Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Americans are ruining sports cars!
Crap. I am almost, almost ready to place an order for my Exige S, but all this talk about the end of the US Federal Exemption for bumpers is making me nervous. What if all the rumors on E-Talk are for real and I get an Europa S-looking Exige. YUCK! Crap. If that happens, I am getting a used one from Italy or Germany. Ferrari owners in the US also complain about how much better Euro Models are. Ferrari is also loosing its exemption there: No more sports seats. Geez!
Friday, December 22, 2006
Your average Elise / Exige owner
A member of teh EliseTalk community posted a really interesting profile of the typical lotus owner. See the discussion here.
1. This may seem obvious, but perhaps the single greatest thing we are likely to have in common is a passion for sports cars.
This may not seem like something unusual, but it is. Few people can
identify, let alone have any knowledge about, the broad range of sports
cars that so many folks here are aware of.
2. Although they are passionate people, Elise/Exige owners are more
likely to be led by their heads than their hearts. Logic comes before
emotion.
These owners are more likely that the average person to be excited by
and be able see beauty in mechanical design, not just physical form.
While the mass public defines “function” as a minivan or a Toyota
Camry, Elise/Exige owners might argue that they have confused the term
“function” with “utility”. Even when compared to other sports cars,
this Lotus has sacrificed utility for function.
3. By and large, Elise/Exige owners are very independent thinkers.
These owners are much more likely to have participated in individual
activities and individual sports. They are confident in their own
ability to make reasoned decisions. They are more likely than the
average person to cast aside convention if it suits them.
This car is tiny. It has a 1.8 liter four-cylinder engine. It only puts
out 190 horsepower. And women almost invariably agree that the car is
adorable. For a man, driving this car should, by all rights, be a
statement on par with admitting that one doesn’t like beer. But, they
don’t see it that way.
4. Ironically, Elise/Exige owners aren’t likely to be attention seekers.
In fact, it would seem that the large majority of owners are quite
unaccustomed to being the center of attention. Although though they
don’t necessarily seek the attention that their vehicle unavoidably
garners, they do enjoy the respect they receive.
5. Elise/Exige owners are more likely to be willing to take risks.
They aren’t necessarily adrenaline junkies, but they are more likely
than most people to make bold moves and take calculated risks.
6. Even when burdened with the full responsibility of adulthood, the average Elise/Exige owner is still able to nurture the inner desire to experience childlike joy.
It seems a shame that when we reach adulthood that we lose so much of
the desire to play like a child. When was the last time that you pulled
out the Hot Wheels and the old action heroes (dolls) and just played?
Really played?
Although many reject the idea that a Lotus could be considered a toy, don’t you feel like a kid playing with your toy when driving it?
7. Most people will assume someone driving an Elise or an Exige must be wealthy. Unlikely.
It seems to me that this vehicle is most often purchased by the
upper-middle class. People with middle-class values who work for a
living. People who don’t have a sense of superiority or entitlement.
People who are concerned about having enough money to retire
comfortably once they reach the normal age for retirement.
8. Although, in my experience women find this car to be more
interesting and appealing than any other sports car I am aware of, the
Elise/Exige is still purchased almost exclusively by men. But it must
be said that the women here who have purchased this vehicle are amazing!
1. This may seem obvious, but perhaps the single greatest thing we are likely to have in common is a passion for sports cars.
This may not seem like something unusual, but it is. Few people can
identify, let alone have any knowledge about, the broad range of sports
cars that so many folks here are aware of.
2. Although they are passionate people, Elise/Exige owners are more
likely to be led by their heads than their hearts. Logic comes before
emotion.
These owners are more likely that the average person to be excited by
and be able see beauty in mechanical design, not just physical form.
While the mass public defines “function” as a minivan or a Toyota
Camry, Elise/Exige owners might argue that they have confused the term
“function” with “utility”. Even when compared to other sports cars,
this Lotus has sacrificed utility for function.
3. By and large, Elise/Exige owners are very independent thinkers.
These owners are much more likely to have participated in individual
activities and individual sports. They are confident in their own
ability to make reasoned decisions. They are more likely than the
average person to cast aside convention if it suits them.
This car is tiny. It has a 1.8 liter four-cylinder engine. It only puts
out 190 horsepower. And women almost invariably agree that the car is
adorable. For a man, driving this car should, by all rights, be a
statement on par with admitting that one doesn’t like beer. But, they
don’t see it that way.
4. Ironically, Elise/Exige owners aren’t likely to be attention seekers.
In fact, it would seem that the large majority of owners are quite
unaccustomed to being the center of attention. Although though they
don’t necessarily seek the attention that their vehicle unavoidably
garners, they do enjoy the respect they receive.
