Evora Launch Edition Register

[mcdonaa]

Mine is 873

Edited February 27, 2023 by Bibs

[Rambo]

So where does my 0647 fit into the equation?

[EuropaSman]

@Rambo according to Service Parts List:

MODEL HISTORY MILESTONES
Evora Introduction:
First deliveries commence June 2009 at ‘09 VIN serial number 0721.

Evora 0647 is a very early car, so is either a press car or a development car that got released into the wild as they sometimes do.  The press cars I know of on the register are AU09AKK, AU09AKZ, AU09AOG & AU09EJZ.  Is it one of these?

The definitive way to find out where Evora 0647 is in the production order by VIN for the UK market cars is to get a Certificate Of Provenance from Lotus (via a FFM gold upgrade care of  @Bibs of course because you effectivley get a year's free TLF FFM membership - I did this when I got the CoP for my Elise S3 last year).

[Rambo]

AU09 EJZ - spot on 👍

[Seb]

Interesting fact discovered about mine (serial 1030, AU59 DRV), as it was an european press car it's proudly stickered "press car" on the handbrake assembly. 
Not sure where the "development cars" category comes from - because it was owned by Lotus directly?

[Jonathan Ashcroft]

14 hours ago, EuropaSman said:

@Rambo according to Service Parts List:

MODEL HISTORY MILESTONES
Evora Introduction:
First deliveries commence June 2009 at ‘09 VIN serial number 0721.

Evora 0647 is a very early car, so is either a press car or a development car that got released into the wild as they sometimes do.  The press cars I know of on the register are AU09AKK, AU09AKZ, AU09AOG & AU09EJZ.  Is it one of these?

The definitive way to find out where Evora 0647 is in the production order by VIN for the UK market cars is to get a Certificate Of Provenance from Lotus (via a FFM gold upgrade care of  @Bibs of course because you effectivley get a year's free TLF FFM membership - I did this when I got the CoP for my Elise S3 last year).

Checked mine and I'm VIN 722 so not sure if that means the car was legally registered just after the first delivery car. My first reg is 5/6/09 but as discussed I don't have the LE Badging as I'm assume it was a dealer car used for demonstrations at events etc based on feedback in this group when I first found the register. 

I'm going to get the cop for my Elite as I know far less about it. 

[EuropaSman]

@Jonathan Ashcroft It might be a dealer demonstrator car. The first owner should be in the maintenance record booklet, so that should identify if it was a UK dealer demo car or not.

Here's a re-post of a link to a list of dealers and demonstrators (scroll to the bottom of the article).

https://m.blog.naver.com/PostView.naver?isHttpsRedirect=true&blogId=dkleed&logNo=40066134289

[Jonathan Ashcroft]

Mine was from Stratton and it does meet the description of their demonstrator car. I have all the history so I'll check. I bought the Evora big hardback book from the Lotus shop at the factory and it is a beautiful coffee table addition. Lots of great sketches and pictures and not too many words 😂

[EuropaSman]

I have an electronic copy of the "Evora Design Concept" book. It is a good read.   I also have the "Lotus Evora - Sublime Supercar" book by Johnny Tipler and will be getting his new book "Lotus Evora - Speed And Style" when it comes out in March 2023.

[Markindevon]

I picked up the Tipler Evora book (brand new on ebay for less than £15!), it's a good read.

I actually took it along to the night at the museum talk yesterday and Russell Carr kindly signed it for me 🙂  Must look out for the new book too...

[madmax]

I got an Evora DVD that links in nicely with the Sublime Supercar book

From memory it was something like

’The Making of a Modern Icon’ and it compliments the book nicely. Many of the design drawings are featured with interviews with Carr, Becker, Mike Kimberley et al. There’s great footage of artic testing at Arjeplog in Sweden, track work at Hethel and the Nurburgring, lots of factory pieces and of course comments from in period motoring journalists at their ‘do’ in Scotland. 
Well worth hunting down and watching if you’ve not seen it

[EuropaSman]

Snap! Both AU59ACY and AU09AOG feature at the end. 

 

[Rambo]

11 hours ago, Rambo said:

AU09 EJZ - spot on 👍

And here's some history about my Tango - AU09 EJZ. It was even in a film called "Swinging with the Finkels" Sounds well dodgy 🤣

https://www.carscoops.com/2010/03/james-bond-style-lotus-evora-captured/amp/

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/one-off-james-bond-lotus-evora-for-sale-29743.html

https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-spottedykywt/you-know-you-want-to--james-bond-evora/23004

https://www.aol.co.uk/2011-01-12-one-off-james-bond-lotus-evora-up-for-sale.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAH2p89Gk8f5s7cGE9PotzusdGAaTDw6wB6-yuq1KX3JrxzWyHzogAnB2X5yd4rMwFhPGuIRhdKlJgQCpcNroZ4UjwkiGkOx3XgrAlT0FQ27uCebqbURSB3VuB0Zp5G0NJOaQHCd6sN_kIXlVUWI0q7HZUudDyfHKQfl6Ld3TMtc_

[Bibs]

https://www.dukevideo.com/prd4970/Lotus-Evora-The-Making-of-a-Modern-Icon-DVD

[003a]

Hi all,

Bit (very!) late to the party but my son and I have AU09 AKK which was the first registered one I think and also the main press launch car (affectionally called Hero by the chaps at Lotus since it worked so hard apparently)

https://youtu.be/ZHcLP0wvENQ?si=XIjMd2cULJ7hDCp - Top Gear

https://youtu.be/r6Bi5wb45sk?si=7Xer0MRCUwX7ZdTZ - Fifth Gear

Plus also in a few magazines.

