How many of you really put your foot down?

[soldave]

My Excel red lines at the moment at 8800 running 253hp and 191lbft. And she is no slouch And she regularly gets there. image.jpg

Very interesting.  What mods are you running?

[Elite 4.9]

My V8 redlines at 6,500 which is when the valves start to float so I hold it to just under that but there really isn't any need to rev high with this engine as it produces 360 ft/lbs of torque and 310 hp. That is a ton of power for this light weight Lotus.  I had the engine custom built, especially for the street, striving every step of the way to get max torque.

 

Not too much of the time is spent at top rpm limit so I moved the power band as low as I could. It is very addictive pressing down on the throttle !!!  Maximum torque comes in at around 4,350 rpm so you can spin the tires almost all of the time at low speeds if you desire so one has to be careful. Engines last longer at lower rpm limits as well. once heard....rpm.. ruins peoples motors

 

I do love to put my foot in it. But that isn't really the forte of the Elite in my opinion and you don't need to go that fast either.

 

I simply love the way it hugs corners and where I live, there are many mountains and foot hills with a plethora of corners. Many miles of open divided highways stretching for miles. Some of the best are the many on-ramps to the freeways. On average there is an on-ramp every mile of road. I look at these as place to stretch my Elites legs as IMHO, this is the only place where there aren't any posted speed limits.  Perfect fun for this owner for sure and the reason why most buy these kind of cars. 

 

 And some of these are tight slower speeds corners.

 

I remember before my restoration and conversion to a V8. I took, the Elite into a corner (with a warning sign, rated @ 25 mph ) at 55 with a friend and his son. I could feel the tension in them going into the corner but when we just hooked around without sliding or ever squealing the tires, they became quit relaxed in amazement of just how fast this car goes around a bend. That, my friends, is why I love these cars and makes them so much fun to drive.

 

Richard

[Fueltheburn]

EVERYTIME!  Don't build a performance car only for it to sit "pretty" in a garage.

 

Classic race and rally cars sitting in a private collection and not being stretched every now and then is a criminal offence and punishable by public flogging in Kieran's Britain

[Dunc]

in keeping with Keiran's every time theme....

 

I suspect this one doesn't see too much in the way of gentle miles:

[soldave]

in keeping with Keiran's every time theme....

 

I suspect this one doesn't see too much in the way of gentle miles:

14074331658_fe1328fe38_k.jpg

Not liking the wheels of that one but would be interested to know the spec.

[Fueltheburn]

i would love to see a youtube clip of that being let loose

very strange it is on peugeot 205/309 Gti speedlines.

Edited April 13, 2015 by Fueltheburn

[Dunc]

I'd guess from the picture and the graphics it runs a 305 cu inch Chevy small block V8 with a tubbed rear end IRS.?

 

It might just be a lotus body?

[C8RKH]

I remember an Evora owner of several months asking why there where red lights showing up in his rev counter. They were the shift lights and he'd not seen them before!

Whatever Lotus I'm in, I like to tickle the redline at least once per journey!

Whoaa - just picking up my Evora on Friday and did not know they had shift lights!  Whooopppeeee - driving it will be just like GranTurismo.

 

If I hit a tree at 150mph I'm assuming there is a reset button on the dash and I just get a "reset" and get put back on the road!  

[Barrykearley]

If I hit a tree at 150mph I'm assuming there is a reset button on the dash and I just get a "reset" and get put back on the road!  

That's why th best place for a tree is in a wood burner

[MrCoolA]

Very interesting. What mods are you running?

Big valves ( as big as can be cut in and single piece from Garry Kemp ) and cams, gas flowed, higher comp Pistons, four two one branch manifold and bigger bore exhaust, fully balanced to 10k, emerald3d and 45 TBs. we did at oneoint think we had got 275hp out of her, but turned out that she had slipped on the rolling road grrrrrrrrrr.

Edited April 13, 2015 by MrCoolA

[C8RKH]

So, having had an Evora for 3 days in total, I can say that I have really put my foot down each day I have owned it! Both in sport mode and normal.  What a phenomenal machine the Evora is and I doubt I will ever have the ability to find its limits on a road because (1) I am not that good a driver (2) I'm not that brave - and you would have to be doing something really stupid, at really stupid speeds, on non-appropriate roads to reach this cars limits. On a track, well, that's a different story of course.

 

Interestingly I've seen on the forum a few comments re the noise and how it is not "good enough" - well, my car has a decat pipe and the Lotus Sports exhaust box (titanium blue tipped) and boy does it sound awesome. Below 3,000 rpm it's like a pussy-cat, as you build to 4,000 then push beyond it's a howling banshee - god I love this car and it certainly has more than enough noise for me! Rumbling through a village at 25mph in 2nd with the windows open you really hear the bubbling, gurgling and farting, it is just as intoxicating as the wail as she she opens up at 4,000 rpm+

 

I know I only have the NA, but can't see me wanting much more power than this, as the engine is so good with the Close Ratio gearbox. 

