Cathalm

I received the Emira checkout email today, asking for payment, further options and final delivery type. Anybody else got this yet? I'm hoping this means the wait is over.

February

I had a deposit down with B&C long before reveal and I had the call today. Also June. When I asked where I was in the queue she told me right at the front. Seems like first deliveries are in June so that's the best we can do. Exciting stuff now and starting to feel real.

Returning to the Lotus fold here after quite a while. I put down a deposit with B and C in February- and I haven't had a call. Took the advice on here and used the online chat function to chase it up and I got a very concerning answer. The chat rep told that the early dealer deposits are not being honoured for places in the queue and that your place in the line is determined by when you placed the deposit with Lotus after the reveal. Apparently if you're not happy about that then you need to send your confirmation numbers for each deposit to customer service and ask for them to be linked. They will consider moving your place in the line after that. Seems like cobblers to me. Needless to say I am going to make a stink about this and hope that the chat rep miss-spoke. The fact that I haven't had a call with a Feb deposit isn't encouraging though. Maybe that's useful for somebody else on here anyway.

Correct, there are no public public companies that ultimately belong to one country. Private companies is a different story of course. It contributes to the German economy because of the taxes paid in Germany, the wages paid and then spent onwards in Germany and the all the transactions and economic activities that the German operations and their employees carry out because of that companies existence. In the same way a JLR factory in Liverpool also has these effects for the UK economy and that's why governments are not fussed about registered headquarters locations on inwards investors. That's what the economy is, the total of economic transactions that take place, not simply the amount of cash held in accounts in a certain location. You say we should be concerned as to where the money goes (meaning the profits, the rest goes into the uk mainly). Ok be concerned, just understand that the money doesn't go to Germany or Japan or wherever it goes to the shareholders (the owners) which are anywhere and everywhere. Probably you are by proxy one of them if you have a pension. UK manufacturing hasn't declined overall it has grown, it has declined a share of of the economy because other areas have grown faster. UK as a financial institution is good thing, having a better better balance while keeping the financial services is better still and that should be our target.

I have to challenge that view, which is very common in the UK it seems. Look, what's your goal in buying a British vehicle? I'm guessing that it's to buy a product of British engineering, according to a British philosophy and perhaps even that it be built in the UK and create UK jobs. Very few people care about where the money goes since that doesn't affect any of these things. Still fewer people seem to grasp what they are talking about when it comes to "foreign owned" either. Major foreign car companies are publicy listed. That means that if you are concerned about ownership then you have the opportunity to become an owner and those profits will flow to you. Ownership of all major multi-nationals (which is what these are) is split over a vast range of nationalities. They only get to call themselves German, or Japanese or whatever because that is their origin, or where the management team is based (much like the British companies you claim are foreign). In addition, many of these companies will be owned in large amounts by the financial institutions from the UK, its likely your pension fund owns chunks of these manufacturers. They will require funding in the billions and you guessed it, those arrangements are highly likely to come from the world centre of trade in London. It's very fashionable in the UK to moan about how there are no companies in the UK anymore but i';s nonsense, UK manufacturing has grown since the war, we have simply got smarter and increased the service and financial sectors which in reality create the demand, own and control these manufacturers. The collapse of Leyland often colours the views of the patriotic who with the greatest will in the world, don't actually understand what a company is, how it works or what is meant by ownership in thsi sense. "Oh Jag is an Indian company because TATA bought it", but who in fact owns TATA? Hundreds of international entities and thousands of individuals from the 4 corners of the earth. You own a Lotus presumably because you enjoy Colin Chapmans engineering vision and that of his company in Britain. Don't fret about national ownership, it doesn't make any sense at all if you know what you're talking about (not say to you personally don't, i'm generalising really). I believe back in the rosy specs good old days when Colin was around that Lotus was publicly listed... and thus not owned by the British per se.

Fantastic car and fantastic colour, although I would say that... Hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Bibs, I bought one of these, diesel and all for my mother this time last year. Not sure if that a recommendation or not! She wanted a practical small car that would be good on fuel and looking at Kia Cee'ds and the like. All very well and good value for money but not exactly fun. Once she had a go in the DS3 the deal was done. It's a fun little car to run about in ( which I did for a couple of weeks). Great looking, lots of toys and it's a good steer. Quicker, more direct steering than the various minis I've had, nice gearbox and enough shove to have fun. Silly mpg too. I'd have one myself as a city car if I didn't have to cart around a fat bulldog.

So my car is at B and C for the recall and I asked them to sort a refurb on one of my rears. Right now Phil is stumped, unable to find anyone who can do it. Not the usual ones they use and not Lepsons. Trying to find out from Lotus what to do as it stands. Problem seems to the wheel being 2 different colours.

That would be me. It was Tom Purves car in fact. It is Empire Green with sand leather, no Union Jack on the back though.

Us London Evora owners do exist, apart from me u regularly see another Evora is a snazzy blue round my area.

Saward right. You have got to be joking. I'll concede he was right that Tony would pay his wages if he did as he was told.

The Aston has a fantastic sense of solidity and quality inside. What looks like metal is metal, what looks like a piano black plastic facia is lovely piece of veneered wood, everything is lovely to touch and smell. You can't beat it this side of a Bentley really. My Evora is a bit of a tarts boudour example, extra leather cladding, gold stitching etc. I think I read somewhere that Lotus had some help from Astons craftsmen when thinking about improving interior quality, that makes sense to me looking at my car and also the my12. Very similar slap everything in leather and stitching approach. My car is certainly lovely quality inside but not up to Astons standards yet. One thing in common though, they both install rubbish sat navs. Aston understand that if you spend a lot of money, climate control is needed though...

I've just come from a Vantage to an Evora S (they said it would never happen!). The Vantage is a great feel good car, a fantastic place to be. Once you get used to it, you'll find it really is a fun thing to drive too with a lovely noise. The Astons have a sense of weight and heft engineered into the controls, sometimes people coming from other marques mistake this for a lack of agility or speed which is really not the case once you appreciate what it's about. Make sure you have the gearbox mod on an early car to stop the sticky 1st to 2nd shift and you need premium audio for resale. I had the Prodrive power upgrade done and I recommend that for value and results (in the Aston world at least). It's a factory backed upgrade and well worth it. The cars are pretty bullet proof too.

When I was first able to buy a real sports car, after driving not so hot hatches as a lad, I bought a VX220. I had fancied an Elan m100 for ages, my first decent job let me get just enough money for a VX though and not enough for an Elise. I loved that car, everything I had read about balance, steering feel etc was right there. I felt quite the lad driving about in that car, roof off, driving just for fun. I sold it to by furniture for my first place and it was a mistake. Since then I've had various faster, more expensive cars. I berated people on other sites slamming the Evora and Lotus since its launch, talking nonsense, irritating fools who buy German to show off and wouldn't know a Lotus from a packet of Walls porkers. I test drove the car at launch, loved it... and bought an Aston. This time around it was time to put my money where my mouth is. Sold the Aston, bought the Evora and it's the best car I've had. I like comforts and it has them, I love driving and now I do it just for fun again. I should have got back in a Hethel car earlier. Why did I buy an Evora S? Because its bloody brilliant, and Ill defend that statement to the last!