jep

I did a similar trip for my 50th but shockingly not in a Lotus. A 1973 Jaguar XJ6. 3,338 miles in 18 days to Napoli and back. It did not miss a beat, including 120mph+ on the autobahns. All you can do is prepare the car well; and watch your gauges like a hawk. Do it, I say. Whatever events befall you, it will be something to look back on with great fondness.

Well, you showed me yours so...……..

I have long thought the Lotus tag line should be something like: "Ride and Handling: List Price. The rest of the car is free". A chap on Flea-Bay sells these stickers, this one on my Excel:

Iain, so uplifting to see a car, especially a sports car, being used and enjoyed. Driving them is the principle pleasure of the automobile. Good on ya.

I hope Essendon Country Club meet was fun...…..I went South to meet a chum at Goodwood for a bacon butty. Twingo 133+ is a neat match for SE on the road.

'Gone sideways' would be appropriate. Lovely colour and great snap. Justin

99% sure no modification needed but the inner wing is quite scorched...…..LotusBits would confirm the technical details. They fitted mine as I don't do dirt under the fingernails though I did unblock the front bulkhead drainage tube today...…..

I don't know this 340R. Salisbury Haydon Cars from new with RAA plate I suspect. Listed as SORN and MOT expires April 2019. Is it still there...…….??

I have created my own Jim Clark Edition Elise (and it neatly covers over the unused button blank):

It makes you long for the summer again (this was in Germany, obviously):

www.eastbeachcafe.co.uk. Well, I think behind it not in front; and luckily I did not design it so I am not offended by your moniker, 😀, witty as it is. Thomas Heatherwick design and quite fun...…..good for a photoshoot for sure. Justin

Spot on advise from invaluable hands-on experience.

S3 normally aspirated are wonderful cars with (I think) the same galvanised chassis as the Turbo. A good S3 NA would be a better experience overall than starting with a poor Turbo. Buying a neglected Lotus could put you off sports cars for life unless you go in with your eyes and wallet wide open. And this is true for all sports cars. A friend of mine is a life-long Aston Martin fan. He finally bought his dream DB7 last year from a well-known dealer. He kept this 12 year old car for less than a year, 3000 miles and £8K in repairs and depreciation. My view was "You have to expect niggles and hassle with old cars". His view was "I just don't love cars enough to put up with that". We were both right. Justin

Robin. Welcome aboard. In my experience, cars that have not run for some time will need a lot of dosh and TLC to get right. Unless you can do a lot of the work yourself, it is a highly risky route to go down. My Excel came from Jersey and had done 37,000 miles in 25 years. It was a clean, running car with MOT and FSH when I bought it in 2012. In the first 2 years and 10,000 miles I spent £10K. All mechanical, nothing cosmetic. Cambelt, water pump, coil, fuel pump, battery, discs, wiper arm, alternator, steering pump, track rod ends, etc... etc...all expenditure that had to be made otherwise the car was off the road. I then spent more with LotusBits to make improvements but that was voluntary. The same with a Dolly Sprint I bought in 2008. 30,000 miles from new (1979). FSH, MOT and well cared for. The first 10,000 miles I spent £7K, again all mechanical and all required. Likewise a Mini 1275GT. FSH, 34,000 miles from new (1975) and a whole heap of cash in the first 2000 miles. Perhaps it is the way I drive...……. It really does depend on your financial position. If you can afford to buy a well-cared for Esprit that is in regular use, that will almost certainly be a better bet. If you have to buy a less expensive car which has been little used, you must have the cash flow to tend to its needs. At £18K for a non-runner (or close to it), that sounds like a gamble to me. You may of course want to do all the work yourself and really enjoy the challenge but personally I would want to be in initially at a lower price point. Good luck! Justin

Popped over the causeway to Holy Island on the way back from the Jim Clark Memorial Weekend in April.