Popular Post au-yt Posted July 23, 2020 Popular Post Report Share Posted July 23, 2020 Every time I drive my 400 find myself saying "F" this is good thing. The way it feels to drive and way it makes me feel when driving it and now matter where or at what speed(legally🤫). As it did today doing a 220K round trip for a Car club AGM some freeway some back roads and a small pass over a weir. I dismissed the EVORA when they first came out, as a lotus enthusiast from the late 70s I thought an NA EVORA was to heavy under powered and the styling didn't appeal as the only ones I saw were white. Jump forward 10 years and some very high praise by R&T and then spotting a red 400 on display at Sydney airport on my way to the UK. It sparked my interest. It was fortuitous as I was researching cars in the second hand exotic market and they all had issues a price of my budget. Sadly the EVORA new was out of reach. That changed when a manual demo 400 appeared on the market bang on my budget. Test drive and I only had to drive the car out of the dealers and up the street and I was sold. Inner Sydney isn't the best place to test drive anything, but the way the car feels in a very short distance, Sold. Ive only done 10,000Ks since I bought the car in 2017, including multiple country NSW trips and Club runs. Ive owned 33 special cars some now worth double the price of a new 410, and only two that made me feel special. Yes the 400 is a much newer design but none have left me feeling the way the 400 does. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r3nault Posted July 23, 2020 Report Share Posted July 23, 2020 Couldn’t agree more - recently picked up an NA Evora, had it trucked down to Melbourne, and despite our lockdown I am looking for every excuse to drive! (Technically it’s allowed this time in the lockdown) I haven’t owned that many special cars, this is really the first, but every drive is an occasion and even driving dull roads at low speeds is fun in this car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Champale Posted July 23, 2020 Report Share Posted July 23, 2020 This is a fun thread! Had one of my car crazy cousins in town the other day and took him for a rowdy drive in my 400. As I accelerated hard onto a freeway underpass, he said it sounded like the Monaco GP tunnel in older times! He was just blown away by the car, especially after he drove it. They really are so special and so fun to drive. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post EGTE Posted July 23, 2020 Popular Post Report Share Posted July 23, 2020 Apparently the percentage of people who test-drive the Evora and then go on to buy one is huge; like unheard-of huge. The hardest part is getting people to test-drive them, of course...... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold FFM TdM Posted July 23, 2020 Gold FFM Report Share Posted July 23, 2020 I'm still getting to know mine fully but it gets so much attention, just came back from a drive and you get people spinning around to stare and leaning out of car windows. I also find myself somehow 'missing' all the turns to go home and 'having' to go around another roundabout or two... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jep Posted July 23, 2020 Report Share Posted July 23, 2020 Evora is mega. Only one car comes close (McLaren) but factor in cost, depreciation, maintenance, fuel....Evora is all you need. It should sell 5000 to 10000 units a year. It of course illustrates why Lotus have to change, sad to say. However good the cars are, not enough people buy 'em. Good luck Geely, good luck Lotus. Justin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcfair Posted July 23, 2020 Report Share Posted July 23, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, EGTE said: Apparently the percentage of people who test-drive the Evora and then go on to buy one is huge; like unheard-of huge. The hardest part is getting people to test-drive them, of course...... Hopefully Lotus will get the dealer network sorted soon, just not enough dealerships across the country to sell or maintain cars without a 2hr+ drive each way for some...its getting frustrating but I'm hoping its we see some improvement by early next year Edited July 23, 2020 by marcfair 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
