cornering speeds which have been significantly improved from the stock Lotus arrangement. Early on in my ownership I decided that I would arrange for the factory at Hethel to service it, the guys there suggested that the dampers should be upgraded to Nitrons and I can say to anyone thinking of getting an Elise that it is a night/day difference, the standard Koni’s are simply terrible by comparison.
About 10 years ago I embarked upon a weight saving project with the Elise that was both expensive and ultimately a waste of time, I have mostly reversed all of the changes as it turned it into a stiff heap of vibration. The Tillet seats were quite lovely though:
There are many things that I have established with a series 1 Elise in my 25 years of ownership:
• Get the oil up to temperature before you extend the revs and you should avoid HGF, as I have managed over my 50K miles.
• Do not bother with a radio
• Always wear earplugs
• They rattle like a cutlery drawer ( always wear ear plugs )
• Store it inside
• It is not much fun in the wet
• Get the geometry checked every 2 or 3 years
• It can cruise all day long at 90 MPH
My summary of the car? Well, the Series 1 does receive a lot of hype, but by 2024 standards it lacks a bit of thrust. That said, if you do not drive a more modern car and stay in the Elise for a few days, it is pretty quick. Noting that the national speed limit is 60MPH, It’s performance is perfect for road driving. In terms of footprint on the road, it could not be better suited to UK roads, especially as pot holes do not seem to smash it to pieces......
1970 Classic Mini.
A gift from Mrs Hat to celebrate my 50th birthday, and a return visit to the wonderful Mini, the very first car that I owned, LYU 979P ( killed shortly after I sold it, thankfully no damage to the purchaser ).
This brilliant car has been subject to a fairly heavy restoration, I will let the photos tell the story, but it now has a 1300 engine that runs as sweet as you can imagine:
These cars are a marvel of packaging and generate a very positive response from fellow road users. The most notable parts of the car are:
• It has a remarkably good ride.
• It can generate some impressive cornering speeds
• It is tiny
• It is VERY noisy
• It gets VERY hot
• It would be very easy to steal
• It costs pennies to keep it on the road
• It does like to rust ( rather frustratingly )
My summary of the car? Well, if you want a car that makes you, and everyone around you smile, this is just the ticket. It is quite happy chugging along at 70 MPH, as long as you do not want to chat with your passenger. As a package, the overall design is simply an act of genius, all fabricated by British hands ( which does give it ‘character’ )
Of all the cars I own, this would be the last to go.
A gift from Mrs Hat to celebrate my 50th birthday, and a return visit to the wonderful Mini, the very first car that I owned, LYU 979P ( killed shortly after I sold it, thankfully no damage to the purchaser ).
This brilliant car has been subject to a fairly heavy restoration, I will let the photos tell the story, but it now has a 1300 engine that runs as sweet as you can imagine:
These cars are a marvel of packaging and generate a very positive response from fellow road users. The most notable parts of the car are:
• It has a remarkably good ride.
• It can generate some impressive cornering speeds
• It is tiny
• It is VERY noisy
• It gets VERY hot
• It would be very easy to steal
• It costs pennies to keep it on the road
• It does like to rust ( rather frustratingly )
My summary of the car? Well, if you want a car that makes you, and everyone around you smile, this is just the ticket. It is quite happy chugging along at 70 MPH, as long as you do not want to chat with your passenger. As a package, the overall design is simply an act of genius, all fabricated by British hands ( which does give it ‘character’ )
Of all the cars I own, this would be the last to go.
Funnily enough I have one of each of your first two 
I agree with some but not all of your observations:
My Elise is a 111S which I’ve had for years and years. Mine is tweaked to about 175BHP and it’s bloody quick up to about 125MPH, plenty for modern roads.
I love mine in the wet it’s proper fun to drive, mine has the Quaife ATB diff and oversteers in a delightful way everywhere.
Mine has a Blaupunkt head unit and speakers, crank up the volume and it’s fine.
Here is the Lotus hiding behind my 1976 1275GT. Owned by my Mum until she stopped driving and now by me. My dad and I modified it in the 80’s for hill climbs and sprints and it’s still going strong. Only 64K miles from new. It’s about 90BHP and great fun to drive. It’s as stiff as a board with no discernible suspension at all but great fun, handles brilliantly, totally classic Mini in every way. It will never be sold. My middle lad has his name on it and his son my Grandson is next in line. At Goodwood trackday, broken sidelight courtesy of an errant pheasant.
I agree with some but not all of your observations:
My Elise is a 111S which I’ve had for years and years. Mine is tweaked to about 175BHP and it’s bloody quick up to about 125MPH, plenty for modern roads.
I love mine in the wet it’s proper fun to drive, mine has the Quaife ATB diff and oversteers in a delightful way everywhere.
Mine has a Blaupunkt head unit and speakers, crank up the volume and it’s fine.
Here is the Lotus hiding behind my 1976 1275GT. Owned by my Mum until she stopped driving and now by me. My dad and I modified it in the 80’s for hill climbs and sprints and it’s still going strong. Only 64K miles from new. It’s about 90BHP and great fun to drive. It’s as stiff as a board with no discernible suspension at all but great fun, handles brilliantly, totally classic Mini in every way. It will never be sold. My middle lad has his name on it and his son my Grandson is next in line. At Goodwood trackday, broken sidelight courtesy of an errant pheasant.
bigmowley said:
Funnily enough I have one of each of your first two
I agree with some but not all of your observations:
My Elise is a 111S which I’ve had for years and years. Mine is tweaked to about 175BHP and it’s bloody quick up to about 125MPH, plenty for modern roads.
I love mine in the wet it’s proper fun to drive, mine has the Quaife ATB diff and oversteers in a delightful way everywhere.
Mine has a Blaupunkt head unit and speakers, crank up the volume and it’s fine.
Here is the Lotus hiding behind my 1976 1275GT. Owned by my Mum until she stopped driving and now by me. My dad and I modified it in the 80’s for hill climbs and sprints and it’s still going strong. Only 64K miles from new. It’s about 90BHP and great fun to drive. It’s as stiff as a board with no discernible suspension at all but great fun, handles brilliantly, totally classic Mini in every way. It will never be sold. My middle lad has his name on it and his son my Grandson is next in line. At Goodwood trackday, broken sidelight courtesy of an errant pheasant.
I love a 1275 Gt, the name alone sounds exotic! Great colourI agree with some but not all of your observations:
My Elise is a 111S which I’ve had for years and years. Mine is tweaked to about 175BHP and it’s bloody quick up to about 125MPH, plenty for modern roads.
I love mine in the wet it’s proper fun to drive, mine has the Quaife ATB diff and oversteers in a delightful way everywhere.
Mine has a Blaupunkt head unit and speakers, crank up the volume and it’s fine.
Here is the Lotus hiding behind my 1976 1275GT. Owned by my Mum until she stopped driving and now by me. My dad and I modified it in the 80’s for hill climbs and sprints and it’s still going strong. Only 64K miles from new. It’s about 90BHP and great fun to drive. It’s as stiff as a board with no discernible suspension at all but great fun, handles brilliantly, totally classic Mini in every way. It will never be sold. My middle lad has his name on it and his son my Grandson is next in line. At Goodwood trackday, broken sidelight courtesy of an errant pheasant.
I think that your 111 must have a bit more zing than my Elise, perhaps I would get mine fettled……
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