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@TomEand myself had the great privilege of supporting Lotus in ascertaining where they are really at, from a customers point of view. We were hosted by Matt Windle (MD), Geoff Dowding (Commercial Director) and Scott Walker (Head of UK Sales) and special thanks to Charlotte for keeping us on schedule! The Tour We were given a fantastically, detailed, full-access tour, by Scott Walker, on both the old and new facilities. The first words here that spring to mind are Quality Control, Perfectionism and Attention to Detail. The vast investment by Geely into the new facility is immediately obvious, like being smacked around the jaw by a wet engine cover. The difference between the old-school, which was admittedly, relatively shabby and the new high-tech, millions spent on, robotic and laser measuring equipment was incredible. My main take-away from the day is that Lotus, contrary to some beliefs on the web, are working VERY VERY hard, in a very difficult global market, to get all the cars out as originally promised this year. This is seen in the investment in both the tech and the staffing levels. I was utterly amazed at the laser focused body panel checker. The car gets checked over to a fraction of a millimetre by a 360 degree laser guided machine. This checks that every single Emira off the line is exactly the same. This ensures that each car has remarkably exacting panel-gaps and alignment. They do this once the chassis gets bonded to the body and once after completion as a double check. This ethos of quality control and double checking carried on throughout the whole process which was broken down on the tour. We saw the seats, although Pre-Production, looking much deeper and body encompassing, the front, nappa leather covered fascia which was rock solid, and just how everything comes together in a well thought out way. What we didn't see was the actual wheels. We saw i4 engines and the automatic V6. Conclusion - The final build quality will match the Germans, perhaps improve on them in some areas. I feel very rest assured on this. The Colours Okay, okay. This is the bit most want to know about. @TomE and I saw all of the FE colours in the flesh, though only the Magma Red was seen in both direct sunlight and shade conditions. My thoughts, Tom will add his own. First impression.. It now ALL makes sense. People have often mentioned "why didn't they just release the FE in traditional colours that we all know and like". It was immediately clear to me that Lotus wanted to show just how damn good the paint is and also to exude prestige and class. Shadow Grey is perhaps the most similar and standard to other makers and the Seneca Blue, somewhat comparable to other cars, has an ability to look both interestingly pastel and metallic. The other colours are full of depth and quite unique. Hethel Yellow - I would call this a classy yellow. It is yellow with a warmth to it. That English Mustard soft hue perhaps in one layer. Do not worry about this being the only non-metallic colour. it pops out the most of all of the colours, strikingly bold, yet luxuriant. Magma Red - Wow. Ha. Better than I had even hoped. The colour travel on this is remarkable. The speckle in the metallic on this and the other metallic cars is amazing and really makes them stand out. This red I have not seen before. it is NOT Fire Red. It pops more in light, with a lovely gold fleck and the colour in the shade is rich and exudes quality. Nimbus Grey - Ha. No grey on this car, except perhaps from space. it is a stunning colour which I would call Super LIght Bronze Silver. It has this bronzey, browny subtle tint which lifts it up from being 'just' a silver car. Again, Lotus have gone for a look or richness and quality. Stunning. If you have ordered this you will be blown away. Dark Verdant - Yes, the clue is indeed in the name. It is very dark and I thought it was a black car until about 4 yards away from it. We shone light on it and the heavy fleck then really pops and I have a feeling it will feel the most prestige colour of all but it is dark, no getting away from that. Personally, I would not get a black roof with this colour. I think it would look great with silver wheels as complete contrast package to drop jaws. Other colours - well, we saw a white car which would possibly be THE colour to go for on the next editions such is the powerful play of white on black. We saw a black car, which still suited it, and we saw a Ferrari Red car, again fabulous and likely to make it to the next edition options. We also saw a car with the black pack roof. Suspension A major point of confusion amongst us, this was helped greatly by their development driver, Dries, an endearing Belgian chap who knows the car inside out, is which suspension to go for - Sports or Touring. @TomE and I had a great chat with him and we pretty much have come to the same conclusion. Touring - Most ideal for most people. Absolutely perfect for those who will use the car as a daily driver and it is there only car. Still capable on track. Sports - More feel but the odd road bump will be felt more. Perfect for those who will have the car as a 2nd or 3rd car. More relevant if you will track the car occasionally. All in all, a fabulous day out and we learned a huge amount from all of our very engaging and honest hosts. Personally, I came away even more confident (yes, possible ) that we are in VERY capable hands and we will be owners of an instant classic and future icon. We can all look forward to a new update on the configurator from next week, more news and increased confidence in this wonderful marque.