It's a little bit different to when it had it's original engine (003a) which got destroyed by the press. It sat in Lotus for a while before they sold it to Stratton Motorsport who fitted one of their test engines so currently pushing 393 bhp (sub 3 sec 0-60 and 173 mph top speed - from dyno not open road ! ). Interior was red but now black (although red remains under the current black) and much of the interior was ripped out (door cards, rear seats, side panels, most of the dash) and replaced with carbon, including a carbon roof and carbon wing. Exhaust was also Stratton manufactured but my son wanted the Plack (came with the car when we bought it) fitted - bit too 'lairy' for my liking but it turns heads and I drive it as quietly as I can in built up areas.

Currently off the road due to throttle body engine codes but hoping a good clean will sort that out this weekend.

Let me know if you need any further detail from the car.

One of my favourite photos of the car:

[jep]

Fabulous @003a 

How I adore a Lotus with some interesting history. 

More pictures please

Justin 

[mcdonaa]

Lovely looking car, and maybe the most famous Evora amongst us…loved the off-roading by Clarkson 😂

[Rambo]

1 hour ago, 003a said:

Currently off the road due to throttle body engine codes but hoping a good clean will sort that out this weekend.

P2104 and P2119 perchance?

[21gg]

Is that the one they sold with the GTE angine and spare trim bits on?

[003a]

@jep, will try to look some out.

@mcdonaa, yes years ahead of the Lamborghini Sterrato 

@Rambo, yes you guessed it but have pulled out the throttle body, given it a good clean and the idle has dropped to normal levels, codes cleared and it's now driving well without the codes coming back. Will need to monitor. I have had a low level oil leak from somewhere for some time, not enough to cause concern but when I got the throttle body off there was clear evidence of oil in the supercharger so suspect that may be the source but at a loss at the moment to understand why it's getting in there - more work needed I think.

@21gg, yes I believe so - I think it's the same one that @JayEmm reviewed in this video https://youtu.be/pvrl7UdrqEo?si=OLNXm081dpAf5iqf but the number plate is different (V6 FPB vs AU09 AKK - it doesn't look like a trade plate so note sure. I wonder If @JayEmm can remember? Interesting you note it as a GTE engine as, despite finding the engine number, I've not been able to definitively confirm which model the engine is.

 

[JayEmm]

Crikey that's a long time ago!

An HPI search or CarVertical should tell you what plates it has worn in the past. Would love to be of help but not sure how I can

[003a]

 

1 hour ago, JayEmm said:

Crikey that's a long time ago!

An HPI search or CarVertical should tell you what plates it has worn in the past. Would love to be of help but not sure how I can

Thanks good idea. Just checked CarVertical and .gov.uk for that plate and both confirm the V6 FPB plate isn't a valid plate. Also checked the previous owners paperwork which confirms it was the same vehicle as the invoice was from Sratton Motor Company on the current plate AU09 AKK.

[Rambo]

13 hours ago, 003a said:

@jep, 

@mcdonaa, 

@Rambo, yes you guessed it but have pulled out the throttle body, given it a good clean and the idle has dropped to normal levels, codes cleared and it's now driving well without the codes coming back. Will need to monitor. I have had a low level oil leak from somewhere for some time, not enough to cause concern but when I got the throttle body off there was clear evidence of oil in the supercharger so suspect that may be the source but at a loss at the moment to understand why it's getting in there - more work needed I think.

@21gg,mmm   @JayEmm 

 

👍

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

The stated output is not far off the 385bhp dyno quoted by @TheKevlarKid for his Swindon GTE engine, so it sounds about right for your car. Stratton bought up the unused parts and chassis for the GTE programme and apparently installed one of the engines in your car.

[kkv444v]

On 28/02/2023 at 09:42, Seb said:

Interesting fact discovered about mine (serial 1030, AU59 DRV), as it was an european press car it's proudly stickered "press car" on the handbrake assembly. 
Not sure where the "development cars" category comes from - because it was owned by Lotus directly?

Development cars didn't use the serial numbering of production cars, so their VINs contain "EP" or "VP" and a number, e.g. EP01 was the first.

On 26/01/2024 at 18:44, 003a said:

Bit (very!) late to the party but my son and I have AU09 AKK which was the first registered one I think and also the main press launch car (affectionally called Hero by the chaps at Lotus since it worked so hard apparently)

Yours was one of a batch of cars registered on the same day (1st April 2009). All press cars and the first to be assigned proper serial numbers.

Edited February 7 by kkv444v
typo