Spinney

Very ambivalent though I am towards the Porsche marque, and for no real reason always have been, I can quite understand why they have placed a 911 in first place, but to put an F Type above the Evora???? Come on Autocar, is that really a credible placing, especially when they say an Evora is so compromised it can only ever be a second or weekend car? I've driven a couple of F Types and a few Evoras and even acknowledging I am a Lotus fanboy, I really do struggle with the statement that the Evora is compromised. The Jaguar has a miniscule boot and very little cabin space while the Evora does at least have stowage space behind the front seats, so I would regard the Lotus as much more of a practical daily than the Jaguar. I really do wonder what criteria they have used to compile this list. The F Type is a very good car but to suggest it's a better sports car than the Lotus is, frankly, completely risible.

I'm actually waiting for the oft promised Roadster and if they make a 430 version of that (unlikely, I know) then so much the better. In the meantime, I'm just torturing myself by looking at every single Evora thread and using the pics therein to help me choose a colour. Trouble is, I love it in every single colour I've seen so far so it's not exactly helping! Because I loved my Burnt Orange Elise so much and having seen the 430 above, I'm now leaning that way - until I see it in another colour that is.

+1 I had an Elise in Burnt Orange and just loved it when the sun hit it. It really came alive. Not quite so 'in yer face' as the Chrome Orange, in my view. Seeing that Evora in the same colour just makes the decision more difficult now when I order mine. I thought I'd pretty much decided on Essex blue but now...............

Yes, mine is legal - just.? But just legal is sufficient, fortunately. It has the standard size and style of font but the plate itself is quite a bit smaller than the usual one fitted by dealers and, I think, suits the car better.

I had smaller plates on my old Elise for 5 years and had no problems apart from having to temporarily swap them back for the MOT every year, but it is a risk you take that you may be stopped and fined. With my current Exige I have a simple 5 character plate and had it made by 'Fancy Plates' with legal size font but the plate made at just 11mm bigger all round than the standard font. https://www.fancyplates.com This is completely legal and does keep the plate to a more reasonable (in my view) size.

I disagree entirely. JMG himself has often said it is a relatively straightforward conversion and I really can't see what would make it too expensive to develop, especially if it has the simple 2 lift out panels that are promised. Admittedly, there will probably need to be a redesign of the roll bar but, other than that, I don't see why it would be difficult.

Despite the fact I'm still waiting for the oft promised Roadster version , I have to say I love the look of this 'new' version. Yes, the current strategy may seem confusing to some, but I do love that JMG seems to have revitalised the brand and is keeping us talking about the cars. I have to say it really wouldn't bother me too much if I'd just bought an existing 410, only to find it is being replaced with this new version. Rather I think we should be celebrating the fact there is, at long, long last, a feeling of renewed energy in the company that only a few years ago was slowly becoming moribund. Having been a Lotus fanboy for nearly 60 years now and owning more than a few along the way, I've never seen this amount of activity from them before and do find it rather refreshing. Nevertheless, Lotus, will you please get that sodding Roadster out soon!!!

+1 with my standard Exige V6S. I did a 98db day in November and it was fine on the static test (ok, I admit to bending the truth about the rev limit everso slightly?) but I did get a couple of warnings about the drive by noise. Knowing where the mics are, I simply short shifted at these points thereafter. I’m always fine on the 105db days.

I had something similar on my V6 Exige whilst on holiday in France during the summer. It started on the morning after driving long distance in torrential rain but disappeared again after a few miles in the dry so I just put it down to the supercharger belt pulleys gaining a bit of corrosion overnight whilst wet. As you say, it's rather like the brake discs going rusty after the cars been washed or driven in heavy rain. Take the car for a longer run and see if the noise goes, as mine did.

I imagine Lotus could, and would, argue that there are still some tracks you can take it on, despite the loud standard exhaust. Spa and Nurburgring spring to mind and ok, they may not be near your home, but you could still take it there. I do get a tad irritated by some of the low noise requirements of most UK tracks, especially when it is to appease locals who were probably quite aware they were buying a house near to a racetrack when they moved there. I realise it's very easy for me to say that but most of these tracks have been there for well over 60 years or more so if you don't like noise, errr don't move there. Being a long time fan boy, I've always cut Lotus plenty of slack when it comes to expectations with their cars so would be prepared to fork out a bit more for a track friendly exhaust. I do appreciate that not everybody will though.

My oh my they are very handsome looking cars. I don't know why it is, but all Lotus cars seem to look so very good in so many different colours. Not all marques suit such a wide pallet range imo, from what might be regarded by some as a drab grey right through to the brightest of 'in yer face' colours. Or maybe it's just me being the consummate fanboy!

I had a similar Facebook response where we live when I had my lovely orange Elise SC with a 2bular. Similarly the poster didn’t quite get the response he thought and his moans were very heavily outweighed by the positive likes. I wasn’t going fast nor revving too highly but I think it was the ‘in yer face’ colour that caused him to class me as anti social, as much as the noise it made. I didn’t really help matters nor improve his mood when I said I loved the picture he’d taken and could he please do me a hi-res image that I could enlarge and hang on the garage wall! Strangely, he didn’t answer my request.

My oh my, that is just drop dead gorgeous.

Now wouldn’t that be nice. I love the sound the standard 400 exhaust makes and would keep that if I could, but it would definitely be a big problem on U.K. trackdays. I always find it slightly odd that an exhaust note which is perfectly legal on the road, can be a complete no no on a racing circuit.

Excellent news thanks. I’ll talk to Jamie at Bell & Colvill, come the time. Do you know if any of them are ok for 98db days? Im guessing the one made from ‘Unobtanium’ that you’ve mentioned Bibs, isn’t???

I had a great day at Goodwood yesterday in my V6 Exige and by the end, it made me realise just how much I would miss my annual trackday 'fix' if I couldn't do it. I've read a lot about how the Evora 400 wouldn't pass the noise test at most UK circuits, which would be a problem for me if that were the case. Yesterday at Goodwood was a 98db day and although my Exige passed the static test, I did get notified once for a drive by infringement. It's always been fine in the 105db days. I'm really only waiting for the oft promised Roadster before diving in, but has anybody that we know of produced a track friendly exhaust for the 400?

I think at the moment, you can spec to any colour your heart desires - at a cost!

Aww hell, I got all excited when I saw my old thread had been resurrected. I thought this is it, it's been announced and I can now place my order for the official Lotus Evora Roadster!

Whilst bolting the runners tight may well solve the problem, I'm not too sure that can legally be done in the UK, since an adjustable drivers seat is necessary in order to pass the annual MOT.

Re the switchable exhaust, I wonder if it will be possible to do what a lot of Aston Martin owners do and simply remove a fuse (no 22 in the case of the Aston), to leave the exhaust valve open all the time. Admittedly it's more of a faff than simply pushing a switch, but does at least allow you to be a hooligan when the mood takes you.

That is bloody lovely and I don’t mind admitting I’m dead jealous! I’m sure you will love the car.

Great thanks, thought it might be. Looks stunning.

Beautiful colour that. Can I ask the specific shade/name of it please? That’s the colour I want if and when the Roadster is announced.

What is it about Lotus cars that makes them look so good in so many vastly different colours? Very many cars only look right in a limited number of colours, but with every modern Lotus I've seen, you could choose pretty much any colour from a wide ranging palette and it just suits it! I'd pretty much decided on the colour I want when I order my Evora, but that red throws all that into confusion again. I love it!!! and I agree about that splitter. The detail in it is just lovely.

Loving that, thanks. Gotta get me an Evora in that colour.