and I absolutely love this car! Have done just over 4000miles, but expect to do more this year, and the car has now done 45k miles. The only issues I've had over the past year were 1. lost the clutch pedal and after looking on the forum wrapped the clutch slave cylinder pipe as per a service bulletin and it seemed to have done the trick, its not happened again; and 2. the car suddenly went into limp mode, local garage diagnosed it to misfiring on cylinder 2, so replaced the spark plugs and all is now well Other work done includes repairing the glovebox, fitting a new and larger steering wheel spacer, replacing the mudflap brackets for stainless steel ones, replacing the coolant temperature sensor, and a new engine bay flexible duct heat shield. Just had the major C service done plus a few other minor bits (clutch sensor switch, ARB bushes, ball joint boots) at Lotus Silverstone and very happy with the work and experience. This plus 4 new Michelin tyres has meant a relatively expensive first year, but I bought the car at a good price (£24k) and planned to have the budget to cover a bit of expensive. The gear shift is quite stiff and after talking to Lotus Silverstone its either £500 for replacement cables or £1800 for replacement MY12 cables... not sure its worth the latter and I may try lubricating them first as others have done on this forum. I've kinda got used to how it shifts though.... 🤔 Now I know this will be a keeper, contemplating some cosmetic changes in the Spring, i.e. red callipers and wing mirror covers.. and maybe some red stripes? Black wasn't my first choice colour but its really grown on me and I think a bit of red splashed here and there will also help... Finally, a big thanks to this forum.. so much good advice and experience... its really helped through the year... What a fantastic car!!!!! Cheers, Ade

@Sparky has worked his post production magic on a pic he took of my car at FOS - he’s captured about the best angle I’ve ever seen of an S1 IMHO 😊

Because, for various reasons, Lotus were interested in feedback from a small cross-section of customers about various topics and took a decision on which customers they would like to hear from at this point in time. They knew the four of us going would result in "why didn't I get invited" from various people. But on balance they decided it would be beneficial to have us there and also to let us share what we had seen and heard, rather than gag us with NDAs.

Saw this story, made me smile..... Robot vacuum cleaner escapes from Cambridge Travelodge https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-60084347 A robot vacuum cleaner made a break for freedom after giving staff the slip at a Travelodge hotel. The automated cleaner failed to stop at the front door of the hotel in Orchard Park in Cambridge on Thursday, and was still on the loose the following day. Staff said it just kept going and "could be anywhere" while well-wishers on social media hoped the vacuum enjoyed its travels, as "it has no natural predators" in the wild. It was found under a hedge on Friday. Staff at the hotel posted the story of the robot vacuum's great escape on social media, asking for it to be returned, if found. "Today we had one of our new robot vacuums run for its life," the assistant manager wrote. "They normally sense the lip at the entrance [to the hotel] and turn around, but this one decided to make a run for it." While some readers joked about the robot's adventures, one feared for its safety in the great outdoors, pointing out that "nature abhors a vacuum".

Well last night I actually dreamed about being on a test drive in an Emira and I’ve not even ordered one! Anyway the good news for all you early adopters is that it’s much faster than I expected and handles on rails. So there you have it: the first TLF road test of an Emira!

Good to see Barrie's car in Absolute Lotus this month.

I suppose as others have said, Ade - new customer that is excited, TomE - returning customer. In fairness, you lambasted Lotus and the presenters since the online launch. You probably were not on their radar.

Some photo's from the 1984 Motorshow, when I was lucky to get access onto the Lotus stand. Me and my brother as young teenagers, getting to sit in the cars.

Lotus factory 1975? Don't think I have posted this before.

