RJB

I may well be about and would love to join in! what colour have you gone for Jonny?

I knew they were going to do this to me @The Pits there is a good deal of temptation not helped by a visit to Snows this week for some warranty work. The £100K barrier is a big jump though and to be honest I have not grown out of the 410 yet - it still excites! Strangely though am being drawn towards the Exige - my next change could be a 380.....

23rd July you say......

One of the best things about working overseas is returning after 2 months and taking the first drive in the 410 - wow what a machine!

Used Tracker which cost £812

Nice work Jonny - the Persian Blue is special - the colour of my first Evora (2010 NA). I think the McLaren Volcano Red is the one though am still pretty happy with the Racing Green TBH :-)

Oh no @The Pits am just down in Cornwall putting her to bed for a couple of months - back again in April - put me down for the April meet

Jimmy - if you find yourself in the South of England would be happy to let you have a drive - failing that take Jonny's advice and go for it - you won't regret it, fabulous car

Liking the colour of those wheels...be good if the 410 stripes matched that

I am very fortunate to be at a time in my life (kids left home!) and significant disposable income such that the extra for the 410 didn't matter too much - it was the car I really wanted. It's not all fun though and work kept me rather busier than I had hoped and didn't get to Jerez as planned or indeed out in the car much apart from the trip home. Bad weather meant the ferry from Santander was a no-go so drove 2300km from Gibraltar to Caen via Barcelona! A good chance to test the GT credentials again.... Drive was pretty hardcore - the storms that stopped the ferry dumped snow on the higher parts of the autoroute in the Auvergne though thankfully the road remained mostly clear, one brief traction control moment but no problem. Where the car was great was in the strong winds - up to 90mph - car was extremely stable when others were struggling - aerodynamics I guess? Unusually switched off sports mode for a while and the cabin was remarkably quiet - better than my Honda Civic! Still love the noise though and miss the throttle response so wasn't off for too long. Positives - very comfortable indeed - really no aches at all even after the longest leg of 7 hours. Power / handling - goes without saying - and looks - several people videoing as I sped past! Negatives - will mention again about stowage behind the seats - it remains difficult to get at as the seats don't slide that far forward - small soft bags only. In addition when it was wet you need to be careful opening the tailgate so as not to drip water all over the luggage in the boot ? Truly great drive though - cannot stop smiling ?

Well if Lotus don't perhaps I can bring mine? Or keep it simple and do a UK meet - where are the best roads do you think?

Hello Michael - unfortunately only "borrowed" a 400 for a week but owned a 2010 NA and a 2013 S. Had my first "spirited" drive after first service at the weekend on some Spanish mountain roads. It was phenomenal - the feel of the car is great - before the tyres properly warmed up I could feel it quite close to the limit and sliding a little but once warm and really pushing on there was so much grip. It felt so much more "planted" than my previous cars and the feedback much better - and I thought they were good! Took out a friend who had been in the S - she thought it more comfortable than the S - perhaps she was just being kind. After the mountain roads some high speed motorway for 3 hours - again very comfortable and no fatigue at all. Even in sports mode it wasn't unpleasant at all in fact the engine noise is so sweet you want to drop a gear and hear the howl every now and again. The last km of the journey was actually "off road" - had made arrangements to leave the car nearby but thought I would see how far I could get and it handled it really well! Not sure will make a habit of it though.... Being able to use the full rev range now I can really appreciate how quick the car is, first gear is very short but shifting into second and taking it to the red line in second and third you are into 3 figures very quickly and the sound...... Love the simplicity of the cabin - the heater is great, demist very fast. Really abused her over the weekend and will treat to a valet tomorrow and get some pics!

Apologies first for the quality - just a taster. Friend followed me to the dealer to drop for 1st service today and got this through one of the tunnels. Better to follow I promise.... IMG_1836.mp4

The seats are fine - but then I like sleeping on a hard bed - no issue with comfort at all - the position is pretty close to what I would choose - pretty upright

Will be back in the New Forest in February Jonny if you want to take it for a spin.....

Yes - I had the 19/20 on the S with Corsas - much better wear Love it Jonny! Unfortunately am working so not getting as much time as I would like on the road ? Will try dig out a GoPro for the run at the weekend and catch a bit of the trip - especially the sound.....

