Final Edition Elise Cup 250

[CocoPops]

Running in…

don’t be too sympathetic, it’s not good for the long run. It even says that in the manual. Some people stay below 4K but again, it does say occasional short bursts at wider throttle and engine speeds will be beneficial.

 

 

[Slow Yank]

A very controversial topic - you can spend weeks googling info and find lots telling you to both beat the crap out of it from first warmup, to those that recommend babying it until the first oil change.

Here's a popular advocate for the former, commonly called the "MotoMan" method:

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

Regardless of which school of thought you follow, its pretty much universally agreed that the worst thing you can do is just sit on the highway with the car in cruise control. It's a 2hr drive home from the dealer for me, and I'll be taking the back-roads on the first drive (and probably every drive after as well!  ).

[alpinetracks]

Found this thread, thought I'd throw my hat into the ring alongside the others!

Fortunate enough to also have a 250 FE on it's way to my lucky paws - build slot looking like mid-August so a little while longer to wait yet...

Cup250FE 
CocoPops - Isotope Green / Red Interior / Black Wheels 
08sag - Met Orange / Silver Interior / Black Wheels
JG250 - Vivid Green / Silver Interior / Black Wheels
Jonnyboy - Metallic Grey
TonyKL - Fire Red
Alunavegg - Daytona Blue
AndyM - Daytona Blue
Baefi - Vivid Green
SuzyH - Pearl yellow
huage-f1 - Elise Grey, Black interior with silver contrast stitching / Diamond cut wheels
kerm111t - Vivid Green / Silver Interior / Diamond Cut Wheels
alpinetracks - Heritage Racing Green / Silver Interior / Black Wheels

Sport240FE
Cyph3r - Burnt Orange / Anthracite Wheels
Happyclappygiraffe - Epsom Green / Tan leather interior / black wheels 
Andrew190783 - Azure Blue / Black wheels 
Trebor_UK - Red / Anthracite Wheels 

[Delhard]

Hi, love the racing green!😍

 It’s going to be a long wait, hopefully get ours early next month

[kerm111t]

On 31/05/2021 at 11:40, CocoPops said:

Running in…

don’t be too sympathetic, it’s not good for the long run. It even says that in the manual. Some people stay below 4K but again, it does say occasional short bursts at wider throttle and engine speeds will be beneficial.

 

Thanks for this...

Bit of a relief that I don't need to 'nurse' it completely for 1000 miles!

[Woodman]

Silverstone Lotus have a cancelled Cup FE order if anyone is looking.

[TonyKL]

On 02/06/2021 at 17:27, kerm111t said:

Bit of a relief that I don't need to 'nurse' it completely for 1000 miles!

Looks like it's 600 miles or 1000 km from the running in info above

Edited June 23, 2021 by TonyKL
info at top of page

[CocoPops]

4 hours ago, Woodman said:

Silverstone Lotus have a cancelled Cup FE order if anyone is looking.

Who cancelled?

[jimichanga]

I suspect there could well be a few more cancellations after Emira is revealed. Maybe more so with Exige FE than Elise but it will be interesting to see how people react on 7th July.

[CocoPops]

See I think the opposite. Just a hunch, but Emira feels too expensive, for a reheated Evora with more comfort.

Willing to be convinced otherwise though.

 

[jimichanga]

Interesting times. If Lotus get it right then most people, including some with FE orders will want one. There will also be some people who realise that the direction Lotus are going in is not for them. FE is for the diehards. Emira needs to appeal less to hardcore nutters if it’s going to appeal more to mainstream sports car buyers.

[CocoPops]

Mine, and a few others I know of, should be in build and nearing the end of the production line this week/next.

Back in Feb when ordered, they were a long way off, now they are nearly here!

Can't wait

Got a few carbon parts on their way too! 

[Slow Yank]

17 hours ago, jimichanga said:

Interesting times. If Lotus get it right then most people, including some with FE orders will want one. There will also be some people who realise that the direction Lotus are going in is not for them. FE is for the diehards. Emira needs to appeal less to hardcore nutters if it’s going to appeal more to mainstream sports car buyers.

