How did you come to buy a LOTUS?

[au-yt]

OK its probably been asked before, however as I couldn't find a thread I thought a good time to ask.

What made you buy and Lotus?

[cor]

my wife and then little son crashed in our cobra so we thought it was time for a more sophisticated alternative...

[C8RKH]

I didn't want to be a cock and have a Porsche!

 

 

 

Seriously, I wanted a sports car after spending years driving "sensible family cars" as we didn't have the spare cash for an expensive toy as i worked and my my wife was a full time mum. I fell across the Lotus Evora by mistake (I did not realise Lotus made a car like the Evora), went for a test drive and it just felt so special, so different, so unique. I just had to have it.  I'd never seen another one on the road, and that, and the fact that the Lotus was made in Britain, really appealed. I wanted to be a bit different and stand out.

Since buying that first Lotus I have fallen in love with the brand, have only ever had positive comments and experiences, and realised that the Lotus community treasure the driving experience more than the perceived power of the "brand" or "badge".

I'm now on my second Evora and she has a "bastard sibling" in the garage, a wonderful VX220 that is just huge grin inducing fun and super cheap fast motoring.

At some point I'd like to swap the VX for an Exige 350 Sport, or maybe a 360 Cup, to further my track driving but at the moment, the VX (supercharged) is a better track car than I am a track driver.

[Chillidoggy]

1. I got fed-up with having to check the weather forecast before even thinking of going out in the Cobra.

2. I got fed-up with getting wet in the Cobra. I mean really wet, like "Open the doors to let the water out" wet.

3. Did I mention getting wet in an open top car?

[Composite guru]

So many boring performance cars on the market with too many toys to help with driving I thought this was the only option other than a Caterham.

I have loved my first year of ownership. Looking forward to many more.  

[PaulCP]

Roll back the years to 1971 when I started work.

I always fancied an Elan Sprint, but when Lotus released the JPS Europa in ‘72 my dream commenced. Then, in the mid ‘70s, when the Eclat, Elite & Esprit we’re launched I decided that at some point in my life I would own either a classic Europa or an Esprit. I still remember the launch of these 3 cars 40+ years on as though it was just last week. At the time I was driving a Clan Crusader.

The dream continued but it was clear that, for a very long time (marriage, family etc) I could not afford one. My itch was scratched, sort of, in 2001 when after much back to back testing I bought a Lotus type116 (the  VX220 predecessor to the S2 Elise ). The VX was superb, supercharged back in 2005 and loved every minute of it but, by 2015, I was getting tired of working on it, mainly for track use, and decided it was time to buy something more usable for every day motoring.

At this point I realised that an Esprit was out of the question since I didn’t want to spend time in the garage working on cars anymore. I tried the P cars but wasn’t impressed after being used to the sublime feel of the VX so, following the example of a fellow VX owner, tried an Evora. I was immediately smitten, it gave the same feel as the VX but with a more compliant suspension and we knew straight away that it would be a 1st class acquisition for our intended use of touring around the continent. The  rear seats added to the appeal (sorry @C8RKH) since we could also get our car crazy grandson in there as well.

We bought one of the last 4 manufactured S1 Evoras and have never regretted one second of doing so 

[Kimbers]

I Grew up Lotus. When I was in my mid 20's and Dad moved to Lambo I swore one day I would own the cars he was instrumental in the design of.

So far I have done Excel, Esprit and Evora and also owned an Exige which he had nothing to do with on the 4 Cylinder (He did put the 6 cylinder in one before he left second time).

So have quite a few to go including an E type, Lotus Carlton etc etc. I will need a bigger garage I think! (And not sure how I can get an XJ13 as they only built one!).

[C8RKH]

1 hour ago, PaulCP said:

The  rear seats added to the appeal (sorry @C8RKH) since we could also get our car crazy grandson in there as well.

You are forgiven as you had a VX220. The rest of you +2 owners are just pussy whipped metro boys....

[dcmp]

I crashed my TVR and was too scared to get another one.

[Alfa2Evora]

2 hours ago, C8RKH said:

The rest of you +2 owners are just pussy whipped metro boys....

This "pussy whipped metro boy" WAS giving you a lift to the factory on the 29th - hope you enjoy the walk!

[Neal H]

It started for me in 1976 and a trip to Hethel with the Boy Scouts (I was 12). The James Bond S1 Esprit's had just been returned to the factory and I got to sit in one - I was almost overwhelmed with excitement The (now rather tatty) brochure remains one of my prized pocessions.