5. Elise/Exige owners are more likely to be willing to take risks.
They aren’t necessarily adrenaline junkies, but they are more likely
than most people to make bold moves and take calculated risks.
6. Even when burdened with the full responsibility of adulthood, the average Elise/Exige owner is still able to nurture the inner desire to experience childlike joy.
It seems a shame that when we reach adulthood that we lose so much of
the desire to play like a child. When was the last time that you pulled
out the Hot Wheels and the old action heroes (dolls) and just played?
Really played?
Although many reject the idea that a Lotus could be considered a toy, don’t you feel like a kid playing with your toy when driving it?
7. Most people will assume someone driving an Elise or an Exige must be wealthy. Unlikely.
It seems to me that this vehicle is most often purchased by the
upper-middle class. People with middle-class values who work for a
living. People who don’t have a sense of superiority or entitlement.
People who are concerned about having enough money to retire
comfortably once they reach the normal age for retirement.
8. Although, in my experience women find this car to be more
interesting and appealing than any other sports car I am aware of, the
Elise/Exige is still purchased almost exclusively by men. But it must
be said that the women here who have purchased this vehicle are amazing!
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Clarkson Quote
Here's Clarckson speaking about the Caterham, but this is how I feel about the Lotus.
"I’ve always assumed that a car like this would feel like an extension of your hands and feet, but it’s the other way round.I felt like a part of it, an organic component but a component nevertheless. You use a normal car to take you somewhere and it tries to make that journey as pleasant as possible. But you would never use a Caterham as a means of transport because this is driving for the buzz of it, and as a result you’re not a passenger. You are there to do a job, which means you are no more and no less important than one of the pistons or the windscreen wipers."
"I’ve always assumed that a car like this would feel like an extension of your hands and feet, but it’s the other way round.I felt like a part of it, an organic component but a component nevertheless. You use a normal car to take you somewhere and it tries to make that journey as pleasant as possible. But you would never use a Caterham as a means of transport because this is driving for the buzz of it, and as a result you’re not a passenger. You are there to do a job, which means you are no more and no less important than one of the pistons or the windscreen wipers."
Monday, December 11, 2006
Songs that make me sigh for the Lotus!
Madonna: Sorry
Madonna: Hung up
Bodyrockers: I like the way you move
Gnarls Barley: Crazy
Benny Benassi: Satisfaction
Nelly Furtado: Maneater
U2: Vertigo
US: Discotheque
Pedro Abrunhosa: Estrada
Pedro Abrunhosa: Outra noite perfeita
Madonna: Hung up
Bodyrockers: I like the way you move
Gnarls Barley: Crazy
Benny Benassi: Satisfaction
Nelly Furtado: Maneater
U2: Vertigo
US: Discotheque
Pedro Abrunhosa: Estrada
Pedro Abrunhosa: Outra noite perfeita
powered by performancing firefox
Ferraris on fire
I am not one to complain about Ferraris spitting fire out of their exhaust. I for one think it's really cool, but when a number fo them starts blowing up, well that's kind of scary!
powered by performancing firefox
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Great site selling amazing classics
Holy mother of classics, Batman! This site has a number of classics such as two Carreras RS, a Renault 5 Turbo and two Reneualts Alpine and a Lotus Elan.
powered by performancing firefox
Friday, December 08, 2006
Lotus videos
Check out this video of the Lotus Elise, with great Lotus Classic Team footage at the end. There is also a great companion video of the Lotus Exige. These cars are so special!
powered by performancing firefox
Monday, November 20, 2006
Advanced driving techniques: Heel and toe downshift
Thursday, October 26, 2006
The 430 CS is here
According to this LeftLane piece, the *is* going to be a 430 CS. In the gallery, notice the standard windows, no rollcage, differen design and location of the fuelcap and different design in the part between the exhausts. Can't wait for the reviews.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Bye Atom, hello Caterham
New change to the car lineup. As much as I regret it, the Atom won't follow the Lotus. Acording to an EVO test, It is very snappy getting out of turns, not good. So I'm getting a Caterham CSR instead.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Hooorray for lightness!
YooHooo, a Catherham broke the top gear lap record , previously held by a Koenigsegg! Lightness pwns HP!
Check the video here
Check the video here
Friday, October 13, 2006
Cool elise video
I found this great video of the Liz on YouTube. I like to watch it at lunchtime, listening to some of my favorite driving songs. Very cool.
I want my lotus :-(
Crap, my house purchase is going to court and that means that I may loose or have to wait for years for the money to buy my Lotus. To make things worse, the sales rep called today to ask when I was planning to buy the car. NOT FAIR!
