Evora GT430

[CaptainSlow]

Agree, there is certainly a missed opportunity there. Given the £££ some of us spend on aftermarket stuff.

[blindside]

5 hours ago, TBD said:

If there is one thing JMG has taught us in the last years it is that one special edition follows another. Lotus will probably not make more than the 60 cars they promissed, possibly a few fer the US. The aero package Lotus designed for the 430GT most certainly wasn't cheap to develop, obviously quite some time on the aerodynamics simulators and in the wind tunnel. It most certainly will be reused.

But, the good news is that this most certainly won't be the end of the line of special additions. So, we can probably expect

Hell, where the Porsche lineup now has something like 500 911 variants, why shouldn't Lotus do one special edition after another. They certainly seem to sell well.

Pricewise: hey the car is (almost) sold out on the day it is announced, so any marketing expert will tell you it was too cheap! No, Lotus has to go this way, we all wan a profitable company (because all others will cease to exist).

 Lotus is clearly in the business of selling cars! I totally get the business imperatives Lotus have to deal with and applaud their efforts to become profitable. 

To achieve this Lotus need a comparatively very small number of relatively affluent car enthusiasts within a limited ‘niche’ part of the market to actually buy their cars from new. Far from easy to do!

I don’t agree at all that Porsche is the 'class act' for Lotus to follow in order to attract this particular demographic. The Porsche comparison is not a good one at all. For a start Lotus do not have the same global brand reputation, manufacturing scale, or ability to invest in new sports car product enabled by a highly profitable SUV range.  

Nor is Porsche's marketing & product placement approach a particularly good example for Lotus to follow. (Although it’s not clear that Lotus actually have a coherent approach). If they did the cynical and manipulative marketing bollocks that Porsche engage in with their elastic pricing around options is not an approach to emulate. It will always stop me from buying any of their cars from new (good as they are).

Back to the question about 'how limited is limited' and 'how exclusive is exclusive'. Lotus have a far more difficult path to tread with their small and discerning customer base than the likes of Porsche. If they keep adding more carbon ‘lipstick’ and 10-20 HP increase variants across the whole model range every 6 months or so they will need to suck in lots of new buyers. Why? Because those knowledgeable enthusiasts who could afford to buy new will probably hold off to see what’s coming next, or worse still for Lotus; look elsewhere. This would obviously be counter-productive at very least in the short term.

BTW this is not ‘sour grapes’ on my part (after buying my 410 just a couple of months ago). I would probably not have held off for a 430 in any case; primarily because I had a £100k price ceiling that I would not go over.

These comments are not meant in any way to take away from a superb effort by Lotus in creating a stunning car in the 430 on a shoestring budget.

[bosshog]

50 minutes ago, The Pits said:

Also so easy for them to earn money offering the 430 remap. Not many would go to Komotec if the factory offered a remap, especially if it preserved the warranty. It's been this way for years, Lotus have shown no interest in making money after the initial sale to date.

I dunno, I think that would erode their sales of new cars. This GT430 is a *lot* more than just a remap.

[scotty435]

All the comparison with other brands and models is getting a bit boring now, yes I understand the agreement, lets get back to the basics, this is a very special car and only a 60 unit production worldwide and only 6 UK, is it worth £120000 yes 100%. I would be surprised if there are many of the 60 left as we talk, you can pay a lot more money for a family saloon in this day and age and yes there are better cars at this price point but there lots more inferior cars and there are plenty of customers out they're to buying them, sadly it's not me lol. So where does it stand well it's a massive step up from Lotus, no one expected to be this good, looks amazing, the finer details are outstanding, would it look out of place in any super car paddock, the answer is no, it will probably stand out as one of the best looking and not far off being the best driving car on the day, no matter what price point your looking at.

[Neal H]

17 minutes ago, blindside said:

BTW this is not ‘sour grapes’ on my part (after buying my 410 just a couple of months ago). I would probably not have held off for a 430 in any case; primarily because I had a £100k price ceiling that I would not go over.

There's still a £30k gap between a 'specced' 410 and a 'specced' 430 which remains a big gap, far bigger than between a 410 and 400. I think the 410 remains the pick of the range and I wouldn't be disappointed if I had recently shelled out on a 410.