au-yt Posted July 23, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2020 4 hours ago, EGTE said: Apparently the percentage of people who test-drive the Evora and then go on to buy one is huge; like unheard-of huge. The hardest part is getting people to test-drive them, of course...... When I bought my car, the dealer principal was telling me, LOTUS have one of the best conversion (test drives to buyer) rates of over 30%. Speaking of tunnels, I took a friend with me to collect my car, and on the way home though the Sydney habour tunnel , I accelerated hard and the exhaust opened, and two grown men in the 60's giggled like school kids. Another thing about the EVORA I feel very comfortable owning, I'm not a Lambo, look at me owner, or after experience a red dressed dancing Donkey owner pretending I'm rich. The EVORA is an immensely usable special car. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jep Posted July 24, 2020 Report Share Posted July 24, 2020 No-one buys a Lotus to say 'look how well I'm doin'. The marque has no cache in wider society so thankfully 'brand buyers' avoid them...or rather don't even know about Lotus. Of course, this does mean Lotus Cars struggles perpetually to survive. Geely will need to address this....see Future of Lotus thread! Justin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold FFM Barrykearley Posted July 24, 2020 Gold FFM Report Share Posted July 24, 2020 The conversion rates are simply because if you want one - then you will buy one. I hadn’t ever even driven one before buying. The first time id even been in a moving one was when I picked it up 👍 2 Quote Only here once Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post EGTE Posted July 24, 2020 Popular Post Report Share Posted July 24, 2020 No there's more to it than that; they are just so damned nice to drive. I tried an Evora of out curiosity and it blew me away. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LotusLeftLotusRight Posted July 24, 2020 Report Share Posted July 24, 2020 I think it was autumn 2013 when I started thinking about a second hand 2+2 sports car. Even though I owned an old Lotus, I hadn’t even considered an Evora. In fact I barely recall even seeing one before. I thought they would be too exotic, so beyond my budget. Anyway a quick Friday afternoon trawl through the classifieds found an LE for sale at a car warehouse operation in Norfolk. I convinced the missus that this would be the ideal family weekend car and we all headed over there the next day. To be honest, after I had seen it with my own eyes, it would have had to be a pretty awful steer for me to have turned it down. But of course it was wonderful. Deal done for £30k inc. 4 new tyres and 12 months aftermarket warranty. 7 years later, it would still be worth about that now! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold FFM Barrykearley Posted July 24, 2020 Gold FFM Report Share Posted July 24, 2020 An Evora - is a bit like a slutty mistress.... Quote Only here once Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold FFM C8RKH Posted July 24, 2020 Gold FFM Report Share Posted July 24, 2020 What, well waxed? 2 Quote I came into this world screaming and covered in someone elses blood. I'll probably leave it in the same way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruss Posted July 24, 2020 Report Share Posted July 24, 2020 Does whatever you ask of her, whenever you want it? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
au-yt Posted July 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2020 What concerns me about last comment she's better than.😭 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Loquacious Lew Posted July 25, 2020 Popular Post Report Share Posted July 25, 2020 The 'surprise factor' of the Evora is probably what hooked me. I was looking for a late 997 Porsche Turbo and also had my eye on the C7 (C8 wasn't out yet obviously) and stumbled across the 400 by chance while checking out a used 991.1 C2S at a our local dealership. I had no thought to buy a new Lotus, furthest thing from my mind, really. As we walked past the chrome orange '17 400 that was the dealer's demo, I chanced a closer look and found myself interested to learn more. I thought it was more excitiong to look at than a 911 (or the last GT4) or the C7 (a car which I like) and being a Lotus, I reckoned it was good to drive. But to buy and own? In America? Too silly thinks I but might as well explore it. On a whim I asked the sales guy if I might have a test drive in the thing. I expected it to steer and handle well but be rough and rattly. Well, he produced the keys and I had the universally ubiquitous experience of trying to start the car with the immobilizer on. We got the car started with the needed instruction and everybody knows how that ended. What got me was how smooth, fantastic and unique the drive was. It was everything I thought it wouldn't be. Tight, composed, complete, as a package, good aircon, comfy seats, fun to shift, light clutch, great feel. In short, many things I thought a Lotus wasn't. I liked driving it better than any comparably priced car and I thought it was better looking too. It was a big surprise to me just how together the Evora is. The lack of "features" that I thought were essential in an upmarket sport car, (heads up display, power seats, rockin' stereo, and all the rest gave a moment's pause, as did the lack of a fleshed out national support network but damn, that drive! It took me a few months and two more test drives to talk myself into the car but when I thought about what I REALLY wanted, the Lotus hit every mark. No regrets and sure enough, the surprise factor is overwhelming. You just need to love driving and somehow find yourself in the seat with the wheel. It is unique in the market. 6 2 1 Quote '17 Evora 400 MT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
