Emira Picture & Video Thread

[C8RKH]

He's special. So needs special wheels.

[Al]

Well myself, @bingokingand our wives are on a bit of a road trip through Europe.  Driving 3K miles over 22 days and well over the half way mark.  Been from home in Scotland to Hull for ferry to Rotterdam in Netherlands then down through Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland and into Italy as far as the Almalfi coast and currently on the way back.  In Maranello to look at Prancing Donkeys and Annoyed Bulls yesterday and today before heading back up through Italian Lakes, Switzerland, Austria, Lichtenstein & Germany before heading back to ferry.

Cars have attracted A LOT of attention partly because 2 in convoy of course.  Lots of camera phones and roadside chats being had.  You can also get a surprising amount of luggage in one and I'll take a photo at end of the trip but in ours we have 4 carry-on sized bags, 2 more soft bags and lots of coats and hats etc. and we can still sit in our normal driving positions and have full rear visibility.  Not many great shots however of the trip as all the passes so far still closed for snow and the trip has been about food and wine rather than cars. Here are a few.

Last UK Fuel at Hull docks

Heading towards St. Gotthard tunnel

Ditto

Only to find that although a Wednesday it was day 1 of a 5 day public holiday in France and Switzerland and everybody else had the same idea and the tunnel all 18Km of it is traffic numbers limited!  It became a long day with 3 hours additional time at wheel!

First quick wash at Lucca as a lot of sand in the air from Sahara and cars were filthy by then

Back at hotel

Somewhere in Tuscany on the way to San Gimignano

Enjoying a spot of wine tasting beside our hotel at Montepulcano unfortunately down a very dusty track so everything black became silver.

Somewhere from my hotel room

Today to keep SWMBO's happy we visited a stunning Balsamic Vinegar place outside Maranello/Modena.  We thoroughly enjoyed the full experience and learned so much about it and why the real thing is so expensive.  Our cars were much admired by all visitors and were asked to line up with their old Fiat trucks but unfortunately out of shot a big bus arrived and driver abandoned it.

[Al]

Oh and this is the second time I have driven length of the Almalfi coast and will never do it in a Lotus again!  Last time was Sept. 2016 in a rental grot box and was fairly horrendous nose to tail traffic jam.  No pleasure what so ever.  This time I thought more off season and okay taking own cars.  How wrong I could be!!  Extremely stressful to put it mildly.  Wife was quite upset thinking car about to be damaged.  Many times we were inching back and forth just literally inch on each side with busses and walls.  Not for the feint of heart! 😬

[Speedluvver]

I saw you guys going the other way (in a rental Alfa Stelvio) and we had a torrid time with the traffic, so can’t imagine how you guys did it… Cars looked amazing though…

[Bravo73]

17 hours ago, Al said:

First quick wash at Lucca as a lot of sand in the air from Sahara and cars were filthy by then

You didn't happen to travel on the SS12 to or from Abetone, did you?

[Al]

Nope we didn’t. We came down from Lake Lugano towards Genoa and then did a bit of lovely cross country before following E80- A11 to Lucca

[Bravo73]

Ah, that's a shame. I did a similar route a few years ago - Calais to Lucca, via the Swiss passes, then back via the South of France & Route Napoleon. I was in a V8 Vantage but the SS12 was probably my favourite road of the entire trip.

[Al]

Well to follow on the above thread.....

Now returned after our drive from Central Scotland to Almalfi Coast area in Italy and back with a few scenic detours through 9 countries, over a few alp passes and covered 3,400 miles in the 22 day holiday and it never missed a beat.  Dash says averaged 27.5mpg which I was happy with considering the Autobahn cruising speeds.  Apple Car-Play and Mrs Google kept me on the straight and narrow and got us to each of the hotels.  Also as every journey was a route it showed all the speed limits so I knew by how much we were over them 😐.  Apart from lovely German Autobahns's of course.  I've never been overtaken by so many vans and Passats at high speeds!  🫤.  Unfortunately my speed limiter fitted in passenger seat wasn't comfortable cruising for long periods above 100mph/160kph.  The car is so quiet and smooth at high speeds and feels really planted.  Even in a few of the really heavy thunderstorms it felt secure and the Goodyears working well.