Managed to get a quick blast in the car this morning - coast road from Gibraltar to Estepona in search of the elusive Lotus (Toyota) dealer to arrange first service. More of the same thoughts really - it handles so precisely - when I drove the 400 I thought it felt a little soft / subdued almost but the 410 feels so solid - you see a warning sign for a sharp bend, drop a gear, accelerate and then wonder why they bothered with the sign, it feels so tractable, there must be a limit but it seems a long way off! Will asssume a lot of that is the cup 2s - hope the wear is better than the Pirellis on my NA which average 5K miles on the rears - strangely got double that on the S..... I will use it on the track for sure but for the most part I bought it for trips to Europe and mountain roads at which it excels. Have been recommended a superb mountain road from Marbella to Ronda which I will try and get to at the weekend and yes, photos too...

Hi Pickle - yes but not far as am waiting for 1st service on Monday and don't want to push the miles until it is done. It's sat just looking pretty for now but will write some more thoughts and get some pics next week ?

A fascinating discussion for sure. My eyes were certainly opened when I visited the factory a few months back - met JMG albeit very briefly. You can't really compare to the volume car makers - certainly not to Porsche who's marketing budget likely exceeds Lotus' total worth. Lotus are a very small, niche car maker but their products are very good and I believe beginning to turn heads. When I look at what I could have bought for the money I paid for the 410 there are a lot of options out there. What I wanted was a focussed driver's car and that is exactly what the 410 is - and for the money there are for me few (or no) better options - but it is a lot of money! For me target the people that would buy a GT3 or similar - the USP of the 410 - or for that matter any Lotus is the rarity and that will attract a lot of people but not all. They are only looking to sell 150 per year though

Well - not a full or proper review as am pushed for time but just a few thoughts after 1100km across Spain yesterday. My reference point is 2 previously Evoras (2010 NA and 2013 Sports Racer S) plus a week in a loaned 400 last year. Wow - what an awesome car! Shared the drive with a serial 911 Owner friend who was equally impressed Very fast - averaged 85mph including stops over 670 miles Handling by far the best I have experienced - so flat around corners even at 3 figure speeds, so much grip, unbelievably planted even on bumpier sections Gearbox - as good as the change on my Honda S2000 which was as sweet as I have experienced Comfort - Nearly 8 hours on the road and no stiffness or aches at all - the seats and ride are firm but not u comfortable Cabin - excellent finish - less is definitely more - with less in the cabin it looks and feels a much better quality Sound - incredible, can't resist dropping a couple of gears in every tunnel and winding it up - spine chilling noise Look - stunning - Carbon tailgate a work of art. Every time I stopped people come up to ask about the car Negatives - Side info panels on dash disappear when wearing polarised sunnies and seats feel like you need a harness because of the G's you can pull in a corner. Small soft bags only behind the seats as no tilt function The whole route was on excellent Spanish motorway - 2 and 3 lane with generally great surfaces and very little traffic - impossible to do that sort of run in the U.K. these days, would thoroughly recommend it. I generally prefer mountain roads for my driving fix but this was close on the fun-o-meter and proved the car as a competent GT if necessary. Will get some photos as soon as I can

A couple of ladies liked the colour, an older gentleman used to have a 7 - 1 chap knew the Evora but not the 410 and another didn't know Lotus did a larger car than the Elise! Usual thing! Also tempted by the 380 but having had 2 x Evoras I feel I would miss the space - such as it is - can't wait to take it on a good run. Will be close to the track in Jerez next month.....

That would be an awesome combination Jonny - am loving the green too. Had forgotten how much attention the Evora gets - had 4 people walk up to ask about the car at different times today! Here she is sat in the garage - will try and get some better shots on the drive south

It's here - still running in of course but it's hard and focussed, just what I wanted but certainly different to the S and the 400! Seat comfortable enough on a 4 hour trip yesterday, can't wait to give it some more revs soon. The build quality definately the best of the 3 I have had - the tail gate is an absolute work of art and seems to be a lot lighter than the stated 2kg saving on the old one. Big trip across Spain coming up - will let you know how it does....

Mine is at Snows Hedge End ?

It's tempting Jonny so I can give it beans when I get it but a gentle drive across Spain should rack up the kms! Haven't even seen the car yet - the anticipation is huge!