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
New car lineup
OK, I've been living in Lisbon for a month now and I barely drive. Actually I don't drive at all. So I don't really need a family saloon. Also, I am really committed to this race cars for the road perspective so I decided to go full hardcore and get an Exige S (supercharged) instead of an elise. I am getting one in Chrome Orange. The car lineup is as follows:
1. Lotus Exige S
2. Ariel Atom
3. Ferrari Challenge Stradale (hopefully the 430 version if they do one, otherwise the 360 version)
4. Porsche 997 GT3 RS
And then we'll see.
1. Lotus Exige S
2. Ariel Atom
3. Ferrari Challenge Stradale (hopefully the 430 version if they do one, otherwise the 360 version)
4. Porsche 997 GT3 RS
And then we'll see.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Modern cars are boring
Really interesting thread on FChat about how modern cars are boring becaujse of all the electronics and comfort. I second that! That's why my car collection includes only street legal race cars.
On a side note, Ferrari lovers are not without wits. Check out this statement on that thread:
"The more I drive, the more I believe my next weekend fun car will be vintage. I love Dinos, and I like early 911s. Drivers still had to be better than cars at the time, and the relationship between engine and driving dynamics was clearer -- because the cars didn't weigh 4000 lbs. In a way, I think the Lotus Elise is the last pure sports car you can buy now, while heavy gadget-laden computerized rides like the BMW 6 show how far off-course we are -- for sport driving (for a daily driver, I'd bet a BMW 6 would be fast, comfy and safe)."
On a side note, Ferrari lovers are not without wits. Check out this statement on that thread:
"The more I drive, the more I believe my next weekend fun car will be vintage. I love Dinos, and I like early 911s. Drivers still had to be better than cars at the time, and the relationship between engine and driving dynamics was clearer -- because the cars didn't weigh 4000 lbs. In a way, I think the Lotus Elise is the last pure sports car you can buy now, while heavy gadget-laden computerized rides like the BMW 6 show how far off-course we are -- for sport driving (for a daily driver, I'd bet a BMW 6 would be fast, comfy and safe)."
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Family holidays
Now family holidays don't mean time away from your sportscar. I could fit my Elise in one of these! ROTFL
Monday, August 28, 2006
My crappy car is back
La Bomba Rossa, my red 1990 Toyota Corolla Boomy is back from the garage. I haven't driven in a couple of weeks... I'll post a couple of pics soon.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
New car blog
I just created a new blog CarsOnDiet to keep a list of the street-legal cars where light weight is a significant element of performance. Be sure to check it out. I am aiming for bi-weekly updates.
Friday, August 18, 2006
New car lineup
Well, I've been thinking about how i simply cannot get excited over a 575 M or a DB9. I mean, I totally would not wake up at 4 am to take them for a drive like the Liz. I am a true 'lotus driver and minimalism is paramount', so I want my collection to feature roadlegal race cars. So here's the current lineup:
1. Lotus Elise R (Premium pack in Elise Sport colors)
2. Alfa 159 (Family car)
3. Ferrari F430 (Comfortable supercar)
4. Ferrari Challenge Stradale
Whichever one I can get my hands on. Right now the only available one is the 360 CS, but there's a Challenge version of the F430 (hopefully that means a CS version soon) and the new 599 GTB is running the Panamerican race, if they do a challenge stradale version of the 599, it would be equivalent to an Enzo in power, so maybe not.
5. Other cars
Other additions may include the Ariel Atom, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS and the Caterham Super 7.
1. Lotus Elise R (Premium pack in Elise Sport colors)
2. Alfa 159 (Family car)
3. Ferrari F430 (Comfortable supercar)
4. Ferrari Challenge Stradale
Whichever one I can get my hands on. Right now the only available one is the 360 CS, but there's a Challenge version of the F430 (hopefully that means a CS version soon) and the new 599 GTB is running the Panamerican race, if they do a challenge stradale version of the 599, it would be equivalent to an Enzo in power, so maybe not.
5. Other cars
Other additions may include the Ariel Atom, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS and the Caterham Super 7.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
New color choice on the Lotus
I saw a picture of a Lotus Sport Elise on Elise Talk and I totally fell in love with the color scheme (see pic below). So I am getting on with the Premium black leather interior. If it's too expensive, I'm going to get it in yellow and get it striped later.
Great roads in Portugal
My purchase of a Lotus Elise is coming closer. To celebrate it, here are some of the best twisties in Portugal.
1. The Sintra tour: I still haven't figured out the best circuit here. The goal is to keep to N247 as much as possible and then taking a secondary road on the east side of the mountain to avoid the large straight created by N8. My suggestion, just by looking a the map is to exit N8 just after Linhó.
