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The Evora 400 Diaries


JayEmm

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Yup, I set the unit up and saved the settings to the app, so a simple download and apply.

Current: 2021 Lotus Elise Cup 250 FE in Isotope Green, Red Alcantara Interior, Carbon Aero Kit, AirCon, Carpets & Mats, NVH pack, Cruise Control, Stereo, Red Calipers.
Now Gone2018 Lotus Elise Sport 220 in Metallic Blue, Alcantara Pack, Forged Wheels, 2piece brakes, AirCon, Hard/Soft Tops, Red Calipers, Stereo, Interior Colour Pack, NVH Pack, Carpets, Mats.
Previously Owned: 2016 Lotus Evora 400, 2010 Lotus Evora NA, 2003 VX220 Supercharged, 2001 VX220 Lightning Yellow
Follow my Lotus journey here: http://www.FaceBook.com/HandmadeInHethel

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Yes, as per the Lotus audio guide, with some slight sub tweaks as discussed on here.

Current: 2021 Lotus Elise Cup 250 FE in Isotope Green, Red Alcantara Interior, Carbon Aero Kit, AirCon, Carpets & Mats, NVH pack, Cruise Control, Stereo, Red Calipers.
Now Gone2018 Lotus Elise Sport 220 in Metallic Blue, Alcantara Pack, Forged Wheels, 2piece brakes, AirCon, Hard/Soft Tops, Red Calipers, Stereo, Interior Colour Pack, NVH Pack, Carpets, Mats.
Previously Owned: 2016 Lotus Evora 400, 2010 Lotus Evora NA, 2003 VX220 Supercharged, 2001 VX220 Lightning Yellow
Follow my Lotus journey here: http://www.FaceBook.com/HandmadeInHethel

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  • Gold FFM

@dblue Very nice looking car you have there ;)

 

I am in Florida at the minute and have a Corvette hire car. I love it but I must see at least a dozen of them every day. I know on paper they've got the Lotus beat but as for exclusivity they aren't even close.

James Martin (JayEmm)
Director of Photography & Car Enthusiast

Follow my Lotus adventure online! www.jayemm.com

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JayEmm:

The USA sports car market generally looks like this:

1) Corvette: approx. 20,000-30,000 units per year

2) 911:approx. 6,000 units per year

3) Everyone else struggles with around 2,000 units per year (and that includes the Cayman/Boxster)

So the Vette is very common as sports cars go in the USA.  You could also spec a 2017 Porsche GTS with manual transmission and RWD that would only be about 50 pounds heavier than the Evora 400.  But the GTS would be substantially more expensive than the Evora and far less rare/special.

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I am a big fan of Corvettes, if they made them in RHD I'd definitely have one. They look and sound great with world class performance and dynamics.

Fantastic VFM in the states, rather less so here though (and LHD only as well)   lotus by comparison look a little pricey in the US but that exclusivity and dynamics would make them a compelling option to a Porsche i would say.

A 991 GTS is a sensational thing though, no question.

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The GTS may be senational.  Goodness knows all the auto journos are falling all over themselves with praise for the car.  Performance is compelling, at least on paper.  50 lbs heaver than the Evora 400 in its lightest form, but 50 more horses (450) and about 100 lb ft of added torque.  But the car also starts almost $30,000 more than the Evora and as spec'd by most purchasers would end up at least $25,000-$30,000 more expensive than the Evora.   At the end of the day, the GTS is just another variant of the 911 and just isn't that special.  Of course, the same can be said of the Vette in terms of being special.  

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A GTS is the ultimate non-GT 911 of each generation, lowered, power kitted and loaded as standard. History suggests they are very much the pick of the multitude of 911 variants. Its a little unfair to suggest they aren't special. They also retain their value better than a regular 911. But a typical UK GTS would be around £100-105k, an Evora £75-80k

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They are special in the same way that organic vanilla yoghurt is a bit more special than regular vanilla yoghurt. Neither are going to look special compared to a cheesecake, chocolate brownies or even strawberry yoghurt.

A 991.2 C2 GTS would be my pick as a daily sports car (yes even over my 400) but it is definitely not a special car.

2016 Evora 400 | Signature Silver on Red Alcantara

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  • Gold FFM

Basically no 911 is a special car, as nice as they often are to drive.

Also, I spotted a yellow Evora today in St Augustine! 

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James Martin (JayEmm)
Director of Photography & Car Enthusiast

Follow my Lotus adventure online! www.jayemm.com

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BTW, manual Evora 400s are slowly trickling into the USA.  There are also rumors that Geely could be buying Lotus.  As Geely already owns Volvo, that could open up the possibility that Volvo dealers might also offer Lotus.  If that happened, that would quickly address Lotus' limited dealer network in the USA and other places as well.  

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13 hours ago, JayEmm said:

Basically no 911 is a special car, as nice as they often are to drive.

Also, I spotted a yellow Evora today in St Augustine! 

 

Yellow is the new black James.

 

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On ‎22‎/‎02‎/‎2017 at 02:32, JayEmm said:

Basically no 911 is a special car, as nice as they often are to drive.

Also, I spotted a yellow Evora today in St Augustine! 

I can only agree with this if it was qualified with "water cooled".  Many earlier 911's are pretty special IMO even if they are not so nice to drive, eg 930 Turbo

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  • Gold FFM

It's an interesting thought process.  I  have a bunch of friends who all think that a Lotus is a special car, but would never buy one.  Their obvious choice is a Porsche something-or-other.  Because it's a Porsche.

When pushed on this, words like "impractical", "reliability", and annoyingly "the Porsche is the better car"  get trotted out like the tired cliche's they are.