au-yt Posted July 26, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2020 I’ve posted this else where, a quote by a very respected ex-Aussie motoring Juno Steve Cropley, sums up the GT410 in a very complimentary way, and high praise indeed. ”It had been a while since I had driven an Evora, so I found the car a total revelation. Of course it goes and sticks to corners: it’s a Lotus. But what amazed me was the Evora’s all-speeds poise, the amazing refinement of its low-speed ride and the ridiculously low levels of road noise, with those last two qualities setting standards even Porsche can’t match.” 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
au-yt Posted August 16, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 One other thing about the EVORA is it, is the he last of the Lotus analog cars and I for one are very proud to own. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Counterdoc Posted August 20, 2020 Popular Post Report Share Posted August 20, 2020 I did a test drive with a 400 last weekend. At first I was looking for a 370Z Nismo or something other sporty. After some days Lotus came to my mind and I was thinking about an Elise or Exige first. So I registered at the German Lotus Forum and suddenly got a private message from a guy that was selling his Essex Blue 400. He was offering me a test drive and a very good price. So I took the chance and drove 500 km to see the car (I have never seen an Evora in real life before). What an amazing car! We went for a 15-20 minute drive and after the first 500 meters I was like: I need this car! I have never ever driven such an easy to handle and fast car (I was a rally driver some years ago, so I was used to some fast cars). And here I am now... I will pick up the car in the next weeks 🙂 10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bibs Posted August 20, 2020 Report Share Posted August 20, 2020 Congratulations Marius and welcome to Lotus ownership! 1 Quote 88 Esprit NA, 89 Esprit Turbo SE, Evora, Evora S, Evora IPS, Evora S IPS, Evora S IPS SR, Evora 400, Elise S1, Elise S1 111s, Evora GT410 Sport Evora NA For forum issues, please contact the Moderators. I will aim to respond to emails/PM's Mon-Fri 9-6 GMT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
au-yt Posted August 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2020 Hi Marius, and congratulations and welcome to the forum, I too can relate to the 500 meters decision. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loquacious Lew Posted August 23, 2020 Report Share Posted August 23, 2020 Love my 400. I think when I consider the excitement and joy I get from just driving it, it has to be the best car I ever owned. I just made an abbreviated list of cars I've owned for another thread and it reminded me how fine the 400 is at doing what it was designed to do. I think that's the way you have to rate your experience: did the car do what you bought it to do, and how closely does it match your expectations? In that respect, while perhaps not the best finished car I've ever owned, it has met its promise to me as well or better than the rest. Here's to me and many happy miles in my Evora! I can't think what else I would replace its specific function with except another Lotus. Maybe a C8? Nah.......at best, I'd need them both. I'm in too deep to get out now. 2 Quote '17 Evora 400 MT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold FFM Popular Post TdM Posted August 23, 2020 Gold FFM Popular Post Report Share Posted August 23, 2020 Well, this weekend, I've had a kid ask to take pictures of the car and I just watched a man (who obviously had no idea what it was) walk into a lamp post whilst staring at it. That was worth every penny of the purchase price on its own! 2 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post hyperviper Posted September 1, 2020 Popular Post Report Share Posted September 1, 2020 I just taxed mine for the remainder of summer and was desperate to have my first run this year! In the end it was a mundane trip to a local DIY shop to buy... 4 jam jars (for my wife) Never mind... a detour coming home made up for it - there are advantages to living in the really quiet parts of lincolnshire wolds.. About 20 minutes after getting home, having cooked myself on neat adrenaline, a neighbour up the road (who's a proper petrolhead) calls me and asks... "have you just been out in your car?" "yep - first time since moving here - just got back" "How fast were you going?" "erm, 59.9?" "lol...Well, i don't know what gear you were in, but it sounded effin glorious coming up the road..!" "you should hear it from inside mate" ".. next year.." "let's hope so buddy" Epic... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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