2. The Fátima tour: I have only done the Fatima-Ourém part of the trip. It's really twisty, although it crosses some small towns. Again from looking at the map, my suggestion woukd be to take 349 down from Ourém and then taking the 357 to Boleiros and back to Fátima, going through the border of serra do Aire.
3. The Abrantes-Tramagal quickie: This is an insane bit of road with a quick succession of hairpins and sharp turns. It will only entertainyou for 15 minutes, but you'll get out of the car at Tramagal with your legs shaking.
4. The Constância tour: This circuit integrates the Abrantes-Tramagal quickie described above. Start from Constância heading north on the 358, take the Martinchel exit and follow it to Andreus and then Sardoal. Follow the 358 southeast to Mouriscas, then follow west to Alferrarede and Abrantes, take the quickie from Abrantez to Tramagal and then back across the river to Constância.
1. The Sintra tour: I still haven't figured out the best circuit here. The goal is to keep to N247 as much as possible and then taking a secondary road on the east side of the mountain to avoid the large straight created by N8. My suggestion, just by looking a the map is to exit N8 just after Linhó.
2. The Fátima tour: I have only done the Fatima-Ourém part of the trip. It's really twisty, although it crosses some small towns. Again from looking at the map, my suggestion woukd be to take 349 down from Ourém and then taking the 357 to Boleiros and back to Fátima, going through the border of serra do Aire.
3. The Abrantes-Tramagal quickie: This is an insane bit of road with a quick succession of hairpins and sharp turns. It will only entertainyou for 15 minutes, but you'll get out of the car at Tramagal with your legs shaking.
4. The Constância tour: This circuit integrates the Abrantes-Tramagal quickie described above. Start from Constância heading north on the 358, take the Martinchel exit and follow it to Andreus and then Sardoal. Follow the 358 southeast to Mouriscas, then follow west to Alferrarede and Abrantes, take the quickie from Abrantez to Tramagal and then back across the river to Constância.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Lotus Elise songs
Elisetalk has a thread with lotus elise songs. Some are really funny. Here's one of my favorites:
by, ChrisH at EliseTalk Forum
Copyright 2004
Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Lotus Elise?
My friends all drive Porsches that put me to sleep.
I crave excitement, just need some release.
So Lord, won't you buy me a Lotus Elise?
Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Lotus Elise?
Put down my deposit when read press release.
I don't have much money, I can't even lease.
So Lord, won't you buy me a Lotus Elise?
Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Lotus Elise?
Don't need no mechanic, just give me some grease.
I'll rebuild as needed, no leftover piece.
So Lord, won't you buy me a Lotus Elise?
Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Lotus Elise?
Been waiting for two years, I just need some peace.
It's stuck at the harbor, please get it released.
So Lord, won't you buy me a Lotus Elise?
Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Lotus Elise?
I'll drive with the top off, please no crap from geese.
The only thing missing is seats that will heat.
So Lord, won't you buy me a Lotus Elise?
Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Lotus Elise?
Mountain roads are calling, I can't help but speed.
Damn that big Hummer, it ran over me.
So Lord, WHY'D you buy me THAT Lotus Elise?
by, ChrisH at EliseTalk Forum
Copyright 2004
Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Lotus Elise?
My friends all drive Porsches that put me to sleep.
I crave excitement, just need some release.
So Lord, won't you buy me a Lotus Elise?
Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Lotus Elise?
Put down my deposit when read press release.
I don't have much money, I can't even lease.
So Lord, won't you buy me a Lotus Elise?
Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Lotus Elise?
Don't need no mechanic, just give me some grease.
I'll rebuild as needed, no leftover piece.
So Lord, won't you buy me a Lotus Elise?
Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Lotus Elise?
Been waiting for two years, I just need some peace.
It's stuck at the harbor, please get it released.
So Lord, won't you buy me a Lotus Elise?
Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Lotus Elise?
I'll drive with the top off, please no crap from geese.
The only thing missing is seats that will heat.
So Lord, won't you buy me a Lotus Elise?
Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Lotus Elise?
Mountain roads are calling, I can't help but speed.
Damn that big Hummer, it ran over me.
So Lord, WHY'D you buy me THAT Lotus Elise?
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Welcome to the Foundation
Holy mother of Tuners!
This site hosts a community of tuners that want to make their pontiacs look like the original KITT from the Knight Rider TV series. Some amazing stuff here, especially the great interior conversions.
This site hosts a community of tuners that want to make their pontiacs look like the original KITT from the Knight Rider TV series. Some amazing stuff here, especially the great interior conversions.
