Best Lotus road car ever

[Andyk]

Or according to Chris Harris......I really need to drive this...

http://www.pistonheads.com/lotus/default.asp?storyId=25582

 

[GransportFan1]

it should be, is it not going to cost 50k ???

 

[Andyk]

Yep.........

 

[bigbob]

The 340R I owned over a decade ago was ok too!

 

[GransportFan1]

340R ? ooofff, coolest Lotus ever IMO.


As for the Exige, 50k, way over priced, Lotus cant sell the Evora so i dont see why people will now spend 50k on an Exige as opposed to the 30K it used to cost.

 

[Andyk]

Had the conversation before Adam........YOu have your opinion I have mine so not going to start that one again....

BB, you had a 340R...Great car and what an event...Do you have any pictures of her you could share...

 

[bigbob]

Let me have a look. It was a long time ago.

 

[drellis]

imho the lotus carlton wins, never driven one , had an esprit s4 but for what impct it had and how it crushed he german opposition, thinking about it , it probably beat the ferrari of the day too for pace. yes the latest lotu will be the greatest lotus ever as it is the newest, d then if lotus does producethe ne elan espt etc nd then one of them will be the best

 

[bigbob]

Not sure I have ever seen a Lotus Carlton but to my mind it is a straight line/A Road halo machine rather like an M5 whereas the lightweight mid engined Lotus cars are B Road/low average speed circuit type cars.

 

[GransportFan1]

Seen a couple of Carlton's, not my cup of tea, rather an Audi RS2 or E34 BMW M5 but yes they were very quick. Sadly they could not sell all of them as most were getting stolen and insurance prices therefore went sky high.

 

[Andyk]

imho the lotus carlton wins, never driven one , had an esprit s4 but for what impct it had and how it crushed he german opposition, thinking about it , it probably beat the ferrari of the day too for pace. yes the latest lotu will be the greatest lotus ever as it is the newest, d then if lotus does producethe ne elan espt etc nd then one of them will be the best

Idrove one about a year ago........still a fast car but very old school.

 

[Andyk]

This Exige is a bloody fast car.......3.8 to 60 is going some.


EVO

At £52,900 it is a chunk more expensive than the previous Exige, but this new car is a much more serious proposition. The closest obvious competitor is a Cayman R. You’ll lose out on creature comforts compared to the Porsche, but the Lotus is nearly a second quicker to 60mph (3.8sec versus 4.7sec


http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/282481/driven_lotus_exige_s_v6.html

 

[conaero]

Id get in there and get one before they disappear, the black clouds are circling round Norwich.

 

[GransportFan1]

Id get in there and get one before they disappear, the black clouds are circling round Norwich.

Agreed, i can see Lotus sinking as they tackling markets which lets be honest, they cant.

 

[NickP]

I thought they had major financial backers who had dreams of world domination, the new cars seem to fit in with that.

 

[Andyk]

Proton have sold out and the new owner was deciding if they would back Lotus.....Last week this was sorted and new cash has been injected into Lotus......Esprit testing has started up and production is running again. The 5 year plan is back on track................I for one is very pleased as if the current cars are anything to go buy the new ones will be brilliant.

 

[conaero]

That's good news Andy. I just hope they make a car that interests me asthetically as the last Lotus I have lusted after was the final phase Esprit V8.

 

[Fat Arnie]

Is there a formal announcement? I have not seen anything since Genii expressed interest.

Given Mr Tony Fernandez' sudden withdrawl from the fight over right to use the team Lotus name (even though he won) my money if firmly on Lotus and Caterham coming under common ownership sometime soon.

Behr and co have lost the plot. They cannot compete on the level of Porsche and Ferrari (and of course Maserati) as their brand has (had?) the reputation of manufacturing cheap affordable sportscars. People who buy new Porsche and Ferrari cars are most often the wealthy driven by brand kudos. Even BMW do not call their affordable car a BMW, they call it a Mini.

 

[stradaman]

Probably the Elan big valve, followed by Lotus 11. All early Lotus, were light, so needed small engines only to go fast. Lotus 11 was first really light fast car. I did like Europa 2 also. Current Lotus, just dont rock my boat. The DNA is missing.

Andy.