blindside

One final observation so as not to appear to be too anti-Emira. There’s absolutely no doubt that it’s a thing of beauty to look at thanks to Russell Carr & the Lotus design team. It a mainstream comfortable sports car for good reason. And It stacks up/should be compared against the Cayman GTS rather than GT4 on both performance & price point.

Ah @EGTE That’s a very hard call. The Evora must be the most underrated sports car in the past 20 years. The GT4 & Evora are quite different, but similar in many ways. Happy to be driven hard on the road, or on track. I did a side by side comparison back in 2021 for what it’s worth. I hadn’t tracked the GT4 at that point, but did subsequently. Interestingly the GT4 would be much stronger on tight technical circuits, like Anglesey or Knockhill where the long gearing works to its advantage. The GT430 with its lighter weight and higher top end speed would have a pronounced edge on bigger more open high speed tracks like Spa or Silverstone. https://forums.thelotusforums.com/topic/92021-tlf-gt430-club/?do=findComment&comment=938743

I loved the Sport 410 which I only parted with to help fund an opportunity to buy a burnt orange ‘carbon buckets version’ GT430 back in 2019. (Still have it & probably a keeper). I subsequently bought a fully loaded manual 718 GT4. Absolutely brilliant car once you get used to the long gearing; which is not as big a deal as many of the reviews make out. Kept it for a couple of years and it confirmed completely for me that all the fuss around Porsche GT cars is entirely justified. I p/x’d it for a 991.2 GT3 RS last Feb, which is another story. (Again a keeper) I’m currently buying another manual 718 GT4 with buckets/PCCBs to use regularly as a daily. Pick it up on 29th May. For me as a lifelong petrolhead there’s nothing else on the market that’s anywhere near as good to drive at that £75-85k reasonably low miles used price point. If you don’t like the manual’s long gearing get the PDK. In my view as a Lotus owner & fan the 718 GT4 does everything better than the Emira & is mechanically bulletproof to boot. Time is running out and I intend to make the most of it before the green zealots & net zero dickheads take control of everything.

Equally you don’t expect a £120k track focused Lotus on bespoke suspension to bust its springs. I’ve a 2006 Impreza STI Spec C that cost me £17k in 2007. Over the years it’s been driven hard on B roads & tracked occasionally. It’s still on OEM suspension/springs. (I know your a Scoob fan btw)😉

No harm in asking them, but let’s be honest it’s highly unlikely that they will be interested. (Or even bother to respond). Different company now with changed priorities.

@exeterjeepAny idea what caused the rear springs to go? You’d have expected track oriented 430 suspension components to be bulletproof; unless there’s been a substantial load impact, or rust/corrosion degradation.

Absolutely class!

European governments & car manufacturers have clearly been asleep at the wheel for the past 10 years. (The US recognised the threat earlier, but have still been wrong footed). https://news.sky.com/story/amp/theres-a-new-trade-war-brewing-over-global-dominance-in-the-electric-car-market-13123086 Western policy makers caught between the Net Zero virtuous rock and the hard reality of market forces. Watch the Germans in particular wriggle out of hard targets over the next few years. They will suffer more than anyone. In this context the ICE & hybrid offering to market mix remaining in place is throwing them a lifeline/doing them a massive favour.

😂😂😂Great description Andy. Sad but true. If you want something that matches/exceeds “Chapmanesque principles” you’d have to consider the Alpine A110 R. Although sadly it’s Megane Trophy derived 4 pot engine just doesn’t have enough puff to make it the complete performance package.

Yes, Trump has unsurprisingly already expressed a very hard nosed protectionist/ tariff heavy view on trade with China if he is elected later this year, (which is probably likely). Based on his previous term as President it’s not just empty rhetoric. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/01/27/trump-china-trade-war/

Joe Biden says Chinese EVs could pose a security threat to the US: https://www.ft.com/content/40003f25-23e9-433f-83a3-a2244fb8b942 Thankfully someone in his administration managed to wake him up and insert the right medication.

https://www.motorfinanceonline.com/features/chinas-ev-dominance-from-domestic-powerhouse-to-global-leader/?cf-view “On the other hand, the UK is doing very little to tackle the problem, which in addition to the threat of a post-Brexit EV trade tariff being imposed by the EU, paints a gloomy picture for the UK’s auto market competitiveness. Jim Saker highlights how production targets and government regulations are pointless, given the country does not have solid supply chains in place: “When [former Prime Minister] Boris Johnson launched the UK 2030 ICE ban, which was completely kind of random, there was no reason for 2030, he didn't guarantee the supply chain, he handed over the UK motor industry to China. This is because China controls 95% of the world's supply of batteries, and the raw materials that make up their supply. They've got the Belt and Road Initiative that runs into Africa with something like 80% of the world's cobalt from the Democratic Republic of Congo. So, therefore, what you've got is a kind of a situation where you basically place the UK in a very difficult position.” Even though the ICE ban has been effectively pushed back to 2035 for car buyers, government targets for car manufacturers remain unchanged. Starting in 2024, 22% of newly sold cars must be zero-emission vehicles.” It is one thing dumping ICE vehicles for BEV without market demand pushing changes. It is quite another to effectively hand control of the market to Chinese companies.

It looks absolutely stunning & the performance figures are impressive. The relationship with Mercedes has clearly had a positive impact; not least with the drivetrain. Aston appear to be on a roll at last. Long may it continue.

Being 9.5% down on the first day of listing on Nasdaq will be very disappointing for Geely. Reading the marketing blurb I can’t see the USP. More premium SUV shaped BEVs into a US market that’s already overcrowded with similar and adjusting downwards? Trump inbound and more US market protection measures likely…. Not worth a punt. A short sellers field day.

Add to that a collective lack of strategic thinking, or even a rudimentary SWOT analysis. Where’s the reality check occurred around UK governments ability to deliver on anything significant. Most of all our energy supply and transportation infrastructure needs? Naive would be a polite way to describe their approach if they anticipated anything other than virtue signalling followed by can kicking. With the notable exception of Toyota, and to a lesser extent the Germans, they’ve all drunk the cool aid and embraced the massively hyped ‘globalist’ agenda around climate change, net zero etc. No clarity of thought about the fundamental business considerations around unproven technology, a dubious value proposition, non-viable transition timelines and the inability to coordinate complex public/private investment needs. The biggest surprise is that they’ve effectively given the Chinese manufacturers an open goal if they continue with EVs as their primary product. They are not subject to the same energy supply, work force & production cost constraints. Once they have gained sufficient intellectual property to provide real cutting edge, affordable quality cars it will be a survival of the fittest contest. I wouldn’t back the greedy, complacent manufacturers to come out on top.