Elise: Color change
OK... Artic silver totally does not look exotic. I considered CO, SY and KG and ended up in ST. Not a really bright color kind of guy, I guess.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Elise test... Disappointed :-) ...
...that i could not bring it home right away :-(
Two disclaimers: 1) i have never drove or been in a sportscar before (daily driver is a bmw e46 318) 2) i am looking for a sportscar to drive occasionally to work and to have fun on weekends.
I first saw an elise in the uk in 2002. I immediately fell in love with the looks of the car. At the time i really liked the Z4 so i really didn't think seriously about the elise. Then i started reading about it here and in a couple of other on-line fora and fell in love with the concept behind the car.
After reading about suspension, radio, safety, i felt it was to extreme for me. I had been bitten by the sports car bug and salary went a bit up so i started to look at boxsters. The sportscar among the roadsters, as porsche claims.
Yesterday i went for a test drive on the elise in a city 200 miles north of where i live. I wanted to rule out the elise once and for all and i was sure that a test drive would show the suspension to be too hard, the car to be too spartan.
My test drive was booked for 2pm. I could not sleep the night before and took a 7am train. At 10:30 am i already was at a shopping mall 20 mins away on foot from the lotus dealer. I couldn't resist. I walked to it for a peek (hadn't seen na elise 'live' for two years). As i walked i caught a glance of the back of the solar yellow test drive car. It looked so beautiful. A bit more angled and a bit less round from the back than i had expected. I liked it. I walked on the side and saw the interior (soft top was on)... Nice. I looked at the front, my first glance went to the feline headlamps.
I only felt that way a couple of times in my life... I call it love at first sight.
I really wanted to be what you guys often call 'a lotus driver', someone that loves this car for what it is and who understands why it is a truly genial driving machine.
The car stand was on a cobblestone road with some potholes. 'that will show me what this suspension really feels', i thought.
There were still three hours to go for my appointed time. I could have gone in but i was too overwhelmed and went back to have lunch. Came back at 2pm sharp. My heart was pumping hard.
The salesman was really nice. We took out the rooftop and i sat at the wheel.
It felt crazy unbelievably fantastic. Wow. My cheekbones were hurting from the huge grin on my face. I said something like 'wow, this is, wow!' I turned the key and the elise woke up with a growl. My smile widened as I gave it some revs, 'oh my god, wow'. My negotiating position was gone, lol
I took a look at the cabin. The exposed aluminium, the large exposed bolt on the passenger's footweel, everything felt like a true pure sportscar. All my senses were in awe.
The time had come for me to find out if i was really a lotus driver.
I engaged the clutch. I thought it would feel delicate and flimsy. Instead i was rewarded with a strong mechanical feeling. I loved it. As i turned the wheels to get to the road i was surprised with all the information coming through the steering wheel. Amazing. As i drove through irregular coblestone and potholes, i could certaintly feel them more than on my bmw 318, but it was not really unbearable or uncomfortable just enough to give you the feeling of being in na uncompromising sports car. Not that i would want to make a 30 mile trip on a road like that, but neither would i on my bmw. It would be more comfortable on my bmw, but the elise could take it for half a mile with no big lack of comfort. After all i read about how awful the suspension is, i was really pleasantly surprised. Also ground clearance was not as bad as i expected. The car didn't scrape when i hit the potholes. I know one has to be careful with curbs and ramps. I just expected it to be worse.
Another sort of good surprise was the radio. It's not as good as a bmw but on city traffic and with the top off, it was adequate. Not great, but still good enough to enjoy music while waiting for the lights to turn green.
I was really overwhelmed with the car. I didn't really drive it fast and don't remember much. Among all the excitement, everything was a blur of joy. It didn't feel like there was na avalanche of power at the pedal waiting for me to release it. However, there was always power there when i needed it.
But then my slaesman intervened. I was cruising at 45 mph on 4th and he told me to drop it into third gear.
Holy ****!!!! Who just turned on a rocket engine on the back of this car?!
The engine roared as the 2nd cam got about its business and then I really felt that avalanche of power ready to be summoned at my will. Wooo hooo... All of my remaining bargaining power with the salesman just went out the exhaust :-)
This is a long write up already, so i'll just share a couple of other things. At one point i stopped in a red light behind a schoolbus and all these kids came to the back windows and started waving at me. I waved back and hit the high-beams a couple of times. Really cool!
I also stopped in traffic next to a boxster. The driver kept staring at the elise and gave me a thumbs up!
Two neat things about the elise that i hadn't read about before. When you're driving, your view on the bonnet is framed by the two side arches that end on the headlights. I really liked that because of the sporty feel. The other thing is the cool gold elise logo on the driver's side. It was painted on the three elises at the dealer. Looks cool, imho.