To be fair, my experience with the Evora has gone a long way to changing some of these views - but I can pretty much guarantee that, when pushed, they'd still choose the Porker.

I often ponder why this is so, and keep coming back to the same conclusion:  Most people are inherently risk adverse, whether that risk is perceived or actual.  Buying the "wrong" car is just unacceptable to them, even though on the whole they would never get around to buying the Porsche anyhow.  Herd mentality anyone?

Oh, and I'm not anti-911/Porsche per se.  They just don't, on the whole, float my boat.  I can admire them for the engineering prowess and "complete" package that they are (Trademark: your local Bar-bore), but having driven a bunch of various iterations of 911s, Caymans an Boxsters I can honestly say I found them a bit sterile.  I'm far from a driving god, but I do like to be a bit more involved in getting from A to B.

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3 minutes ago, DaveC72 said:

I often ponder why this is so

The world is full of sheep and shepherds. 

It is for this reason that I could never buy a Porsche, no matter how good they are. I'm happy being a shepherd. 

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Perceived unreliability may be a valid factor. I'd wager that more brand new Evora owners than not have had their cars back at a dealer for warranty claims within those first 3 years. OK not for a new engine, but probably other issues. I cannot speak for Porsche, but as a comparison I have bought 5 consecutive brand new VW Passats as work hacks for 3 years each and none of them have been back for any warranty work, ever. That's over 15 years and decent mileages. No engine problems, no a/c problems, no electric window problems, no switch-gear faults, no creaking seats, no headlamp issues, no transmission issues, nothing (apart from the cheating emissions recall on my current one). Just think how much money that saves VW in warranty claims, which can be put to use elsewhere (eg. emissions pay-outs?). :P

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If you don't consider a Porsche GT car special you're setting the bar pretty damn high. All GT3s from 1999 onwards have GT specific 8000rpm+  N/A Mezgers, unique and very adjustable suspension specifically deigned to allow them to go racing. Different racks, ride heights of course and numerous other parts that distinguish them out. Sure they share body shells and some boring stuff with regular 911s but they are all special IMHO. 

Now 991 generation has muddied the waters a bit with variations of the 9A1 and PDK only but they remain visceral driving machines that can hold their own against anything money can buy. 

 

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57 minutes ago, LotusLeftLotusRight said:

Perceived unreliability may be a valid factor. I'd wager that more brand new Evora owners than not have had their cars back at a dealer for warranty claims within those first 3 years. OK not for a new engine, but probably other issues. I cannot speak for Porsche, but as a comparison I have bought 5 consecutive brand new VW Passats as work hacks for 3 years each and none of them have been back for any warranty work, ever. That's over 15 years and decent mileages. No engine problems, no a/c problems, no electric window problems, no switch-gear faults, no creaking seats, no headlamp issues, no transmission issues, nothing (apart from the cheating emissions recall on my current one). Just think how much money that saves VW in warranty claims, which can be put to use elsewhere (eg. emissions pay-outs?). :P

Very good points about perceived reliability. 

My last GT3 (a 2007 RS) was a fantastic car but it also left me stranded at the roadside twice. Whilst neither of my supposedly unreliable Renaultsport Megane Trophys missed a beat in 40k miles and 38k miles and counting respectively.

 

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  • Gold FFM

My definition of special takes into consideration how the general public perceive the car.

My Evora has distracted people from a Carrera GT.

Having driven 911 GT3s etc... I love driving them and they feel awesome to drive, but the whole experience is not special. Even a GT3 RS doesn't draw the attention of a 400. That is a big part of it for me.

Don't take my word for it, ask @mcx!

James Martin (JayEmm)
Director of Photography & Car Enthusiast

Follow my Lotus adventure online! www.jayemm.com

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I guess a 400 distracting someone more than a gt3rs would depend on the audience.

Love your new bimmer James you have similar taste to me as I have an old bmw tank too and think that era of BMW is pretty cool, especially your colour.

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2 minutes ago, JayEmm said:

My definition of special takes into consideration how the general public perceive the car.

My Evora has distracted people from a Carrera GT.

Having driven 911 GT3s etc... I love driving them and they feel awesome to drive, but the whole experience is not special. Even a GT3 RS doesn't draw the attention of a 400. That is a big part of it for me.

Don't take my word for it, ask @mcx!

I know Martin and he's in a position to know.Don't get me wrong I am quite aware that even a bewinged decal laden GT3 RS with scaffolding in the back gets less attention from the general public than many other cars, Evora included. If I parked my old Gallardo next to my RS in a tescos car park no one would notice the Porsche , especially from the front. But these aren't car people and their appreciation although fun doesn't mean a great deal. on the whole they have little to no idea what the merits or otherwise of the cars in question are. 

Special for me is all about the engineering and little to do with looks. 

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  • Gold FFM

Maybe I just spent too long in London - 911s, Astons and R8s were pretty common.

I am sure people might have opinions why a Lotus is a rarity, but the fact remains they are and that does mean a lot. I enjoy having conversations with people about it who are genuinely keen to know about them. Rarely happens in something like a Ferrari.

Also cheers @purso I do love the new wagon too!

James Martin (JayEmm)
Director of Photography & Car Enthusiast

Follow my Lotus adventure online! www.jayemm.com

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i think the word special is all relative.  The first time I drove a porsche, it was a 2.7l cayman, and it felt like the most special car in the world! I didnt have much experience at that stage with sports cars, so coming from normal "civilian" cars, that cayman was amazing! And i think that represents the vast majority of the public, as most of the people are not as into cars as us on here, so don't experience even more "special" cars.

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