Just realised I haven't updated this thread for nearly a year now 😳 The car is MOT'd and in regular(ish) use. It even survived a track day at Blyton last year 😎 It's been dyno'd too and made just over 330bhp 😳 So yes, it is QUICK!! Once I've got everything else spot on I'll get it painted, Lemon Yellow is favourite at the moment 😉 Dyno2.mp4

Hi All I’m the delighted owner of the Sport 420 Final Edition (Motorsport Green) pictured below, and have finally got round to putting this post on the Introductions section. I’m based just outside Belfast. I know there are a few owners in Northern Ireland and Ireland, but Lotus sightings on this side of the Irish Sea are unfortunately rare. The intention is that this is a “forever keeper”, and I do hope super unleaded will continue to be sold for many years to come. Back in the early 2000s I was a half-owner of an S2 Elise Sports Tourer (Cobalt Blue, with the long-tail roof), but after 2 years of ownership the other half-owner needed funds so the car had to go (really interested to know if that car is still about – NCZ 7060, in case anyone knows). I’ve had a 111 itch ever since and this was my last chance to address it! We don’t have any dealers in Ireland at the minute, but Jamie at Bell & Colvill was really helpful in alerting me when the FE cars were launched and securing a build slot for me. My 12 year old son and I made the 22 hour round trip from Belfast to Bell & Colvill and back in August to pick it up. The 430 mile drive home made a good dent in the running in miles! So much so that I was able to get the running in service completed in late October and I have been able to enjoy full throttle a few times now… 😊. A few forum members have been really helpful already - @Bibs in getting my profile fixed, @milesofsmiles and especially @tactical lizard who have both helped me with lower seat rails (I’m 6’ 3” so headroom is at a premium). I hope to get to some events over the next few years and if there are any NI-based members who meet up from time to time, please let me know! Cheers Ryan

Front suspension mainly all bolted and torqued up ( as far as you can go without the body on etc ). Washers for top wishbones came from ATZ ( thanks for the link )

Test fitting of motorsport plenums and chargecoolers. Will need to fabricate a support bracket, but they will sit nicely above the gearbox for phase 1 or the engine run-in.

My Secretary:

I have just written to Chris Edmonds, Chairman of the PC. I wanted to write "don't be utter twats", but toned it down.......A little!

It apparently is named after being a dark lane in the distant past because it was a sunken tree lined lane and was dark, then the Devon dialect got hold of it - how can anyone be offended by that? Oh crap I mentioned the word 'dark' twice - I must be a racist destined to spend eternity in one of those dark pits in hell - oh bugger that's 3 times I really am screwed.

New genuine Lotus throttle cable turned up in the post today and upon measuring it, it's as per the parts list and identical to the cable I removed I took me a little while this evening to get the idle position set because I had to undo all the adjustments I made to the throttle pedal up and down stops when unknowingly trying to get the shorter LHD cable to fit, but with a bit of patience I got a good idle position set. To check the 0.1mm clearance on the full throttle abutment on the engine I had to get creative with a builders prop to hold the throttle wide open while climbing into the engine bay to measure the clearance with my feeler gauges. I had a bit of luck and got the positioning of the throttle downstop spot on with my first adjustment! I even installed a new bit of insulation over the throttle cable while I was at it. Those five extra inches on the correct cable definitely made all the difference to fitting the new cable 😌 Chargecooler is all now re-instated and tomorrow I plan to pop out with the laptop and check/adjust the TPS to get that all within spec.

Victor Raysbrook Motors 182 High St Watford lotus dealer many years ago... Graham Hill’s World Championship winning Lotus Formula 1, currently on display in Watford High Street. Hill’s car, shown here with Victor Raysbrook, is one of a number featuring in a Lotus Week exhibition at Victor Raysbrook Motors. [from the Watford Observer of September 5, 1969]

This just popped up on fb... Beauchamp Place, Knightsbridge , 1979.

