Loquacious Lew

This gets around and Pence can pardon Trump for anything he has been charged or convicted of, but you can't inoculate anybody against charges that haven't yet been levied. And of course, they are not going to drag out all the dirty laundry just to pardon him for it. IMO, Trump won't resign. Should he surprise me and resign, his cabal will need to say what they are pardoning him for and/or make a Nixon style deal which entails Trump acquiescing to the will of the legislators. That could be embarrassing for him and all his sycophants and enablers. After all, resigning is for losers! Pence can certainly pardon Trump for crimes he has been charged with or convicted of. But there is so much malfeasance in the Trump camp that there will be no problem finding ever more dirt and pinning it on him. Making it stick with the new court will be another matter. The good news (if you loathe Trump) is that Kamala Harris was an extremely effective prosecutor. Unfortunately, none of this will sway the true believers who have melded their religion with their politics but he, his family and their affairs will be under continuous legal pressure once he is evicted from the White House. I think the weirdest claim of all by Trump's supporters is that he was chosen by the deity to lead America, God's very own hand picked savior. This is a tough nut to crack once you've bought it. One more item that could change the balance, though it is somewhat unlikely concerns Georgia's now inevitable special Senate elections as both Georgia red senators are up this year but neither won a majority in the general. It's still possible for Democrats to gain the Senate since the two positions in Georgia were not resolved and will go to a special election. If the vote count follows the pattern of the national election, it is possible to see the Dems with a voting majority (50-50 tie is settled by the VP in the Senate) and the ability to feed back to McConnell all the self-serving crap he has meted out in his time in office. We are a mess but it pays to remember that we are not alone in being screwed up (You have Farange, you have Corbin, you have....Boris) although the Trump era will almost certainly go down in history as the turning point at which the USA lost hegemony and any moral authority it might still have had. Nothing special to see here, hopefully American exceptionalism will die a long, slow strangled death and we can get back to having some hope. Biden could be just the man for the job. I am so tired of charismatic leaders. Aren't you? Off course with Trump, the Republicans on their mission from the Lord, anything is possible and nothing is what it appears to be. And certainly not what he or they say it is. Yes, it's a mystery how a first world country could fall to this condition but unfortunately, religion trumps facts for those who believe in the imaginary.

I don't find it that funny that so many of my countrymen are lacking in the sense to come in out of the rain. BTW, it's not over yet even if it is incredibly disappointing to those of us with a conscience. No rancor intended, but for the general good I hope you don't have the last laugh.

I think the later (he will have to be pried from office) assuming the polls and initial reporting is correct. He will have to be pried from office because he's such a winner....er whiner. So far, the day has been relatively calm but the test will be later tonight.

He's such a peach, isn't he? We are now essentially four days from the actual election on Tuesday. I feel somewhere between tense, hopeful and enervated. The Mango Mussolini sucks all the air from the room and wears us out with his inimitable self. I sure hope all this pans out so we can get to work fixing all the broken china and replacing the stolen silverware.

Another rave review but why do people insist the Evora isn't for everyday?

Disagree, but we rarely see eye to eye on the details. Obama will be remembered with fondness especially compared to the Trump years which will be seen as ushering out the last of America's integrity and any remaining moral authority we might have had. As has been mentioned, Trump's economy, the thing he claims for himself, rides on the back of Obama's successes. These days it's a major achievement to leave office with the respect of the people that voted you in. Obama achieved that. Who in Europe will achieve that today? Will Boris? Well, by one measure GB is not really Europe anymore so maybe he doesn't count. It will take a lot of work to undo Trump's legacy and requires assuming Biden's victory and his ability to put talented people into the right places. If Trump wins, or even if Biden wins but the Senate doesn't flip, Obama will be remembered as the last competent and principled man to sleep in the WH. His failure will be that for better or worse, his tenure accelerated the rise of Trumpism. It was and will remain impossible to fix anything unless the Senate is won as well. We are gridlocked, what a sailor might call being 'in irons.' Obama's biggest mistake was believing he could work across the aisles with Republicans. Typically Democratic, he was concerned about polity while his opponents couldn't have cared less. I think by the time he realized he wouldn't find a bi-partisan solution, it was too late. The criticism that he was naive in his first term may have some credence, but that's probably his greatest failing .

With this gang in the White House, it's impossible to divine the truth but something we do know is that steroids make you feel great until they don't.

