Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Nesting for the Lotus: Shoes

Building the nest for the upcoming arrival of the Lotus. First step: get some new rubber for my own feet :-)
(Mine are brown and *do not* have the Ferrari logo)


Friday, March 09, 2007

Hooray for Geneva and light cars!

The Aston Martin N24



The Gallardo SuperLeggera



The Exige GT3



The Lotus 2-11



The KTM X-BOW



.... and Ferrari finally announced the Light Pista!

Monday, February 26, 2007

w00t! Pulled the trigger on an Exige S

Finally!!!!!

Put my deposit down for a (Chrome Orange) Lotus Exige S on Feb 19. Should be here in May!

Can't wait!!!!!

:-D



Thursday, February 08, 2007

Holy shit! I have the cash!

It's really happening. I just reached my 40K target to get the lotus. I'll be making the call to the salesman later this mornig. OMG!!!!1!!!





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Wednesday, January 31, 2007

How to drive

Now that I am about to get an exige, it's time to get some lessons in real world driving.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Alomost there

W00T! I already have the cash I need to get the Exige. It's being paid to my account at the end of this month! Can't wait!

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!

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."

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





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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!





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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.



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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!





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Monday, November 20, 2006

Advanced driving techniques: Heel and toe downshift

Heel and toe downshift is one of the most useful but also trickiest advanced driving manoeuvers. Here's a good how to. Here's a helpful video

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

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.