I now understand how much all of you that own or have driven na elise feel for this little bundle of joy because i feel it too. It's wild, insane, unbelievable, brilliant. It's... wow!
As i left the dealer after discussing options and pricing, the salesman drove me to the subway on a jaguar sedan. I took a glance in the rearview mirror and took a last look at the elise.I also noticed that the wide grin on my face hadn't faded a bit.
I had discovered, to my surprise and joy, that i am indeed a lotus driver.
Can't wait to be a lotus owner in a few months :-)
Two disclaimers: 1) i have never drove or been in a sportscar before (daily driver is a bmw e46 318) 2) i am looking for a sportscar to drive occasionally to work and to have fun on weekends.
I first saw an elise in the uk in 2002. I immediately fell in love with the looks of the car. At the time i really liked the Z4 so i really didn't think seriously about the elise. Then i started reading about it here and in a couple of other on-line fora and fell in love with the concept behind the car.
After reading about suspension, radio, safety, i felt it was to extreme for me. I had been bitten by the sports car bug and salary went a bit up so i started to look at boxsters. The sportscar among the roadsters, as porsche claims.
Yesterday i went for a test drive on the elise in a city 200 miles north of where i live. I wanted to rule out the elise once and for all and i was sure that a test drive would show the suspension to be too hard, the car to be too spartan.
My test drive was booked for 2pm. I could not sleep the night before and took a 7am train. At 10:30 am i already was at a shopping mall 20 mins away on foot from the lotus dealer. I couldn't resist. I walked to it for a peek (hadn't seen na elise 'live' for two years). As i walked i caught a glance of the back of the solar yellow test drive car. It looked so beautiful. A bit more angled and a bit less round from the back than i had expected. I liked it. I walked on the side and saw the interior (soft top was on)... Nice. I looked at the front, my first glance went to the feline headlamps.
I only felt that way a couple of times in my life... I call it love at first sight.
I really wanted to be what you guys often call 'a lotus driver', someone that loves this car for what it is and who understands why it is a truly genial driving machine.
The car stand was on a cobblestone road with some potholes. 'that will show me what this suspension really feels', i thought.
There were still three hours to go for my appointed time. I could have gone in but i was too overwhelmed and went back to have lunch. Came back at 2pm sharp. My heart was pumping hard.
The salesman was really nice. We took out the rooftop and i sat at the wheel.
It felt crazy unbelievably fantastic. Wow. My cheekbones were hurting from the huge grin on my face. I said something like 'wow, this is, wow!' I turned the key and the elise woke up with a growl. My smile widened as I gave it some revs, 'oh my god, wow'. My negotiating position was gone, lol
I took a look at the cabin. The exposed aluminium, the large exposed bolt on the passenger's footweel, everything felt like a true pure sportscar. All my senses were in awe.
The time had come for me to find out if i was really a lotus driver.
I engaged the clutch. I thought it would feel delicate and flimsy. Instead i was rewarded with a strong mechanical feeling. I loved it. As i turned the wheels to get to the road i was surprised with all the information coming through the steering wheel. Amazing. As i drove through irregular coblestone and potholes, i could certaintly feel them more than on my bmw 318, but it was not really unbearable or uncomfortable just enough to give you the feeling of being in na uncompromising sports car. Not that i would want to make a 30 mile trip on a road like that, but neither would i on my bmw. It would be more comfortable on my bmw, but the elise could take it for half a mile with no big lack of comfort. After all i read about how awful the suspension is, i was really pleasantly surprised. Also ground clearance was not as bad as i expected. The car didn't scrape when i hit the potholes. I know one has to be careful with curbs and ramps. I just expected it to be worse.
Another sort of good surprise was the radio. It's not as good as a bmw but on city traffic and with the top off, it was adequate. Not great, but still good enough to enjoy music while waiting for the lights to turn green.
I was really overwhelmed with the car. I didn't really drive it fast and don't remember much. Among all the excitement, everything was a blur of joy. It didn't feel like there was na avalanche of power at the pedal waiting for me to release it. However, there was always power there when i needed it.
But then my slaesman intervened. I was cruising at 45 mph on 4th and he told me to drop it into third gear.
Holy ****!!!! Who just turned on a rocket engine on the back of this car?!
The engine roared as the 2nd cam got about its business and then I really felt that avalanche of power ready to be summoned at my will. Wooo hooo... All of my remaining bargaining power with the salesman just went out the exhaust :-)
This is a long write up already, so i'll just share a couple of other things. At one point i stopped in a red light behind a schoolbus and all these kids came to the back windows and started waving at me. I waved back and hit the high-beams a couple of times. Really cool!