Regarding Komotec, I have installed their 435 tune in my 400. It is a more powerful tune with better throttle response than the factory version currently being delivered in our GT versions. I have no way to compare it to the 430 factory tune that has been available to you in the various 430 iterations available outside the USA, but I suspect it is more powerful than that as well. It makes a real difference you can feel and elevates the car from "quick" to genuinely fast. I installed it myself, and I am far from computer savvy. KT also returns the stock tune and a 91 RON to the purchaser so the car can be reflashed to its factory condition in ten minutes. BTW, 91 RON is our lower octane"premium" fuel that is available in all states. We have two standards for premium fuel. 93 RON is not universally available here so you do need the additional 91 RON map if you live where 93 isn't available but still want most of the benefits of the KT tune. I have catalogued my experience with getting the KT tune loaded to my car on LotusTalk (search "Another Komotec Thread" on Lotustalk for the full saga). It's a bit harder to source and install here than in Europe, where you have local vendors. In the US, we need to buy it direct from Germany and there is no support for it from third party vendors. Even so many of us have installed it to great effect.

This news further polarizes opinion, I'm sure. I only know what I think....no surprises here, the man is criminally irresponsible and willing to break all moral and ethical rules to his own benefit.. He games everything and everyone, putting his greed on display for all to see. The tax scandal is but one more straw that will be ignored by his sycophants but adds weight to the case against him. I can assure you it won't be ignored if the government changes hands in November. The notion that all our leaders have always been as dishonest and incompetent as Trump has proven to be is simply not true. Obama was prepared for the job, Mrs. Clinton would surely have been equally facile or at least far, far better qualified than Trump has been for handling many of our issues, including the response to the epidemic. Trump and his minion's lack of familiarity with basic scientific principles (and more, their malicious willingness to throw science under the bus) is but the start of their (Trump's people) differences in capabilities. Then there is their greed, avarice, and general disregard for the human consequences of any decisions they make that don't affect them directly or might cost them power and money at a personal level. This year the differences between our choices have become ever plainer to see. Democrats will do a better job filling all the positions of authority that any effective government depends on. Republicans as a whole have failed to operate in the best interests of this country. They have gutted our institutions and pandered to our worst instincts. The notion that our leaders, their philosophies and their actions (and the integrity of our various news outlets) are all the same is simply wrong. One might ponder that the Beeb's (and all but Fox News' and their imitators) panning of Trump is warranted because he has earned nothing but contempt. Now his own pig headedness and pointless politicization of everything starting with our response to this disease is coming home to roost.

I'm surprised....no shocked(!)....that nobody has brought up Trump's delicate condition yet. Probably our time differences. In the event the news hasn't yet made it your way, Trump is in hospital, Walter Reed Medical Center to be precise, with CV-19. Speculation, as you can imagine, is running rampant. I have my own notions. Melania has a dose too. Many in the administration are testing positive. I suspect Trump's is at least a moderately severe case. He hasn't tweeted for almost 17 hours which was when he tweeted that he had contracted Covid 119. By the way, that tweet got the most likes ever on his feed. I think about 1.75 million so far. Feel free to discuss meanings and ramifications, if any. We're all doing that over here.

They have taken the Golden One to Walter Reed Medical Center, the Army's premier hospital. It depends who you are what you make of this. If like me you find the irony overwhelming, you're in a better position to capitalize on any humor potential. If you're a die hard, it's somebody else's fault, probably antifa or Obama's. There are very few undecided people left here by most accounts. It's not that they're unimportant to a victory either way, quite to the contrary. But most of them are single issue voters. Abortion, what we call Row v. Wade, is the big one and that's almost a fait accompli for the anti-choice people with the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. They may hate the person Trump is, but abortion is the main thing and ultimately, the only thing that keeps them from doing Biden. Who also ironically, is Catholic and was anti-choice for much of his political career. That's one possible dynamic. I live in the Southland, Bible country and I think I can see where that thinking comes from. Otherwise, it's pretty hard to be undecided at this point. On the other hand, don't underestimate our ability to turn out morons! Well, that's one perspective. Most people know how this will be played if it's a "mild case." But more damning at the moment is that half his administration has it, Hope Hicks seems to be the person they think "gave" it to him. But Melatonin has it too, and many of the rest of the winners that hang with our President. . There will be more scandals and revelations that will roll off his back and ultimately we'll have an election. And not just any old election. But later and elsewhere for that! Anyway, he's in hospital and Hope Hicks reportedly has a bad case. "We'll See What Happens!" And that's the news from here, Nashville signing off.

