Mohamed Posted February 17, 2018 Report Share Posted February 17, 2018 (edited) Hello, My name is Mohamed and I just put a deposit on a 2013 Lotus Elise S. Delivery of the car will likely take place sometime in April. The car is located in Switzerland. I've bought it to drive it around the Alps and the passes they have here, as well as to enjoy it in the occasional track day somewhere in Europe when I get a chance. Spec of the car: Carbon Grey Metallic? It's not my perfect colour. I would've preferred something brighter with more pop but you can't have everything. Black pack Sport pack AC delete. I was on the fence about this. Ideally, I would've found a car with AC but I'm hoping I'm not gonna miss it that much since the top will be off most of the time and it will be driven mostly in Switzerland's summers. I'm slightly worried since I might take it to the South of France occasionally. Came with the double adjustable Ohlins shocks. I would like to get my hands on an original set at some point. I believe it would've come originally with Bilsteins since it has the sport pack? I realize the Ohlins are probably superior but I'd like to swap out to the originals when I eventually sell the car as I think I would get more value that way and possibly easier sell depending on the buyer. I've wanted one for a while now but things always got in the way of getting one until now. I drove a rented one last year in the Alps and I think that's when I realized that I had to have one. I used to own an S2000 that I loved very dearly and I didn't think that there would be many cars that could take it's place but I think the Elise is up to the task. Here's a video I took on Grimselpass when I had the rental Elise last year (sorry about the wind noise and the lackluster driving): Here are a couple of pics of my car: I've noticed that the car is debadged from the rear. I'd like to get the original Lotus lettering but was the raised badging or the stickers that would've originally came with the car? Based on pictures I've found online I think cars with the black pack always came with sticker letters? Also is black badge upfront an option, part of the black pack or is it an aftermarket one that the previous owner installed. Anyway, that's my introduction. I hope to meet some of you in person at some point. Hopefully there are meet ups and track days around Europe that I can attend. Edited February 17, 2018 by Mohamed 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bravo73 Posted February 17, 2018 Report Share Posted February 17, 2018 Welcome I’m sure that you’ll have a load of fun in the car. Especially once you’ve got it on track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pits Posted February 17, 2018 Report Share Posted February 17, 2018 Welcome, Elise looks great and will be huge fun on the passes. I took my Elise across the Alps and enjoyed it even more than the Exige V6. Great choice for Switzerland! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramjet Posted February 17, 2018 Report Share Posted February 17, 2018 Welcome to TLF Mohamed. You'll have bags of fun. I remember how much fun Bibs was still having in his when he met me in London. Any questions or issues with using the forums, feel free to ask one of us mods. We're here to help. Quote All we know is that when they stop making this, we will be properly, properly sad.Jeremy Clarkson on the Esprit. Opinions are like armpits. Everyone has them, some just stink more than others. For forum issues, please contact one of us Moderators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfrost Posted February 18, 2018 Report Share Posted February 18, 2018 Welome to the Lotus forums Mohamed Quote A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mohamed Posted February 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 Thanks for the welcome! and yeah I'm definitely putting the badging back on. I'm going with the stickers, not the raised lettering, as I think black pack cars came with the silver lettering stickers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bibs Posted February 19, 2018 Report Share Posted February 19, 2018 Welcome 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...
Kimbers Posted February 22, 2018 Report Share Posted February 22, 2018 Welcome, you can't imagine the un that car is! Absolutely brilliantt choice! Anything you need please don't hesitate to ask and we look forward to your posts about how it's going! Quote Possibly save your life. Check out this website.http://everyman-campaign.org/ Distributor for 'Every Male' grooming products. (Discounts for any TLF members hairier than I am!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theelanman Posted February 22, 2018 Report Share Posted February 22, 2018 "just bought it to drive round the Alps" we're not jealous at all....... hope you have a great time....you've picked a proper car to enjoy them (the Alps) in congrats and welcome Quote The Faster You Drive...The Slower You Age (Albert Einstein 14 March 1879 - 18 April 1955) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mohamed Posted February 22, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2018 (edited) Thanks! Honestly the wait until I get to take delivery and drive my car is almost unbearable, lol. I just keep looking at videos and pictures from last year's rental to keep me sane. Here's a pic from the top of Sustenpass from last year. Edited February 22, 2018 by Mohamed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cads Posted February 26, 2018 Report Share Posted February 26, 2018 I just Googled how long it would take me to get to the Grimselpass from Manchester in the UK. 16 hours and 880 miles! Awesome road and awesome car as well! Hope you enjoy it! I'd love to get mine over there, those roads look awesome... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Mohamed Posted May 3, 2018 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 Just a little update, I took delivery of the car a couple of weeks ago now. I took it on a trip straight to Monaco for Top Marques. First time going there during Top Marques. It was absolute chaos in a good way. Got to see some nice cars cruising around and saw Nadal play on clay. Then after, my friend and I decided to make our way down the coast of Italy to Amalfi Coast but realized that it would be a pretty long drive and then we'd have to make our way back. So by looking at the map we decided it would be pretty cool to go to Slovenia. We headed in that direction across Italy making a couple of stops in Portofino and Venezia. In Slovenia, we stayed in Ljubljana. Lovely city. Pretty sure I had the only Lotus Elise in town. Everybody kept looking puzzled at the car. We went for a drive on Vršič Pass. One of the best passes I've ever driven. There was very little traffic and any traffic encountered let us pass with ease. A highly recommended drive if you're ever in Slovenia. After Ljubljana we headed to Munich and attended the Champions League semi final between Real and Bayern in Allianz Arena. Great match but wish Bayern would've won. The following day we visited BMW Welt. We took a plant and museum tour. Later that evening, we attended the Metallica concert. I'm a big Metallica fan but I've never seen them live so that was amazing. After that I dropped my friend off at the airport in Munich for him to catch a flight elsewhere and I headed back to the Swiss alps concluding my first road trip in my Elise. I covered about 3700 kms in the car in the first 11 days I owned and drove across 7 countries. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of bags I could fit in the Elise. I utilized the area behind the driver's seat though. I was worried the boot wouldn't fit my friend's carry on but it fit fine. My main gripe with the car is not having the AC. We pretty much drove everywhere with the windows fully down to cope with the somewhat hot weather. The noise and the wind at 140 kmh were pretty tiring but bearable for 4-5 hours at a time. The car is obviously not built for road trips but they're doable, depending on your tolerance. For now my car is back on storage till the next time I'm in Europe which will hopefully be sometime in the next couple of months. Most of the Swiss mountain passes will be open by then and I'll get to utilize the car to it's full potential. Find below a few pictures from the trip. I apologize as some of the pictures are pulled off my Instagram stories hence they are vertical. In Zurich shortly after taking delivery Apollo IE in front Casino De Monte Carlo Somewhere close to Portofino In Ljubljana At the top of Vršič Pass next to ~3m worth of snow! In Bovec, a village near Vršič Pass Champion's League semi-final 3.0 CSL Metallica Back in the Alps after the trip 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisJ Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 Great trip. Visited Slovenia twice in the last couple of years. Lovely country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bibs Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 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...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.