I went with refinished OEM 410 wheels in Bronze. They are similar to Diablos-666's

Slight change of attention today, I've gone back to the brakes again to finish some jobs that I'd started just before the tanks got removed and needed finishing while the car is still up on stands. I'd had an issue with the ABS light behaving normally from start up (after I'd fixed the binnacle wiring fault) and then after a few yards of actual driving it would flash up an ABS fault light. Diagnosis with Espritmon revealed that the front left ABS sensor wasn't reading any speed at all when moving and therefore needed to be replaced. After doing a bit of research it seems the originals are NLA and difficult to come by, but after a bit of cross referencing investigation work on the interwebs I believe an ABS sensor used on some old Daewoo models can be made to work and as an added bonus they only cost about £7 a pop . I've not driven the car yet, but if this proves successful i'll post details of the part I used. Had it not been for the fuel tanks taking the car off the road for such a long period of time and a baby arriving I'd have been fitting @Chillidoggy's brake kit, but I just want to drive the car again, so for £7 this is worth a go at fixing. I had real trouble getting the failed sensor out because corrosion in the brake disk backing plate was seizing it in. I ended up getting it out in pieces, but not without taking part of the backing plate with it, which is only tack welded on it seems. Here's what's left of the old sensor that didn't turn to crumbs and the new sensor with its mounting bracket clocked to match the original part along with the bit of backing plate that came off all tidied up. Rear face of the backing plate all cleaned up as best I could and the holes redrilled (the original bolts snapped off of course) and tapped with fresh M6 threads to fix it all back together. Everything reassembled ready to test. The other task I wanted to tackle was annoying because I'm repeating work I've already done once before and all because a supplier provided a part not suitable for its job 😠 I'd noticed what initially looked like condensation on the rubber hose that goes between the brake master cylinder and the accumulator pump. Nothing else anywhere in the garage had condensation on it, a little more investigtion revealed it was actually brake fluid leaching/sweating out of the hose because what I'd been supplied to replace the original hose last year wasn't actually suitable for carrying brake fluid. The most annoying part is I bought based on a Lotus part number and I foolishly assumed I would be supplied something suitable for the fluid it should carry, shame on me for not checking the hose before fitting because it would have been obvious it was wrong from the outset 🤦‍♂️ This is the hose I fitted last year - a fuel hose This is what I sourced myself from a local hydraulic hose specialist which is actually suitable for carrying brake fluid; it's an EPDM rubber hose. Brakes all bled again and all that remains is for me to put the power steering fluid in and get it back on the deck 🎉

Dodge Plum Crazy. Only two Exige's produced in this colour I am aware of (the other is a 410), and my 420 FE is the only Final Edition Lotus of any variant in Plum Crazy.

TBH the radio silence is getting a little tedious. Have quite a reasonably timed deposit on a i4FE car, and happy to take the package of options that will bump up the price, but other than the call to either jump into the V6FE queue or wait, I have heard nothing. There has been no official update on i4 deliveries starting autumn this year, but I would happily wager that will become 2023 There is no clue on price for the i4 compared to the v6 If Lotus are changing the colours of the v6FE cars from the samples that went around the dealerships, all they will do is create chaos in the orders they have and kick everyone else further down the road. If they have cars in each colour, it cant be that difficult to put a picture on instagram

Makes complete sense. Working through Emira “influencers” is a good way to get the message out. It also reinforces for me the transparency that Lotus would like to achieve when they are working under the pressure of a product which has probably exceeded their expectations. Every interaction I have had with Lotus staff from Goodwood through to Hethel they have always shown extreme pride in what they have produced and delight that it seems to have gone down so well. Really looking forward to June. Be nice to see one in the flesh beforehand!

Makes perfect sense to me

So long sucker…

As you may know if you follow my posts on Facebook, EmiraForum and on here, I have been expressing my frustration with the poor comms and haphazard customer care from Lotus. Not just my own experience but what I have been seeing from other customers. I've also been trying to fill in some of the gaps and correct mis-information to help other deposit holders, based on what I know. But I was getting increasingly frustrated with lack of comms by Lotus and inconsistent answers being given to people by Customer Care, dealers and unofficial channels. I discussed that with Scott Walker before Christmas in light of the calls to people about June delivery slots and a major change of approach on deposits and changes to spec. He shared my written feedback plus input from several other customers with Lotus senior management. Scott then asked me and 3 others from a longer list of possibles up to Hethel for visits on Thursday and Friday. Many of you know Scott and his passion for Lotus. He deserves huge credit for listening to many of us, lobbying for some of us to talk with Lotus directors and making these visit days happen.