I also stopped in traffic next to a boxster. The driver kept staring at the elise and gave me a thumbs up!
Two neat things about the elise that i hadn't read about before. When you're driving, your view on the bonnet is framed by the two side arches that end on the headlights. I really liked that because of the sporty feel. The other thing is the cool gold elise logo on the driver's side. It was painted on the three elises at the dealer. Looks cool, imho.
I now understand how much all of you that own or have driven na elise feel for this little bundle of joy because i feel it too. It's wild, insane, unbelievable, brilliant. It's... wow!
As i left the dealer after discussing options and pricing, the salesman drove me to the subway on a jaguar sedan. I took a glance in the rearview mirror and took a last look at the elise.I also noticed that the wide grin on my face hadn't faded a bit.
I had discovered, to my surprise and joy, that i am indeed a lotus driver.
Can't wait to be a lotus owner in a few months :-)
Monday, April 17, 2006
Anticipation
OMG... I scheduled a test drive of the Elise for tuesday. I am tingling with anticipation. I am actually going to drive that little bugger. My expectations are a bit high, but not to much. I am anticipating the feeling of driving in such a beautiful machine, sitting so close to the ground. I am not expecting a rocket nor am i expecting a confortable car. Can't wait! I *really* can't wait!!!
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Crash!
Crap, i had a crash one week ago. I was going around a turn - real slow too! My foot slipped from the break to the accelerator and KABOOM :(
I crushed the other guy's trunk and my front end went in. I ended up having to pay 600 euros to the guy. Crap! There go my savings on the Elise TC (useless option if you don't want the LSD, which I don't). My lights are now pointing inwards but it's still somewhat safe... crap!!!
I crushed the other guy's trunk and my front end went in. I ended up having to pay 600 euros to the guy. Crap! There go my savings on the Elise TC (useless option if you don't want the LSD, which I don't). My lights are now pointing inwards but it's still somewhat safe... crap!!!
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Current car line
So here are the cars that I actually plan on buying. The rules are: Max number of Ferraris (can't beat them), and have at least one 8 liter engine, one 10 liter engineand one 12 liter engine.
1st - Lotus Elise
A fun targa top, which is a legend on its own
Here are a number of pictures of an artic silver elise (the color I'm getting).
2nd - Subaru Impreza WRX STI
Fun and great family car
3rd - Ferrari 328 GTS
A more civilized targa. But a Ferrari at heart.
4th - Ferrari F430 F1
Now we're talking. A great (the best) V8 out there
5th - Lamborghini Gallardo 2006
Amazing Looking V10. The 2006 MY and up have decent gearboxes.
6 th - Ferrari 575M Maranello
Oh yeah! V12!!!111
And then.... we'll see ;-)
1st - Lotus Elise
A fun targa top, which is a legend on its own
Here are a number of pictures of an artic silver elise (the color I'm getting).
2nd - Subaru Impreza WRX STI
Fun and great family car
3rd - Ferrari 328 GTS
A more civilized targa. But a Ferrari at heart.
4th - Ferrari F430 F1
Now we're talking. A great (the best) V8 out there
5th - Lamborghini Gallardo 2006
Amazing Looking V10. The 2006 MY and up have decent gearboxes.
6 th - Ferrari 575M Maranello
Oh yeah! V12!!!111
And then.... we'll see ;-)
BMW-Motorrad
One of the cars that I really love is the Ariel Atom. For a car like that you need a great helmet. BMW's new WCS-1 has all the right features. It looks great and it has bluetooth!
Saturday, March 04, 2006
My Lotus Elise
This Lotus Elise blog has a number of great pics and movies of a KG elise. Can't wait to get my own. I'm going for artic silver.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
In John They Trust
Some time ago, I posted about cargo cults. Now the Smithsonian Magazine has published a detailed article about one such cult. The article has really amazing pics of cult members worshiping their god, an american WW II soldier called John Frum.
Sold the BMW...
Well, I finally sold the BMW! Now I just have to save... I got a proposal on the mail from Lotus this morning and hte car now costs 55K, with no options, holy crap!
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Back to lotus
When I came back from England I was totally crazy for the Lotus Elise. But later after looking through a few postings online, I thought I could never use it as my daily driver so I went back to the Z4. Then I saw a '05 Boxster (I hated the older ones) and thought, this is it. But the Boxter that I was getting (not the S model) is not a real sports car. Just a poser. Plus I wouldn't be using it as my daily driver anyway. I decided that with the price of the Boxster I could buy a Lotus Elise real soon and then get a Subaru Impreza WRX STI for the family. So that's what I'm going to do. Back to the Lotus. The bonus is that the '06 models are more comfortable (with the super touring package) and even have traction control. Yay!
