Random car and/or Lotus related pictures and videos

[Escape]

Supercars in the rain. Several exotics, with an Esprit at 07.44 (and a Jap behind it in a desperate attempt to steal some attention...).

 

[JayEmm]

Finally got my trio together. Lotus: The Struggle is real.

Incidentally, I cannot possibly conceive of a situation where I'd have three Aston Martins and feel that each one filled a different role.

[The Pits]

DB5, V12 Vantage S, One Seven Seven?

Rapide, DBS convertible, Vulcan?

[JayEmm]

Ignoring the One-77 and Vulcan for a moment, I personally would be quite happy with either a Vantage or a DBS. The old astons are nice, but I've never been *that* fond of them.

Maybe it's just me but an Aston should really be a front-engined rear wheel drive GT car with a thumping great heart, preferably a V12. In the same way that I think a Ferrari should be a mid-engined high-revving little thing of beauty, regardless of how good/bad their other cars actually are

[The Pits]

All of the above are font engined V12s apart from the DB5. I have driven a DB6 and it was a very lovely way to travel. Even without the Bond association the DB5 would still be considered one of the most beautiful shapes ever to grace the road. Frankly it could get away with being quite awful to drive, it's merely a bonus that it isn't. In some ways the Bond thing has been a distraction away from the greatness of the car. Anyone sitting in there looking for the ejector seat button is not paying attention to that rich, torquey, seamless straight six!

Back to reality, yes yours is indeed a fine trio and a much more accessible one too! My Aston trio will remain a fantasy while you're out there enjoying yours!

[JayEmm]

Interesting Jonny, your take on the DB5 is the opposite to what I'd heard - that they were not nice to drive at all. 

[The Pits]

It's simply a matter of perspective isn't it? Some will get in an Elise and hate the feeling of lightness and electric response. I didn't take to the Elise at first myself but can't get enough of them now.  

I can't imagine a car from the early 60's being much nicer to drive than a DB5 to be honest but anyone approaching it has to accept that it's a 50 year old car. But even now it's a lesson in what a true GT car should be all about. Imagine the comfort and refinement of something like a Bentley without the clumsiness, vagueness and wallow. To be fair to Aston, the GT car is something they continue to do very well. There are few cars I'd rather take on a journey across Europe than a V12 DBS.

[JayEmm]

I've come close to Vantage ownership a few times, I think it's a car you probably need to own to "get"... I've got in one after being in my 6-series, and mostly wondered how the thing had such a tiny boot considering how few seats it had, then I got in one having got out of my Z4M Coupe and it felt quite sluggish and wobbly (to be fair, most things would next to a Z4M, Hethel and Maranello's stuff notwithstanding). I still like them and still fancy owning one some time, but have yet to have a drive and come out of it saying "this is the car I MUST own"

My Dad had an E-Type for a number of years, I was too young to drive it but he did not rate it as a driver's car. You are right though, it's all about perspective - my Excel is an old boat next to the Evora, which is a comfy sofa in comparison to the Elise.

[Bazza 907]

I was stuck at the lights in my DD watching the Esprit come out followed by the idiot in the Jap car. He almost lost the back end into a group of young teenagers taking photos.

 

[Ekku]

I would love to have an old DBS from early seventies. The only car that would look good in orange colour...

Considering the current prizes, maybe Fiat dino of the same time period would be more realistic buy with limited budget.

[Steve V8]

Oh wow...... the supercars from the seventies, back then, just playthings for the filthy rich, and growing up in the South West, you just didn't see Astons or Ferraris or Lamborghinis on the roads. To see an Elite or Elan back then was a rarity. 

So to see my dream cars in the flesh, meant taking the train to London with my parents, and hours spent wandering the streets with my trusty camera, visits to the Victoria carriage Co, H.R Owen, MTC cars and so on, and I was always welcomed in, often shown around the workshops.

My one and only time in a DB5 was at the chequered flag in the late 70s, I remember it being the princely price of £5750 and the smell of petrol and leather, the huge steering wheel and the wonderful sound of that engine. My father almost bought it, but then decided it would cost too much to maintain, what a bad decision that turned out to be, as he eventually invested in a new Fiat 131 which went to the scrapyard many years ago.

For the last 30 something years he's watched DB5 prices go through the roof, and this was why I didn't hesitate to buy my Esprit. When I turned up on his drive with it, his first comment was "what you doing wasting your money on that" when I reminded him about his DB5, his tune quickly changed.

[JonoSeven]

On ‎29‎/‎10‎/‎2016 at 15:51, JayEmm said:

Ignoring the One-77 and Vulcan for a moment, I personally would be quite happy with either a Vantage or a DBS. The old astons are nice, but I've never been *that* fond of them.

Maybe it's just me but an Aston should really be a front-engined rear wheel drive GT car with a thumping great heart, preferably a V12. In the same way that I think a Ferrari should be a mid-engined high-revving little thing of beauty, regardless of how good/bad their other cars actually are

I find the brakes extremely disappointing on these older Astons, and believe me, I am moving them or driving them regularly. It shows the fantastic progression of disc brakes and ceramic braking technology, which we've all become accustomed to.

[Loose Cannon]

9 hours ago, Steve V8 said:

My father almost bought it, but then decided it would cost too much to maintain, what a bad decision that turned out to be, as he eventually invested in a new Fiat 131 which went to the scrapyard many years ago.

For the last 30 something years he's watched DB5 prices go through the roof, and this was why I didn't hesitate to buy my Esprit. When I turned up on his drive with it, his first comment was "what you doing wasting your money on that" when I reminded him about his DB5, his tune quickly changed.

My dad was exactly the same, in 1981 he turned down a Dino for 7k and in 1984 a flat floor e type for less than 5k. Each time the modern day shunter he chose instead was dead within a few years.

When he came to retire in 1999 I pleaded with him to stick his 50k lump sum in a DB5, but he's a dyed in the wool post ware savings bonds kind of guy. Haven't they done well?

[Mark Blanchard]

You could still pick up a DB5 or a DB2/4 for 5k in 1982.  No one wanted them.  I remember showing my Motorsport ads to my Dad at the time but he wasn't interested.

I almost bought an Aston DBS instead of my Esprit in 2002, they were around £10k then.  My then Boss talked me out of it.  They're 90k now.  Still they drive like a piece of crap.

[Loose Cannon]

2 hours ago, Mark Blanchard said:

 Still they drive like a piece of crap.

Exactly Mark. When I picked my Esprit I had a massive crisis spending more money than ever before bar the house. There were other bucket list cars at the same time; an Interceptor Convertible, a wire wheeled DBS6, even a ropey De Tomaso Mangusta, for the same price. It was obvious they were going to go up in value, whereas my GT3 was still on its depreciation curve.

Would I still have these cars now? Doubtful. Would they have been as much fun? never. Could I have afforded running them as well as buying them. Probably not.

 

[Mark Blanchard]

A Mangusta would be difficult to turn down, I could put up with the ropeyness and terrible handling too.

[Loose Cannon]

It was red with gold wheels, an absolute colander with mucho rust, but still managed to sell within days. If only.....

[Mark Blanchard]

 

[Escape]

Ouch

[Bibs]

 

[Mark Blanchard]

Err . . .                                  . . . . bollocks.

[Mark Blanchard]

Someone attempt at a Stevens JPS on their Esprit Turbo, sacrilege to some, loose the flag and would look to bad.

 

[Barrykearley]

Love that

[DaveyT]

Even on the Stevens, I love the way that upper pinstripe accentuates the body line a la S2. 

 

[Escape]

Yeah, it does bring out the wedge shape even more. I like it!