[blindside]

3 minutes ago, scotty435 said:

All the comparison with other brands and models is getting a bit boring now, yes I understand the agreement, lets get back to the basics, this is a very special car and only a 60 unit production worldwide and only 6 UK, is it worth £120000 yes 100%. I would be surprised if there are many of the 60 left as we talk, you can pay a lot more money for a family saloon in this day and age and yes there are better cars at this price point but there lots more inferior cars and there are plenty of customers out they're to buying them, sadly it's not me lol. So where does it stand well it's a massive step up from Lotus, no one expected to be this good, looks amazing, the finer details are outstanding, would it look out of place in any super car paddock, the answer is no, it will probably stand out as one of the best looking and not far off being the best driving car on the day, no matter what price point your looking at.

You need to apply for that manager's job in the Lotus Marketing Department!

No...wait: Perhaps you've already got the job!

[rallyesax]

Thanks @Stubox @Corsu for the feebacks

[Stubox]

9 minutes ago, Neal H said:

 I think the 410 remains the pick of the range and I wouldn't be disappointed if I had recently shelled out on a 410.

I like you

[Snoopy1969]

@The Pits

"Sport 410 still appeals greatly. You could get 430bhp from one very easily, although not a good idea before the warranty's expired. There's fun to be had from being more of an underdog on trackdays. 430 styling is more exciting and aggressive, 410 is more elegant. The question I have now is, will Lotus fit Ohlins to a Sport 410?"

I tend to disagree - the fact that R. Carr "went back" to the "Lotus mouth" makes the 430 in my eyes more elegant than the more "boxer-style" 410 - all a matter of taste of course, be with you with the question of the int, S1 most Special (also agreeon the 288 hint ;-)

[blindside]

4 minutes ago, Stubox said:

I like you

+1 Cheers @Neal H  (Plus your man maths is pragmatic enough to convince even my Mrs)

[scotty435]

32 minutes ago, blindside said:

You need to apply for that manager's job in the Lotus Marketing Department!

No...wait: Perhaps you've already got the job!

That's a job I would not turn down, I do think they need some help in that department, but sadly it's not me, just giving my thoughts right or wrong, being a massive motor enthusiast for to many years i care to remember, it's not just this model I have reaped praise on, I have mentioned your 410 in the past and said how special that is and wish I could have one in my Garage and as I have said I am a true car enthusiast and it's not just Lotus that I like, there are some special brands out there, that are turning out some great cars, I just think this is one off them.

Edited July 21, 2017 by scotty435
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[PAR]

Having bought a 400 recently, I am appreciative Lotus did not sell a car that further depreciates mine!

this is a 2+0 which prices ranges ensures no cannibalisation with the 400. More of a debate with the 410 but the posts above are showing that both cars are likely to have a slightly different market.

One thing we all agree on though, is that parts on back order is the most annoying Lotus issue. This being in Mind, I think they need to make sure they don't do too many changes to cars so that each model can build enough of volume to worth storing parts. Creating too many new parts for new cars all the time would be detrimental to availability of parts and accelerate depreciation of cars.

if Lotus want to increase volumes in a sustainable, they need to make sure depreciation remains under control (so far a strength of the brand), that dealers are motivated and that we have critical size for the network and after sale. As dealer often buys the cars for demo and to help the factory, not stuffing the, with cars they can shift because of a new model needs to be a consideration.

i think the GT430 looks great and provides a different value proposition, particularly on a limited edition basis, but not the right car for me fortunately for my wallet. Hopefully the attention helps them to sell more 400 which should be their main evora earner considering  the +2 and federal configuration rather an being a distraction.

 

i am now going to ask my deal to see if they will have a 430 through their garage just to try to see it in the flesh!

 

 

[Colin G]

So I did admittedly contact Murray's to enquire, but when optioned how I'd want it I'm afraid it's just out of reach. My issue now is that while perusing Lotus cars website I spotted a car that had me drooling much more than this (I doubt I could've lived with the ironing board on the back) and despite saying never again I'm toying with another new Lotus. Ian at MMC assures me the Evora quality issues are resolved now (of course he did!) so I'm pondering. Will take a bit of negotiations at home too, I had recently gained full approval from the wife to buy another Aston.