Love my 400. I think when I consider the excitement and joy I get from just driving it, it has to be the best car I ever owned. I just made an abbreviated list of cars I've owned for another thread and it reminded me how fine the 400 is at doing what it was designed to do. I think that's the way you have to rate your experience: did the car do what you bought it to do, and how closely does it match your expectations? In that respect, while perhaps not the best finished car I've ever owned, it has met its promise to me as well or better than the rest. Here's to me and many happy miles in my Evora! I can't think what else I would replace its specific function with except another Lotus. Maybe a C8? Nah.......at best, I'd need them both. I'm in too deep to get out now.

If you're old and like cars, this gets to be a long list fellas. I got my first car in 1967 while still at college. It was a hand me down '60 Ford Falcon....bought it from my Mom. Mom wasn't terribly keen on caring for cars and as I'd been away at school I wasn't there to help her out with it. It was worth more than $50, but not much. I reduced it to a smoldering heap and traded it in plus $400 to a questionable used car dealer for a fixer '61 TR3A,. It was used up but it was a car I wanted. Out of school, I acquired a fine '66 TR4A. I bought it from a friend when he decided to go to med school instead of Vietnam. Smart move....his that is. The car was excellent as it was almost new, had 10K on the clock when I got it and he was fussy. I'd do it again. In '69 I sold the TR and bought a new but leftover '68 Mustang 302 coup(e) with a 4 speed gearbox. These formative cars are now followed in rough succession, with omissions, and rated on a 1 -10 scale. Naturally I was excited to get almost all of them but the feeling at the end was not always the same. My ratings are based on how well they fulfilled their missions and their final disposal....in retrospect. Was I glad or sad to see it go? Big affect on ratings. Arbitrary, whimsical and capricious, my list is presented 'sort of' in ascending order of ownership but only sort of because....never mind that! But the following cars are remembered. These are all personally owned cars, not company cars. '71 Renault R16, rates 2. '76 BMW 2002, rates 7. '81 Honda Accord, rates 5. '62 Benz 190C, rates 7. '66 Benz 300SEL, rates 3. '82 Volvo Turbo, rates 2. Plymouth Voyager van, rates 4. '85 Peugeot 505 Turbo, rates 2. '85 Peugeot 505 Wagon, rates 6. '90 BMW 535i, rates high 8s, one of the best. '90 Ford Explorer, rates 3. '96 Chevy Tahoe, rates 6. '90 Mitsubishi Mighty Max, rates 7. '94 BMW 318i, rates 5. '00 MX5 (miata) rates low 8, 10 if you ask my wife. '96 Jetta (mostly kid car), rates 5. '00 Focus, rates 3.......US model obviously. '09 Mazda 3, rates 7 or better. '00 M5 rates 4 (driving experience rates higher but various issues bring it down). '09 GTI, rates 7. '13 Golf TDI wagon, rates 2 (because VW Deisel). '17 Alltrack, rates 5. Evora 400.....Rates.......wait for it......wait for it....... As we know or should acknowledge, Lotus are not often perfect ownership experiences. If this was scored ala Doug DeMuro it would get a lower score. But based on fulfilling the missionI bought it to fulfill, it's an honest 9. It's a relatively affordable hoot. It remains a joy to own three years later, even after the warranty's expired. This high rating is earned because the 400 meets the urge to drive something truly exciting that's different in the best ways. It's very likely to be reasonably affordable to own and keep given what it is and I don't crash it, and I suspect it will return decent resale value in the long run as well. Certainly compared to things like M3s and M5s or even Cayman S. More like the GT4, as it should be. The rating is subject to possible change over time but I think it will age really well. People talk about Lotus not having brand cache but I don't find that to be true at all. If anything, it has no presence here so people are inclined to ask for the owner's opinion. Which is fine with me. Then again, true gearheads know what it is and generally are interested/appreciative. This not least because they don't see many and they recognize you're likely to be an enthusiast too. So as a statement it works everywhere except in front of a Ferrari store. In that event, people might think you're pretending on the cheap. But actually, you're not the guy pretending at all. It's perfect urban camo in a weird sort of way if your preference is interesting sports cars. Now let's talk about real horse trading: Motorcycles!