 

Highlight of my ownership experience was pulling up at a set of lights, looking through my rear mirror over the engine cover to see a black Pork 911 pull up behind me, it might have been a new Beetle, but sure it was the 911 but they all look the same to me The poor bloke had to endure his son in the front seat - probably 9-12 yo, lifting himself up in his seat to check out the Evora and pointing wildly with a big grin at the back of it. Made my day!

 

Even put 7 old tins of paint in the boot on Sunday to take them to the tip - just for an excuse to get out in it again and it turned into a 50 mile round trip  Wife thinks I'm nuts, but then, I'm sure she would rather see me driving my Evora than a blond half my, and more importantly her, age !    hahaha - long may this affair with my Evora last. I'm so glad I've lived long enough to have a mid-life crisis, the good news is that I should have about another 30 years to enjoy it....

[johnpwalsh]

Dave, I hate reading your write up's, your car is the one we looked at in MM on the Saturday only to find while I dithered, that you had gone and bought it. A real stunner with great history and all the goodies.

Hate you, love the car.

Enjoy.

[soldave]

Dave, I hate reading your write up's, your car is the one we looked at in MM on the Saturday only to find while I dithered, that you had gone and bought it. A real stunner with great history and all the goodies.

Hate you, love the car.

Enjoy.

Sorry if I'm not following, but was that directed at me?

 

If so, why the hate?

[johnpwalsh]

Hi Dave, no not for a second. I clicked the wrong name. I was winding a guy up from Perth who has just bought an Evora that I looked at the day before he saw it and bought it beating me too it. Hitting the wrong name could also have been down to a bit of exhaustion as I had just arrived back home after a 47 hr shift topped out with a couple of drinks on arrival. But definitely not meant at you. Have a  look at new postings and you will see his comments regarding how much he loves his new car, hence the comment, hate you love the car,because he got there before me, all light hearted banter. Oh and his name was Andy not Dave, look back a couple of posts.

Hows old Banana doing.

[C8RKH]

Ha John, that'll be me then but please don't tell anyone I live in Perth, I live in PerthSHIRE!

 

You missed out on a beauty there, but hey, your dither was my gain!  

 

She has a nice new Alpine W987D sat nav and rear camera now thanks to Greig and the team at CRS on the Crief Road in Perth. Now, as soon as Lotus can get off their backsides and get the cruise control kits into dealers and off back order then MMC can fit that and to be honest, no more mods until the end of the summer when I am planning to take her down to Dave-The-Trimmer for some nice upholstery work.

 

I did try a local firm in Livingston called Transcal for the upholstery but their customer service has been nothing sort of atrocious so an 800 mile round trip to Milton Keynes it will be then at the end of the summer.

 

The one main downside is that I have torn a load of stuff in my left knee so getting in and out of the Evora and using the clutch is, right now, a bloody painful and undignified experience !

[johnpwalsh]

Still hate you LOL. Have you tried Brian Swankie for your interior, not too far from you. Ping me and I can give his details. Brian specializes in Lotus restorations and recently completed 100G which I am sure everybody knows. He doesnt do the leather himself but he has a guy who does a bloody good job. Sorry about the Perth comment but at least it's not in Englandshire. Are you joining up with us for Drive it day tomorrow, We wont be that far from you as we are going down the coast road leaving from Aberdeen. We could meet up and I can stare at that car again. We will have a few Lotus on the run. As for the undignified entrance/exit, I had the same issue with my old Elise, loved the fun of the car and drove all over the winter period but it was killing my back so went back to an Esprit. Just cant make up my mind whether to go back old school or jump forwards into and Evora and thats how you got that one. she's a tunner.

[C8RKH]

Brian Swankie - wow, now there's a name from the past as around 10 - 12 years ago I contracted Brian who made me some very nice new Scottish Oak stairs for my house!  I did not realise he was into the Lotus too so I might have to give him a shout.

 

Would love to join you all tomorrow but out with SWMBO at an event tonight and with the new drink drive laws up here I don't want to risk being over the limit!

 

Hopefully the knee thing is temporary and will heal OK. Brandon had a nice Evora in the other day with the Paprika interior and tech / premium packs etc - looked a stunner too....  Go on, you know you want to...

[Fueltheburn]

I am on land for a change and will be heading down the Esplanade. 

Which end are the lotus lot lining up at?

If you were to make it up tomorrow, you could have a look at Ethels interior.  This was the first interior done by the trimmer Brian now uses.  Gordon's upholstery in the number 1 was done by the same guys based on how well mine came out.

[johnpwalsh]

Hi Keiron, meet at the beach ballroom for 9am good few cars out for Drive it Day, we have one coming down from near Sky just for the day.