 

[LF1]

Anyone noticed the white elephant in the room?

The new front and back look truely stunning... but we'll have to have ugly registration plates put on the thing

[M4rk]

I love the GT430 - it is stunning!  Really like the new body work, air intakes, carbon, front and rear changes, etc.  Wow!  I also really like the interior and the new seats featured on the launch car.  It is something that I want to keep looking at and lust after, well done Lotus!!  

I am glad it has a very limited run though, because I fear I would have had a trip to the bank for a chat if I knew plenty were available. 

I hope that some of what we are seeing on this car will feature in an update to the 400/410 soon.  I quite fancy a 400 as more of a daily car, not for track use so I wouldn't want the seats in the 410 for example.  I like the new front on the GT430 so hope this carries on in the range.

Anyone who takes delivery of one of these will be a very happy driver, it will reward in ways that its competitors cannot and I don't see it losing much money for sometime yet. 

[pgn340r]

For my two pennies worth, it is a lot of money, especially as the way things are going with Lotus by the time you have got your car there will already be another faster/better/more expensive one.( I wonder how many 410 owners are regretting already)

Have to say for a £130,000  plus car with most the options the interior still does not look any different from the basic Evora apart from a few carbon fibre bits.

For a GT car in the true sense it seems ridiculous to make all the usual GT car standard equipment, air con/ sat nav/ ICE . options, plus charging £120 for a cup holder is surely taking the pee.

Also I am surprised they do not offer a flappy paddle option on this car considering they do even on the 410, seems that would appeal to more potential buyers of Grand Tourers.

The overall shape is great, but I am not sure the rear wing does it any favours, especially as I have previously stated it is a GT and not a Cup car. Also the front wing louvres look really tacky and something which Reverie offer. At least on the Exige 380 Cup they were built in and not a Halfords spec item.

Will also be interesting how many will appear on dealers forecourt like the 410 Sport.

I am a die hard Lotus fan but I am not sure they have an integrated idea of the way forward. It is a bit of a conundrum for Lotus in that unlike Porsche/Ferrari/McLaren et al, Lotus buyers tend to keep there cars much much longer and are not bothered too much about image and having the latest thing to impress the neighbours, more about the way the car drives.

In a way you can say Lotus are a victim of there own success within their marketplace, they sell not that many cars because  the people who buy them love them and keep them much too long for Lotus to become profitable. And trying to counteract by putting up the prices just kills the goose that laid the golden egg.

[Mark Blanchard]

Nice looking car.  Looking forward to the next incarnation in 6 months, the Evora V8!

[Gashead1105]

I'm told by Aimee that all 6 allocated to the UK are spoken for. 

[Bruss]

1 hour ago, Gashead1105 said:

I'm told by Aimee that all 6 allocated to the UK are spoken for. 

Bgger, I was just about to arrange a test drive.

[Neil D.]

For Sale

[LF1]

1 hour ago, Gashead1105 said:

I'm told by Aimee that all 6 allocated to the UK are spoken for. 

By dealers or end customers?

[Gashead1105]

The implication was to customers. I didn't ask.

[Snoopy1969]

@TBD mobile says 4 allocations for Germany free.......(well, not free of charge .........)

[NedaSay]

Guys, I have a question. How is a car which sales for 112k in the UK (VAT included) gets to 156k (VAT included) on the continent if it is the same spec?

Last time I did the conversion GBP 112k represented roughly EUR 125k. So can somebody explain the EUR 25k if not EUR 30k difference, cause I don't think the channel run cost Lotus 25k per car? Nor does switching the steering wheel to the left can cost that much either. And considering the base Evora retails at 76k in the UK while it sales at 89k on the continent which represents only a premium of 5k, why do we suddenly have what a "brexit" tax on this model?

 

 

 

[Stubox]

4 minutes ago, NedaSay said:

Guys, I have a question. How is a car which sales for 112k in the UK (VAT included) gets to 156k (VAT included) on the continent if it is the same spec?

What's the price of the GT3 in Germany....€153,000...?