The ownership experience I had with a Volvo Turbo cured me forever from considering the marque again. The closest I've come to Toyota ownership has been with my 400. Of all the things in the car, I consider the running gear and chassis to be the highest quality items and actually, two key reasons that allowed me to buy the car. What I have hoped Geely's investment would bring to new Lotus models is industry standard fit and finish and, of course, buying power. As a Lotus enthusiast I don't look forward to future models adapting existing Geely and Volvo hardware aside perhaps for their electronic features and other obvious bits....window winders, etc. I have hoped that the team currently at Lotus, or one that thinks like it, would be given the ability to develop and source important components according to what is the best practice for a Lotus car rather than making do with modified and more common 'utility vehicle' bits in the important areas. I don't necessarily mean light switches and turn signal stalks. I'm happy to have Ford switched in my Evora and actually delighted to have the Toyota lump in the trunk. What I do mean is that any move forward would ideally provide an exciting motor specific to the car or sourced from the best available not just what can be had from the company store. That would set the goalposts in my mind. Per my moniker, I could go on and on about this but I hope Lotus produces a unique and relatively purely Lotus vehicle, but better. I think a real bottom up car company should have its own motor and all the rest. I've been hoping Lotus would become that major industry leading manufacturer employing all the clever tricks they've learned in 70 years coupled with best manufacturing processes. I'd sooner be talking (anticipating, that is) about the stuff Lotus is going to develop rather than what Geely already has in the pipeline. We all understand the "whys" of this approach to new product......especially now that we live in uncertain times coupled to the realities of specialty/sports car sales. But it would be nice to see a bottom up vehicle without compromise in the running gear department. Am I being a pill?

The 'surprise factor' of the Evora is probably what hooked me. I was looking for a late 997 Porsche Turbo and also had my eye on the C7 (C8 wasn't out yet obviously) and stumbled across the 400 by chance while checking out a used 991.1 C2S at a our local dealership. I had no thought to buy a new Lotus, furthest thing from my mind, really. As we walked past the chrome orange '17 400 that was the dealer's demo, I chanced a closer look and found myself interested to learn more. I thought it was more excitiong to look at than a 911 (or the last GT4) or the C7 (a car which I like) and being a Lotus, I reckoned it was good to drive. But to buy and own? In America? Too silly thinks I but might as well explore it. On a whim I asked the sales guy if I might have a test drive in the thing. I expected it to steer and handle well but be rough and rattly. Well, he produced the keys and I had the universally ubiquitous experience of trying to start the car with the immobilizer on. We got the car started with the needed instruction and everybody knows how that ended. What got me was how smooth, fantastic and unique the drive was. It was everything I thought it wouldn't be. Tight, composed, complete, as a package, good aircon, comfy seats, fun to shift, light clutch, great feel. In short, many things I thought a Lotus wasn't. I liked driving it better than any comparably priced car and I thought it was better looking too. It was a big surprise to me just how together the Evora is. The lack of "features" that I thought were essential in an upmarket sport car, (heads up display, power seats, rockin' stereo, and all the rest gave a moment's pause, as did the lack of a fleshed out national support network but damn, that drive! It took me a few months and two more test drives to talk myself into the car but when I thought about what I REALLY wanted, the Lotus hit every mark. No regrets and sure enough, the surprise factor is overwhelming. You just need to love driving and somehow find yourself in the seat with the wheel. It is unique in the market.

I think your forum handle wonderfully and accurately expresses what seems to be your world view. Well done. There's no point dragging this out further, we'll just have to disagree about most everything but mutual admiration for Lotus. We can perhaps return to happier discussion in Evoraville. See you there.

I hope not to get enmeshed in further arguing my following observations. I really wish to state my opinion and be moving on so I am not addressing the following to anyone in particular, rather to a more general audience. I hope!!! I think many of you are not keeping up with what is going on in the USA or are relying on questionable sources for your data. I also think many who have commented are either unaware of how oppressive the situation is for people of color in this country or don't really care. It's easy to disparage the "protestors" in sum but doing so suggests ignorance of the scope of the events. Actually, the Floyd situation is quite common, happens weekly and has for years. For decades such events weren't even reported or were whitewashed and filed away. Being black in America means you will get stopped and searched because a cop doesn't like your taillight. If he finds your weed or anything he doesn't like, you go to jail. Consequently it's common as chips to meet a perfectly fine black man with some with some sort of record If you're white, you won't get stopped or be sent off with a warning to fix the light. As a black youth, you are five times more likely to end up in an institution than a white person. The stage is set very early. This is known and has been accepted as reality but was equally ignored by the law for generations up to and including my own. There is much reason for anger. Of course nothing excuses destruction of private property and it's regrettable, also criminal. But who to blame?   Assuming this latest mess, including the criminal behavior of the mobs is all a result of left wing agitation is a gross simplification of the problem, not to mention naive regarding the state of our union. There is so much misinformation on this thread that it's hard to know where to start given the complications, the fake news and different reactions in various parts of the country. Meanwhile, Trump's administration only pours gasoline (this is America....we don't have any petrol at all but lots of gas) on this smoldering dumpster fire. And he both creates and promote lies, some of which have been repeated and even seconded or applauded in this thread. I say many of you aren't seeing the full picture. And just as frankly you must understand that the legacy of slavery is alive and well in this country. Changing that is going to be painful and always has been. In the process, much china is broken. There is so much more to say but I truly hope somebody else will say it. I don't even know where to start with some of you guys!

