simon mac

That was certainly the PR. The thing that makes me wonder if it's not entirely true, is the lowered sills in the Roadster are much closer to the Europa tub, as well as some other small bits like the use of 5 stud hubs, etc. etc. At the time Elon / JB were trying to put as much distance as they could between the Elise and Roadster as possible, so claiming they demanded the lower sills etc was IMHO probably a bit of bravado for their key US market where the Europa never sold. I've been on the other side of that game(recently selling a tech company), and I tend to agree, it looks like the business is being organised for "sale optics". Get rid of anything that has legal ramifications, is non "core", boost attractive measures (volume and gross margins), etc. even if some is at odds with profit making. In many ways it's all about the "multipliers" rather than the actual profit.

Oi! as an owner of a 2* ton tub of lard with an iPad in the dash, I resemble that remark (*Using the same set of scales Lotus uses, 2.4t+ is more like it for the AWD cars ) The i8 is an odd machine for sure, I looked at one, and a "hybrid garage" rather than a hybrid car made more sense. The new NSX is even stranger, without the all important electrical socket, it misses out on all the tax advantages the i8 has. (An i8 costs a fraction of an Exige as a company car) This hybridisation/electrification has been clear to me for years, and while it goes against the grain of the Lotus ethos of lightness, it's unfortunately market reality (driven by legislation as much as consumer demand). Lotus had opportunity to address this, after all they have built a few electric cars already (Tesla Roadster, Detroit Electric, Dodge Circuit). So while many have been calling for Esprits and other halo cars, I have suggested many a time on here, Lotus needs to sell an EV under their own banner, not just as a contract manufacturer. The alternative is to continue even further down the path of "specialist niche manufacturer" of non SVA'd vehicles In my Utopian vision, Lotus would become a leader in EV engineering (in much the same way they are on the suspension side), enter Formula-E, and build a better version of the Tesla Roadster that was actually track capable. The Exige v6 is a far better platform than the Elise* was. (*Having looked at the Tesla Roadster quite carefully, I think it is actually Europa S based). This would at a stroke also eliminate all the worries about noise limits

Sorry not been on the forum for a while, a lot of stuff going on at work... I haven't put the roof back on yet, though it will be being reattached this week. I'll take some more photos then In the end I didn't take it on this year's road trip (Nottingham UK, to the Transfagarassan Highway) instead opting for the soft-top. In hindsight I probably should have taken it though, because it was so hot in Romania, we ended up with the roof on and A/C running so much. The Visium probably would have been a better compromise.

No pleasing some people FWIW I enjoyed last year so much, esp. Brooklands which is such a historical treasure that TLF is indirectly supporting, I bought club membership there too So it's swings and roundabouts, as we aren't all that tight

Another note of thanks from me. Had a great day out, nice to see so many Loti in one place, and couldn't have asked for better weather. Well done to all the organisers!

@LotusPilot Is audiable, like audible, only better

I'm driving past on this years road trip, I will have to pop in! In fact I might make it a mission to see quite how many Lotus dealerships I can visit on my trip

There are actually proper charging points in front of MBW world Unfortunately for Mark, I suspect he may have the same issue of not having the right badge on his car (They are for use by electric Smarts only IIRC).

FWIW Derek, I'm planning on getting there around 10 am. In terms of the days entertainment, there is plenty to do, before you add in the TLF specific events. My daughter wants to drive an ML with the "Kid's Mercedes Experience", and I want to spend more time around the aero exhibits of Brooklands (I ran out of time last year). Brooklands is easily more than a days worth, and the Stratospheric Chamber being a particular highlight. In terms of MBW, the exploded F1 car is good to look at, the classic stuff is interesting , and the AMG section is pretty good. I wouldn't necessarily say it's a full day though. I'm just posting up on MLOC a potential meet up at Leicester Forest East, though I'm flexible.

Cars only jump in the presence of seemingly innocuous piles of cardboard boxes (or small shrubby bushes) placed conveniently in the path of said jumping vehicle.

In some ways a blessing in disguise? I know people have been put off with the sporadic timescales on the bespoke stuff (myself included, I toyed with the idea, but frankly heard far too many stories over delays to go through with it). A standard range, which are high quality, with consistent delivery timescales would be good all round. As you say for Jim it means less front of house hassle, for the new owners it's reasonably profitable as the R+D has been done, for us as we get a bit more delivery certainty. = Win, win, win.

230 / Simon Mac @Mark77a I'll vouch for you! Hopefully you can park next to me, it will give us a chance to share the question loading over our roofs!!! Besides I'd be interested in the collective wisdom of the "TLF Massive" as to if the Tesla Roadster has an Elise cockpit, or a Europa S one (Either way the Roadster is a fascinating car that I'm sure lots of Lotus owners would find very interesting!)

32(?) Simon Mac - Exige S "Targa"

I agree with Darksol the premium is hard to justify (I went for the basic). Had mine weighed yesterday... 5.8kg. Not sure what an OEM top weighs, but almost certainly more. So one way to remove weight from the car, and arguably from the right place after unsprung weight.

@LotusPilot Thanks for the tips I wouldn't say mine was bad, I did have the fitting tweaked on my 1000 mile service, and is fine at normal speeds. I might give it a tweak next time it's on to check the current fitment again. I like the idea of the aero tabs, makes a lot of sense! As for roof off. At 140+ mph it is LOUD and not particularly pleasant. Fun to do once, but not something you look forward to repeating. With such critically of the setup of a user removable part, and potential hearing loss claims with it stowed, I still think it's wise to limit the top end.