Someone posted something similar on the Australian Lotus forums, here was my response...

I may have slightly believed this to be the case for myself (some with FE orders wanting one), until I saw a picture of an Evora being used as the test-mule for the Emira. This image, plus confirmation that this single car will be replacing the Evora, Exige, and Elise has made me extremely glad that after nearly purchasing and then holding off on committing to an S2 Elise/Exige, S3 Cup Elise for the past 17 years, I finally got off my butt and pulled the trigger on a Cup 250FE.

A car cannot singularly replace the modern Elise, Exige, and Evora without compromising what made each of the three different from each-other (the Evora being the Lotus you can live with on a daily basis, the Exige being the Lotus that gets you the best lap times, and the Elise being the Lotus that stays truest to the ethos of the brand).

Being that it's about the same size as an Evora, and being that Lotus/Geeley are trying to appeal to the broadest possible audience, my money is that the Emira will in actuality be an Evora replacement that's marketed as a 911 competitor, with the same strategy as that of Porsche - one car, twenty different variants that attempt to make it everything from a comfortable cruiser (Cabrio) to a hardcore track machine (GT3). Unfortunately for Lotus however, nobody plays Porsche's game better than Porsche, so if they try to go head-to-head with the 911 they're only going to get bargain-hunters into their showrooms by undercutting Porsche and being the budget alternative. I fear they'll go for being the brand that's, "For the Drivers", to the brand that is, "For the Cheapskates".

At least with the Exige and Elise, they had a point of difference in the market as being the last of the "analog" car manufacturers (limited/no steering assist, 3-pedals, N/A and supercharged vs. turbo or hybrid, etc.). I can't help but wonder if they're stepping away from this right when the broader public is finally understanding they want what Lotus is (was) offering...

Its a fine line to walk for sure; less hardcore to appear to a broader audience, whilst still being a Lotus - which is almost by definition - more "hardcore" (or at least, stripped down) than the competition.

On 25/06/2021 at 16:47, CocoPops said:

Got a few carbon parts on their way too! 

Is that a carbon rear panel replacement? If so, would you mind sharing where you got it?

The only one I saw was from Komotec (who got it direct from Lotus), and they only have it for the earlier S3's. I've been searching high-and-low for someone other than Lotus who produces this....

[Inversed]

On 25/06/2021 at 08:47, CocoPops said:

nearing the end of the production line this week/next.

Is production ending already for all models?

[jimichanga]

Yes all of them!

[Inversed]

That's way sooner than I expected. I wonder if there would be announcement when they actually finish, with pictures of few last ones. I wonder if we will be getting final number count.

[Alex_Y]

Can we find out how many final edition cup250 lotus actually made?

[Bibs]

If someone gets a Certificate of Provenance for theirs once production is done it'll be listed on there. 

[CocoPops]

When I said “nearing the end of the production line” I specifically meant my car…. I believe they are building FEs until November.

[Inversed]

Aah that makes more sense!

[CocoPops]

12 hours ago, Slow Yank said:Is that a carbon rear panel replacement? If so, would you mind sharing where you got it?

The only one I saw was from Komotec (who got it direct from Lotus), and they only have it for the earlier S3's. I've been searching high-and-low for someone other than Lotus who produces this....

It’s made by LM Corse, only for sale through Marcassus:

http://www.marcassus-shop.com/carbon-fiber-lotus-elise-rear-transom-my-from-175-c2x32359882

[Slow Yank]

Thank you! A new site I hadn't caught before. Unfortunately as with many other places it looks like they've got limited S3 bits (that carbon panel looks like its the only aftermarket item they sell?), but hopefully that will change a bit in time.

[CocoPops]

Seems it’s delayed on the production line… along with many others…

[Arregueti]

That sounds like a general slow down, hence bad news. Did they care to share any reason for it?

 

[CocoPops]

All a bit vague via the dealer.

Stock issues or similar.