McLaren-Lite... ?

Author
Discussion

carspath

Original Poster:

856 posts

184 months

Monday 13th January 2020
quotequote all
The 570S …. one just cant ignore what fantastic value it is on the 2nd hand market .
It looks good , has dihedral doors , and fantastic performance .
What's not to like ?


Well the :
- warranty costs ( which increases significantly past the 5 year point ) ,
- inconsistent build quality
- absence of a manual transmission
- presence of numerous advanced electronic systems




I spoke to John Thorney at the Beaulieu meet , and he said something very interesting :

'' a 9 man team designed the 12-C , and 7 of them were ex-Lotus ''





Bispal ( from this PH sub-forum ) , speaking from personal experience of both marques , seems to echo this sentiment




So , is the Elise / Exige the best of both worlds ( in the real world ) if you are not bothered by the lack of a prestigious nose badge ?


andrew

10,091 posts

199 months

Monday 13th January 2020
quotequote all
carspath said:
The 570S …. one just cant ignore what fantastic value it is on the 2nd hand market .
It looks good , has dihedral doors , and fantastic performance .
What's not to like ?


Well the :
- warranty costs ( which increases significantly past the 5 year point ) ,
- inconsistent build quality
- absence of a manual transmission
- presence of numerous advanced electronic systems




I spoke to John Thorney at the Beaulieu meet , and he said something very interesting :

'' a 9 man team designed the 12-C , and 7 of them were ex-Lotus ''





Bispal ( from this PH sub-forum ) , speaking from personal experience of both marques , seems to echo this sentiment




So , is the Elise / Exige the best of both worlds ( in the real world ) if you are not bothered by the lack of a prestigious nose badge ?
ahem. new esprit...

LotusJas

1,345 posts

238 months

Monday 13th January 2020
quotequote all
carspath said:
So , is the Elise / Exige the best of both worlds ( in the real world ) if you are not bothered by the lack of a prestigious nose badge ?
No it's not.

The 570S is what the Elise/Exige could have become had Lotus not effectively failed, and is *far* superior in every way. I say that as a huge Lotus fan.

carspath

Original Poster:

856 posts

184 months

Tuesday 14th January 2020
quotequote all
Hi Andrew .... Agree with the new Esprit , but will it ever come to market ? Also it will pro be packed with electronics , which carries attendant problems .

Lotusjas .. again agree that the Mclarens are superior on every objective measurable parameter .
Hence the Lite comment .
Also , I wonder if the ownership proposition with the Lotus might be kinder , but just as fulfilling for road only use ?

indapendentlee

407 posts

106 months

Tuesday 14th January 2020
quotequote all
I'd say that the closest in essence would be the Alpine A110 - Lotuses/Loti/Lotus just feel a little bit too stripped back to be a mini McLaren - the day to day creds of most of McLaren's range are way beyond those of any Lotus.

Adz man

344 posts

166 months

Tuesday 14th January 2020
quotequote all
The 570S Spider looks unbelievable value for value

LotusJas

1,345 posts

238 months

Tuesday 14th January 2020
quotequote all
carspath said:
Also , I wonder if the ownership proposition with the Lotus might be kinder , but just as fulfilling for road only use ?
Kinder to your wallet - yes absolutely!

Just as fulfilling for road use - not even close I'm afraid.

justin220

5,453 posts

211 months

Tuesday 14th January 2020
quotequote all
Ex Lotus owner here and current McLaren owner. For me the Lotus are too compromised for most things, certainly the Elise and Exige.

The Evora is more like a cut price McLaren. My old one actually was mistaken for one a couple of times. Great cars