Indeed, he can legally only serve two terms but the damage he has done to the institutional bedrock is already enormous and another four years would see that tripled. It's the structural disaster he has foisted on the institutions, (courts, environmental policies, international relationships and just as damaging, the ruination of our dialog) that is the overriding concern. Even a change in leadership will not reverse the effects of his hubris and greed for years. Via the medium of Kushner, Trump has even threatened to delay the national elections. He doesn't technically have the legal authority to do that, but he does have the power to significantly alter the dynamics of the election. I am not heartened by the notion of "only" another four years.

You know what's even sadder than Trump's utterly porous, puerile, prurient, pompous peabrain all topped by a generous layering of guile and misanthropy? The fact that 60,000,000 Americans will never realize what a pissant they voted for and are prepared to vote for him all over again! (Also our entirely fooked electoral system doesn't help). And then, you know what's almost (but not nearly) as sad as that? That the Democratic Party, which I will nonetheless support, didn't muster anybody more appealing than Joe Biden who's a great guy and all that but is older than me! And I am very old! There are no surprises left to come from Trump's behavior. We know exactly what is "on" (in, or around) his mind all the time. He tells us what he really wants to do but he doesn't actually tell us what he has done. He is simultaneously entirely transparent and completely opaque. What a tragedy for the world at a time like this. It really hurts to have this on the mind all the time. So much so that light hearted discussions about frivolities (own a Lotus, like Japanese knives??:)) coupled with eating foods starting with s or i (sushi, steak, ice cream, Indian food) are the best part of living these days and there isn't much else. (Well, I guess there's sex but I'm married). Thinking about the future? Um...let's not do that unless it's the future of Lotus. You think I'm kidding? I'm not kidding! Living here and seeing Trump, hearing Trump, being bombarded with Trump hour after hour will make any normal person mad. I offer myself as irrefutable evidence of a functional human being laid to waste by our current state of affairs.

It's flattering and true but how could they omit the C8 from mention?

They're sauerkraut now! They never knew what hit them! A merciful end to a pointless existence....pointless for the cabbage, that is. Quite meaningful to me if I'm enjoying a sausage for lunch!

It's changed my life more than getting the car did. I can honestly say that. But truly, the Lotus was integral to the promise I made myself to get a bit fitter and more comfy in my own skin. I started on a proper dietary program the day I drove it off the lot and that was announced to my wife when I bought the thing. I reckoned her help and approval would be useful on both scores As for getting the carbon, I've been doing that to the extent possible! Rewards are justified with the money saved by not eating like an American.

Since buying my 400 I have lost 40 pounds of flab from the car and 70 pounds of flesh off my body. When I bought the car I made a serious vow to lose my excess avoid du pois in celebration of owning a Lotus and as the only sensible thing to do in the event. I'm not just a bit proud to say I've achieved 70% of my goal since getting the car....which proves Evoras are good for your health! Need more good news? It is actually cheaper to lose personal body weight than it is to maintain it which helps save money towards a Ti exhaust and Li battery! For my personal butt weight program, every bit of cake I eschew, each baguette I don't buy and every Scotch I don't drink saves me money! The bad news? That's only if it comes off my personal ass. Losing it off the Evora's is getting more expensive! Losing the first 35 pounds on the Evora cost $3500. More bad news? I still have 30 pounds to carve off my rump and a lithium battery and Ti exhaust to buy for the Evora! (actually getting the battery and the exhaust and losing the last 30 pounds will be good news so there's a bit of wash there). If I was buying a GT and had to chose between the Ti exhaust or the carbon pack, I'd be somewhat at sea but I suspect I'd get the carbon first because I could add the Ti after the fact but you can't do that with the roof. On topic: To repeat ad nauseam: Lotus has not much future here until the things that need to change actually do change. Hopefully that will accompany the truly new vehicles they give us. As desirable as I find the GT, the situation here is at best only marginally better than it was a few years ago. Without investment nothing will change.

Like knives? I do! I got a present from my wife yesterday. (Konosuke 210mm YS wa gyuto).

Quote of the day!