Also they are practical as well as track capable.  All this fitted in with my wife & I still sitting in our normal seating positions.  Yes that is 4 carry-on's plus rucksacks etc.   In fact there was more - I had forgotten about in door pockets and storage locations.  So you can still have more stuff with you than on a budget airline flight so good justification for it.

Both cars attracted a lot of positive attention every time we stopped.  Always people coming up and asking about them or photographing them.  Lots of people obviously video'ing us, passing then falling back again to get all angles.  The only dick heads we encountered all holiday were 2 Porkers and 3 prancing ponies in a convoy near Lucca area all on UK plates.

If you ever get a chance to do the Bermina Pass travelling from Italy to Switzerland direction in particular, do it!  Better than the Maloja Pass for driving experience.  Then after passing St. Moritz for lunch we left by the Julier Pass heading North.  Another great road up from St. Moritz but I think would be a better drive heading South.  Going down the other side the road goes on and on for ages.  Brilliant.

This is at the top of Bermina

Now for a big clean! 

[Bibs]

Does. Not. Work. 

[Techyd]

Oh dear, what's broken with this one??

[Bibs]

Err, the colours! 

[Nick Sticks]

As in red seats in a yellow car or those added carbon bits?
Or the start button shield being stuck up?

Or the engine not starting?
(Lock up, wait awhile and then try again).

[exeterjeep]

seat belt buckles should be red, and possibly some red mats.

[Bibs]

[Al]

3 hours ago, Bibs said:

Does. Not. Work. 

In general terms I agree but with doors closed you will see no yellow internally

[jonwat]

Harry has sold his Emira

 

Edited June 23 by Bravo73

[scotty435]

A fantastic replacement, I have had the privilege to drive a good few 650s Spiders and almost purchased one early last year, amazing cars. Sad to hear is views on current Lotus and even more sad it’s hard to disagree with anything he mentioned in the video.

[C8RKH]

10 hours ago, scotty435 said:

Sad to hear is views on current Lotus and even more sad it’s hard to disagree with anything he mentioned in the video.

He speaketh the truth. Amen.

[stephenwhyte]

It’s rare that Harry isn’t spot on with what he tells us all, to be fair to him. He is the true voice of reason in the Trade!

I was personally coming around to the idea of an Emira but can’t quite get the spec to be what I would go for…….although the Cosmos Black one in Parks right now is stunning! But it’s the 2.0 version which I think would soon bore me…..

However the main reason for not seriously considering is 1. the price for a new one now, but 2. the fact that 3 of their 5 used ones on display had the well know blistering issue on both doors. The fact Lotus haven’t got those fixed (doors replaced) for their supporting dealers, tells me everything I need to know about the brand right now……I’ll keep my money until they sort their game out.

They need more supporting dealers, and this was always my main concern when Geely got involved. Without a much larger supporting dealer network and the continued lack of true support from Hethel, they’re going to struggle to make a go off this latest phase they’re enduring! I appreciate that without Sales Dealer Groups won’t support, but this is why they should’ve continued with supporting dealers who did contribute to sales for so many years…..but instead went the Dealer Group route and didn’t get the required support. Yes it will hopefully come (Type 134 for me was the car that will either save them or break them and should’ve been launched first!) but look how many adopted new conquest customers Lotus have gained, only to lose for the reasons Harry highlights amongst others.

Yet again, so much promise……but not enough of it realised. Very frustrating!🙁

[exeterjeep]

https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=831164365563030

gt4 at Goodwood.

[Al]

Well looks and sounds stunning but as a marshal of 45 years standing I'd say something is wrong as that is not just tyre smoke and looks to be likely oil?  Smoke coming out from the left rear wheel during a straight at 23s and 33s isn't normal and then you can see it leave a trail of fluid on the right hander on rear view near the finish line around 53s

[C8RKH]

Bloody hell @Al, the regs really were so much looser back then, that they let you start marshalling when you were 6!   Mind, I'm sure back then you still made better decisions than the FIA Race Controllers.

 

[Simon Bateman]

We are at Spa for the 100th edition of the 24hr race. Managed to get some video of cars going past our campsite on the route of the old circuit.

[Bibs]

Those GT4's sound epic 😃

[Simon Bateman]

My wife was taking lots of video of all the cars. 270 approx from all current and classic classes. The new GT3 Astons look epic and sound amazing. The old GT2 cars were probably even louder. Amazing to be able to get so close.

Edited June 26 by Simon Bateman