stephenwhyte

This reads clearer and allows us to remain hopeful…..in what is, let’s face it, an absolute minefield of a time in the industry right now. If Lotus survive this next 5 years, realise Vision 80 in some form and continue to produce cars under Geely overall ownership, they’ve surely got to be here for the long term! Best we remain ever hopeful……🤞 Lotus reunified: what it means a...Lotus reunified: what it means and why it matters

Another new set of rear light clusters would have the rear end looking much brighter Fabian, in the same way they lifted the rear of the Turbo…😎

Cancelled orders!🤫

Lovely - another project for you @Chillidoggy ?😉😎

What’s the process for entering an Esprit @Bibs to be one of the 50 to be displayed - I’ve sent an email to CTL, and will likely get a reply next week. Hoping I’m not too late as I’d really like to see if it was both possible and practical…..

This is fun…..😉 Ashtrays were on the sills in the earliest Turbos👍 Ref getting a Certificate of Provenance from Lotus - 100% agree. Here’s mine attached (with accompanying letter which I think they do differently now) if you’ve not already seen one @James Nash

Front indicator/sidelight combo is different not the side ones. The side ones as I understand have never changed. All down to parts supply at the time, knowing Lotus👍

Yes that’s correct, after around 1983/1984 the bonnet badge was moved, then subsequently changed to the “losenge” instead of the Chapman initialled roundel, and this was in place in this layout through to the HC Turbo. Early Turbo’s though had the Chapman initialled roundel higher up and were matched with large Turbo Esprit decals unless a request was made not to have them. You’ll also have maybe noticed from photos that the front sidelight/indicator style changed from the early models to the models mentioned above. Yours I think would’ve left the factory with the early design, used in Mini’s, Dolomites as well as many other cars of the 70’s. Proper anorak stuff😉

Can’t quite believe just how wrong they’ve got these cars - you’d think with the investment from Geely and the expertise they’d bring more generally that they’d produce a better product. The doors though is inexcusable having been a know issue from precious models produced. The whole thing just feels like an own-goal as it’s a cracking car without the faults. This should’ve been a fresh start producing a much better product - an opportunity missed because again Lotus get labelled as a company that produces suboptimal product. No doubt they’ve learned and what’s going out in ‘24 will be better but there’s a lot of negative publicity from what came before. Very frustrating, from someone like everyone here that just wants to see the Brand below and grow….👍

Later model wing mirrors, and front Lotus badge should be set higher too…..they’re not just stuck on, they’re pinned into the body. Certainly an interesting list of changes to an early model Turbo.

1. Al (Allan Matheson) 2. Dude (Gregor Matheson) 3. Andrew C (Andrew Laing) 4. DomShan (Dominic Shanahan) 5. Liam Warnock 6. Steve Profilli 7. johnny5 (John MacDonald) 8. Mutley6 (Mike Mahon) 9. Duggie (Duggie Smith) 10/11. Pupil1 (Piers Ranger) +1 12. bingoking (Brian King) 13 Mark Preston (Mate of Al) 14 Stephen Brady (Mate of Al) 15. Sharky (Fergus Kennedy) + Son 16. Dark (Mark Lydon) + 1 17. Stephen Whyte (+2)

Plus £4k fees remember. My mate tried to buy (blind as he’s in Scotland and the cars in Taunton - very brave!) and thought it was his, until 2 hours to go - unfortunately a dealer decided he wasn’t prepared to lose out and came back in and bid higher. Not much margin left as I can’t see it being retailed much more than £60k. Lovely looking car in Magma…..maybe not with the Tan interior though.

It’s business and whoever took the gamble going to work for Lotus at Hethel should’ve really expected this could’ve happened. Job losses are never good news but they’re a fact of life and it’s bad news regardless of the time of year. The new recruits would’ve been taken on believing in the dream but volumes have been better than ever but they’re still not reaching their original targets and that can’t be predicted until enough time passes and they measure where they are - the cost of maintaining the wage bill v Emira sales has fallen short somewhere……but they’re still better than we’ve ever seen at Hethel and for that we should all still be hopeful. If they continue to keep Hethel running as a production facility, that’s surely a win…..but some will be the casualties of over ambitious planning from the start. Oh and it might be easier for other users on here, if you didn’t poke everyone in the eye every time someone makes a comment & opinion that’s an addition to a conversation other than yours!

Is Scott Walker still there or did he leave earlier in the year, as that had been suggested as his plan. Heard he was off to full-time living in Spain. I’m not as close to the goings on as I was a couple of years ago. Ref the staff they’re letting go, I’m sure that will be those who’ve had less time with the company, and not those long standing members that have been on the journey for some time. It did seem inevitable though as they come across as a business with a huge wage bill…. They’re still ploughing on though in what can only be considered as some of the most testing market conditions and forecast conditions the Trades ever seen! It’s a minefield out there currently and who knows where it’s going?!

Terrible news for anyone considering a new Emira or other new performance car over £40k…..completely unjustifiable and road tax should be charged by vehicle usage. The annual fee is going to be mental for the first five years as it’s bad enough now. Blinded by EV once more - it’s not the entire future…..it’s only part of it! https://cardealermagazine.co.uk/publish/budget-first-year-tax-rates-for-petrol-diesel-and-hybrids-will-double-but-ev-rates-to-remain-the-same/309430