PS - I accidentally replace the 'six steps to Porsche' w/ 'six steps to Elise' below
PS - I accidentally replace the 'six steps to Porsche' w/ 'six steps to Elise' below
Monday, January 30, 2006
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Road review: Vasco da Gama bridge
Vasco da gama bridge
Type: Highway with 3 lanes
Landscape: 9/10
Pavement: 7/10
Car: Audi A4 van 1.9
Length: 17.2 km
Speed limit: 120 km/h
This is one of the longest bridges in Europe with stunning views over the Tagus river. Feels very woobly even on a car with a great suspension, which is made worse by the frquent metal links among slabs. Do not take a car with even the slight sporting suspension to this piece of road.
Type: Highway with 3 lanes
Landscape: 9/10
Pavement: 7/10
Car: Audi A4 van 1.9
Length: 17.2 km
Speed limit: 120 km/h
This is one of the longest bridges in Europe with stunning views over the Tagus river. Feels very woobly even on a car with a great suspension, which is made worse by the frquent metal links among slabs. Do not take a car with even the slight sporting suspension to this piece of road.
Friday, January 20, 2006
The curse of the sportscar owner
Haven't posted anything in a while, so I thought I'd put up this reply that I posted on 986forum.com to people complaining about reliability issues.
"My own view is that, unfortunately, sports cars are at the same time expensive but a bit unreliable. One cannot think about them like one does about buying a 7 series BMW or a really nice Merc sedan. problems just come with the territory. I used to be into the BMW z4 until the 987 came out (personally hated the 986 headlights). The issues that the Z4 have are countless, including a well documented failure in the steering system when the car spent a few hours under the sun. Compared to the main Z4 online forum, this 986/987 forum is reassuring. It has an order of magnitude of problems reported with the car than those reported by Z4 owners."
"My own view is that, unfortunately, sports cars are at the same time expensive but a bit unreliable. One cannot think about them like one does about buying a 7 series BMW or a really nice Merc sedan. problems just come with the territory. I used to be into the BMW z4 until the 987 came out (personally hated the 986 headlights). The issues that the Z4 have are countless, including a well documented failure in the steering system when the car spent a few hours under the sun. Compared to the main Z4 online forum, this 986/987 forum is reassuring. It has an order of magnitude of problems reported with the car than those reported by Z4 owners."
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Sports Car Market > SCMSearch
Sports SCMSearch offers a great service for car collectors. It allows you to use e-mail technology to query their database of collector cars and returns search results by email as well.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
How to get in and out of an Elise with the roof on
Here a great video showing how to get in and out of a Lotus Elise. LOL :-)
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Cars that I plan to buy in the next 10 years
1. Porsche Boxster 987 Grey/Cocoa/Cocoa
2. Lotus Elise Artic Grey/Red
3. Ferrari F430 Red/Brown
4. Lamborghini Gallardo Yellow/Black
2. Lotus Elise Artic Grey/Red
3. Ferrari F430 Red/Brown
4. Lamborghini Gallardo Yellow/Black
Six steps to Lotus
Goal:
Get one of these:
Process:
Step 1: Buy a cheap used car
Status: Completed: 1990 Toyota corolla liftback (like the one below)
Step 2: Repaint BWM
Status: Completed
Step 3: Sell BMW :-(
Status: Completed
Step 4: Get 45 000 Euro
Status: 0 euro
Step 5: Order Lotus Elise 2006
Status: Pending
Step 6: Pick up Lotus Elise 2006
Status: Pending
Get one of these:
Process:
Step 1: Buy a cheap used car
Status: Completed: 1990 Toyota corolla liftback (like the one below)
Step 2: Repaint BWM
Status: Completed
Step 3: Sell BMW :-(
Status: Completed
Step 4: Get 45 000 Euro
Status: 0 euro
Step 5: Order Lotus Elise 2006
Status: Pending
Step 6: Pick up Lotus Elise 2006
Status: Pending
Umbropelling - what's in a name?
Above all else, I love driving. The night time, the time at which the world retires to the shadows, is my favorite time to drive. That's why I decided to name this blog 'umbropelling'. It comes from juxtaposing two latin roots. Umbro- means 'shadow', and -pell means 'to drive'.
This blog chronicles my history as a driver and has some (hopefully) useful information for fellow drivers in Europe, especially Portugal.
This blog chronicles my history as a driver and has some (hopefully) useful information for fellow drivers in Europe, especially Portugal.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