From that day it was my ambition to one day own a Lotus. That dream came true in 1997 with an M100 Elan.

[Royal]

For me it started in 1963 when I heard about Jim Clark and Lotus. I was 12 at the time and used to collect all the Lotus  picture cards inside the Shredded Wheat boxes. 

Fast forward to the 90’s and I bought my first Lotus Excel SE, followed by a break, then another Excel SE

Next one was the Elise S which I sold to purchase my current Esprit S4S.

All 4 have been absolutely faultless, unless you count a headlamp fuse blowing on the  first Excel.

Would love an Evora!

 

 

[au-yt]

This is how i got into and back to lotus. In 1969 my Dad bought a Renault 16TS new and that opened my eyes to a world of different cars other than Holden and Fords and I became a Renault fan and still am. At the age of 17 (1974) I had the opportunity to have a ride in one of the three WRC ALPINE A110’s during a demonstration on a trotting track and I remember l clearly looking across the dash as we went sideways around the ends of the track with the car howling and barking as it sprayed gravel off the circuit. This left an indelible impression, I wanted a Renault powered sports car. From that I discovered the Europa.

When I left school and moved to Sydney as an apprentice I lusted after a Europa and joined the Lotus Club. There I was eventually talked out of a Europa as one guy explained, they are so low you cannot see over the camber in the road.

One day in the work the car park I spotted a Bowel Nagari coupe ( google them.) I got talking the owner and he said my sister has a S2 Elan she wants sell. It was rough but going,just. It blew so much smoke it was more exhaust rocket powered than piston powered. I owned that for 7 years and did everything to it except paint. 

Fast forward through a Venom Green 2.4S 911( sold sob sob) a Maserati Merak and later another favourite a Khamsin with I restored over 10 years and after 23 years and arising market sold that in less than one day.

Through wife’s influence bought a 993 C2S Tiptronic trying to rekindle the early memories (Read big mistake, car not wife) but early 4 speed autos, yuck. A phone call from a friend offered me a one owner 1970 early Elans Sprint which had been imported and only driven around an industrial estate. 6 months of recommissioning and it was great car. Incidentally it went back to the UK and was in Grey Pauls for sale at one point

After Christmas in 2014 I was wandering around and a Classic car dealership and a Ferrari 456M manual (one of 35 I believer RHD) Ferrari was for sale. I traded the 993 and Elan Sprint and bought it.

I keep the car for nearly three years and learnt the true meaning of Ferrari ownership and the expression , “Buying a Ferrari is only the deposit”

I could afford to retire and I did, but I couldn’t afford the 456 and it couldn’t afford me. During the last 12 months of owing the Ferrari, I spent trying to decide what to buy to replace it. And I really wanted another Italian exotic but Classic Masers were out of reach, the Ferrari's I could afford all had Timing belts and other $$$ issue, Lambo Gallardo’s in my price had $$$( 10K AUD for a Clutch, suspension bushes,  con rod issues and need I go on) so that was the end of that.

I was sitting in the departure lounge of the Sydney airport last August and there was a Red Evora 400 on display to be won. I had not considered an Evora as I didn’t like the styling of the early cars, but the 400 got me interested. Researching everything I could find while on holiday I learnt a lot and became very interested.

They are not pretentious as I felt with the 456 or have the stigma of the V8 Ferrari's or Gallardo and easy to look after, got fabulous reviews and were simple with a bullet proof engine, I wanted one, only stumbling block price, new 200AUD plus.

Two months later the Local dealers 400 demo manual ( 1 of 2 manuals imported of 7 cars imported in 2016) came up for sale, now that more like it, and the rest is history. I just love it, it is just so capable on Aussie roads.

Edited September 3, 2018 by au-yt
puntuation

[slewthy]

Always admired the S1 Esprit from my childhood. But as an adult assumed ownership was beyond my grasp.

I also lusted after a Citroen DS (I know, totally different) since a kid.

Anyway, about 8 or 9 years ago, I went to the NEC classic car show, with the intention to look at the DS's and have a chat with the owners, as a prelude to getting one - infact I had already sourced a spare engine and a full set of cabin glass from a DS23 in prep, so I was deadly serious.

However, when I got there and found the Citroen stand, no one was interested in talking to me. All they wanted to do was clean their rain channels, headlamps etc. I understood the need to look good, particularly if a prize was in the offing, but when I went back an hour or so later, they were still incredibly aloof. So, I just walked around the show, fairly dejected and rejected! 

