Aftermarket 430 bumpers on the market already

[scotty435]

Your thoughts on these aftermarket 430 bumpers and can you see many Evora's owners going for the conversion?

[Bravo73]

I’m sure that plenty will (especially when you hear how much Lotus want for a set of OEM bumpers!)

Have you got a source for this particular version?

[Bruss]

I don't know if its the gash colour but the front looks wrong.

[scotty435]

32 minutes ago, Bravo73 said:

I’m sure that plenty will (especially when you hear how much Lotus want for a set of OEM bumpers!)

Have you got a source for this particular version?

No source at the moment, the Owner as posted a good few photos on the Lotus Owners and Enthusiasts F/B forum 

[Colin P]

I could be tempted although difficult to see the lines with that paintwork.

Looks like he has the A-Panels as well. I'd stick with the 400 bootlid and spoiler though - not a fan of the ducktail.

[Bravo73]

11 minutes ago, scotty435 said:

No source at the moment, the Owner as posted a good few photos on the Lotus Owners and Enthusiasts F/B forum 

Any idea of the country then? USA, Malaysia?

 

[Bibs]

Winace. I think the owner lives in Wisconsin. 

[Colin P]

That's what I thought, but not on their website yet. The front doesn't look rights, the hole looks too big - perhaps the splitter not being there is doing it.

[Bravo73]

I also figured that it would be Win-Ace but nice to get confirmation all the same. 

[Bruss]

46 minutes ago, Colin P said:

That's what I thought, but not on their website yet. The front doesn't look rights, the hole looks too big - perhaps the splitter not being there is doing it.

Looking at the grey 430 I think this copy hasn't blended in the moulding around the hole back into the wing as well. Too angular.

[Bruss]

Its similar with the rear but not quiet as obvious. Both the front and rear have holes that are slightly deeper and are less blended in to the background. It does make it look a little more clumsy. 

 

 

[Likuid]

They really couldn't have picked a worse color to show it off. Not saying the color is bad, but its not really great for showing off the design.

It does appear to be more angular. Almost a looks like the GT design with some small 400 hints. It doesn't look bad, but really hard to see with this color. Maybe better lighting would help I am not sure. I do think the lack of front splitter makes the front look quite a bit different. Me thinks WinAce needs to add a optional splitter to this kit.

Edited February 7, 2018 by Likuid

[Bruss]

I can live with the rear but the front openings are too deep and out of proportion. 

 

[The Pits]

Not a bad effort though, looks like carbon too. A compliment to Russell Carr and the design team that so many people like what he did.

But if it’s half decent carbon it’ll be £6k to do, probably more with the ducktail. I’d rather stick with the original look personally. Seems a bit lame to try and pass off a 400 as a 430 if that’s the plan. Give me a genuine 400 than a fake 430 any day.

[Likuid]

Personally I don't see the issue. If someone prefers the look of the GT over the 400 and they have a 400, then by all means. Its not like they are taking an Evora and trying to make it look like an Aventador or something.

[scotty435]

4 hours ago, The Pits said:

Not a bad effort though, looks like carbon too. A compliment to Russell Carr and the design team that so many people like what he did.

But if it’s half decent carbon it’ll be £6k to do, probably more with the ducktail. I’d rather stick with the original look personally. Seems a bit lame to try and pass off a 400 as a 430 if that’s the plan. Give me a genuine 400 than a fake 430 any day.

Not just the 400 sure there are S1 owners out there that would like to update there cars to the latest spec front and rear bumpers and why not, good luck to them, like you said so many people like it and was always going to easier to copy than the GTE with its wider rear track and bodywork. Don't get the lame argument some people don't have the money for a 400 or 430.

[The Pits]

My point is really that the 400 is a stunning looking car already. It won’t be cheap to do, so struggling to see it as a money saving exercise. Everyone is of course at complete liberty to do what they want to their own car. Lots of this sort of thing went on with Esprits I never got it then either, they were all styled by brilliant designers. Sticking a Cosworth bodykit on a 1.6L Sierra kind of makes more sense because the basic car is very dull. Each to their own of course, I don’t mind admitting that I quite like the look of that customised Evora, paintjob and all. But I’d still rather have whatever it was underneath.

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

I'm with The Pits. Posterity shows that originality rules! 

I'm also amazed that 3rd Party companies like WinAce can just rip off someone else''s carefully styled design within a few weeks of it being launched and make money out of it, with seeming impunity. If it's an obsolete (out-of-production) part, then I guess that's reasonable.

Still, no-one one else on here seems to give a toss though: the sooner someone copies any new Lotus bodywork components the better it seems. Fake Rolex anyone?

[Bruss]

Perhaps Lotus could start an aftermarket parts division to make the parts that there is so obviously a market for?

 

 

 

[Bravo73]

@LotusLeftLotusRight - are you aware of how much Lotus would like to charge for a set of GT430 bumpers?

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

Presumably enough to cover the cost of design and production with some profit on top?

[The Pits]

I do agree that Lotus should offer upgrades, ideally through a resuscitated Motorsport Department. They could justify a premium on the basis that LMS work wouldn't invalidate the warranty.

Offering 430 bumpers and the engine upgrade would impact 430 sales though so it's easy to understand the reluctance. Not even Nissan offer the old GTRs the current car's power output, you have to go to a tuner for that also. Conversely McLaren did offer 12C owners the power upgrade it would be interesting to see if it harmed 650S sales, that appeared to apply only to the 12C.

It seems like it's just the cosmetic stuff that's of interest. You can already make a 410 handle more like a GT430 by speccing the Ohlins dampers, wider wheels and Ti exhaust. Not many seem to go for that though.

[Bravo73]

3 hours ago, LotusLeftLotusRight said:

Presumably enough to cover the cost of design and production with some profit on top?

Over £16k! Is that enough profit for you???

Anyway, to extend your watch anology, this car isn’t trying to pass itself off as a GT430. That would be the equivalent of your ‘fake Rolex’. This is more of a ‘homage’ to the GT430. The watch market is full of ‘homages’ to other designs. They allow owners to enjoy the benefits of a particular design without having to pay the usually very high prices for the original piece. For as long as Lotus charge rediculous prices for their parts (the official markup is extreme, btw), then it will leave the market open to others to produce their own variations of the designs. 

 

 

3 hours ago, The Pits said:

It seems like it's just the cosmetic stuff that's of interest. You can already make a 410 handle more like a GT430 by speccing the Ohlins dampers, wider wheels and Ti exhaust. Not many seem to go for that though.

Where do you get that from? Plenty of owners change the suspension, wheels and exhaust on their car. Probably more than who change just the bumpers. 

[The Pits]

I'm saying that some 430 parts are already available for the GT410 Sport. It might even be possible to get for Ohlins fitted to a 400 if you asked very nicely and were willing to pay the extra too.

Lotus don't charge a lot more than Mick Gardner Racing for the Ohlins TTX either. They aren't making a huge amount amount of profit at £5k yet they spent many hours developing them and speccing them for the car.

Nice 'homage' here for you. He's definitely enjoying the benefits of that particular design without having to pay the very high price!

 

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

The Ferrari lawyers probably let that one slide. It is trying to be a Koenig modified Testarossa after all.