Dark Verdant is not Empire/Imperial Green. It is slightly lighter than that but not by much. I saw a car in part sun part shade and the sunlit part was clearly green and you could see the metallic in it from a few feet away (unlike the Seneca where the metallic flake is finer-grained and only obvious when you stand next to the car). The shaded side was dark and the metallic almost invisible from a few feet. the interesting thing with the many curves on the car is how the colour flows and changes a lot as the surface changes and as you omove around the car. It looks very classy but yes it is dark and in some lighting looks almost black. I'm not sure I'd bother adding Black Pack. I think it could show a contrast between the black roof and dark green body which could (I can't confirm) make the green more obviously green in some lighting.

Mixed emotions, so not entirely happy: The scales indicate my weight as 18st 13lb this morning, 6 days after the diet started and the scales indicated 19st 5lb. The weight loss is making me happy but how far I let it go before addressing the situation and how far I now need to continue, less so. What was frightening was using an app to track calories & weight etc, when I entered my height it indicated my target should be 18st based on the "average" for my height. NHS website indicates a healthy weight of 10st 9lb - 14st 5lb, FFS, I can remember being c15st and less than a 30 inch waist, what the heck would I look like at less than 11st? I'd hide behind telephone poles. So, aiming 17st for now, then maybe keep going to 16st.

Arrived. Boom.

Just got the Turbos back from Turbo dynamics. Excellent job. Thx to @mike_sekinger for the recommendation

SCCFC20B3PHF60302 This is the one that started the addiction! My 1993.5 that I truly enjoy after months of anguish. They like hanging out together.

Wasn't sure if this should go in the Caturday thread or not....

Living very close, I drive down Darkey Lane regularly. I knew that one day some woke, lefty twat would complain. I’ll ensure they (the Parish council), receive my view on the subject. Twats.

And what would you do about Scunthorpe...?

I consider Emma, my Esprit, my primary car, she's the one I enjoy the most and on an average year racks up most of the miles (work, play and travel). I don't do 'normal' cars, but am lucky enough to have a few alternatives for the Esprit. I even found a family picture. 😎 The Range Rover, named Priscilla, comes in very handy for hauling stuff, pulling the trailer and occasionally a bit of off road. It's one of the last manual Range Rover V8s and we've swapped the standard 4.0 engine for a lightly tuned 4.6. Very relaxing to drive, which means after a long day, especially in bad weather, it's the easiest choice to get me home. She will soon (I hope) be replaced by her slightly older sister: same type, but with a newly built 5.0 V8 running on MegaSquirt, also with a rebuilt manual gearbox with custom gearing, my own take at the elektrickery and equipped with locking differentials and a hydraulic winch for serious off roading. All done by myself and a few good friends. She will go by the name Phoenix, as we've reused some parts from a previous Range Rover that was sadly lost in the workshop fire in 2015. The Jaguar, Suzanna, is a recent addition to the fleet and was thoroughly enjoyed last summer. I can get used to open top motoring! I traded in my previous convertible, a Triumph Stag, for the Excel (Eileen). I've enjoyed her on travels and classic car runs, but never bounded like with the Esprit. It was nice to do some work and see her get back into shape though. The idea is to sell her on, as I can't keep them all. There is an Elan +2 JPS inside that needs some engine and gearbox work, to be used for classic car runs and such. That's Emily. The Merc is my father's and he named her Goldie. She has seen little use over the past 5 years, but does come in handy when I need to chauffeur the in-laws. The Range Rover is a 2-seater (because of Belgian road tax rules) and the back seats of the Excel don't quite do. Dad wants me to sell her, and he's not wrong, she takes up too much space inside and is in too good a shape to be left outside. Not in the picture is a military Land Rover Lightweight. Tommy is an absolute hoot off the road but quite demanding on it. And finally there is a TVR 280S (Tatjana). Bought on a whim and now sitting half hidden in a corner, 'till I ever get a round tuit... As I said, I don't do normal cars. 😁 Filip

So body prepared for transport for various preparations ahead of paint….loaded onto transporter sourced via Club Lotus, an ex sea captain now in the car moving business here in the North and a Lotus owner himself….

Awaiting ceramic coating ...