I'm guessing you can guess what happened next? Yup. Happened upon the Lotus stand. Now, for the life of me I cannot recall whether it was CLub Lotus or even LEF as it was back then - I guess I might find some photos somewhere - but the stand was completely different in their approach to the 'punter'. Open, welcoming, didnt mind someone interested yet with no knowledge etc etc etc. There was a lovely S1 there, white, tartan etc. Couldn't have made me more welcome. Helped me realise that 1. I could afford the capital outlay for a fairly decent S3  2. It was affordable to keep if I was prepared to do some work myself - which I was - and 3. Good forum support (I guess it was LEF?)

All I had to do was wait for the wife to have her guard down and ask! In the end, I asked during the labour of our 3rd child - bingo!! a few of months later and the proud father of a 1986 S3 N/A. Oh, and a girl.

As it happens, I have recently got hold of a DS23 and the Citroen forum works for support but is far far far less active than this one. 

As a rather tragic side note, the guy who sold me the Esprit was brutally murdered a couple of years ago over a rare copy of Wind in the Willows - he was a rare book dealer. He had a side hobby of going to auctions for cars of his dreams, owning them for a short while, then selling them on, usually for little if no profit. Lovely chap. At least the police got their man. 34 years he got.

[Chris J]

I drove an Elise on a track experience at Castle Combe and then accidentally bought one a year later while looking for a small hatchback for the missus to learn to drive in...

I moved up to the Evora after we had the first sprog and i needed the +2 space.  Also my wife didn't want to be married to a cock who drove a Porsche. (her words)...

 

[andydclements]

At work we had a bit of a challenge, and to have a hope of my colleague meeting her target, I'd have to exceed my personal target by a lot, so I decide that if i did exceed it by that much I'd get a classic car of £1k. MGB was the obvious choice, a bit of scope creep and I decided I wanted a Lotus, cover of a magazine had a lovely restored Europa. Went to view an S2 Europa, but it had just sold and the dealer has a Special, so instead of  a £1k MGB project I had a £7k+Lotus (back in early 2000s).

[dave excell]

Saw Diana Rigg in the avengers and that was the first step. Nearly killed myself on a Honda CB77 motorbike, and while recovering in hospital saw the Prisoner and then it was irreversible. However many bikes and cars later had an Excel followed by the Esprit V8 and just had to get the wife a M100 Elan. I have no intention of reversing the trend. 

[C8RKH]

13 hours ago, Chris J said:

Also my wife didn't want to be married to a cock who drove a Porsche. (her words)...

Sounds like you have a wonderful lady there. A keeper for definite!

[snowrx]

Well one day I'm readin' the paper and there she was; Often wondered if I should of picked them both up & sold one to finance the other!

[minor5]

I used to work at a small sports car specialist garage in Kent, and used to look after 2 off +2 130 Elan's, a JPS Europa, a 504 Elite a couple of Sevens and a type 14 Elite so been hooked ever since.

my second car was a black 1968 Mk2 Lotus Cortina (sadly no twin Cam Though, just a 1600 gt engine)

[AFLYER]

I was going to buy a Nissan 370z.

But ended up with an Opel Speedster instead. 

[Smapmap]

A Lotus was the coolest car for me growing up in the 70's (007, Roy of the Rovers, F1,  Jim Clark etc).

Seeing one in the plastic was always a rare and memorable moment as a kid - so it was always a bucket list thing to own a Lotus and I've been lucky enough to have owned two

It's one of the few things in life which managed to exceed expectations.

[jep]

James Bond. The only reason I bought a white Lotus Esprit S1 in 1992. That opened my eyes to Lotus and I have not looked back. Many Esprit followed, Europa Type 72's, Excel's, M100 Elan...….and then the Elise arrived in 1996/7. Who'd have thunk it? Bloody hell, that was a revelation. And still is whenever I drive the 118bhp S1. And the Evora.....bloody hell again. It took me 8 years to buy one but my word that is a fabulous motor car. 

The irony is, I don't own an Esprit now. I should do but somehow it does not quite fit in (at the moment...…..).

I have never driven a Lotus I have not liked. 

Justin

[PAR]

My Dad bought a Europa when I was a small kid.

i played Lotus Esprit turbo challenge when I was 12

i watched formula one and supported herbert and hakkinen

I loved the Elise when it came out and I was about 17

I bought one when I turned 25

I have 2 now...

Edited March 11, 2019 by PAR

[Barrykearley]

Slippy slope - just don’t