Ekona Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Anyone get the leaflet with Evo/Octane recently inviting people to apply for a free day at Silverstone on Lotus, driving both the Evora and Evora S on track along with driving the normal one on the road? I did, and I applied, and I apparently passed the qualifying questions on the phone call as I've just got a letter confirming my place next Saturday! I can't wait, should be a really good opportunity to discover just how good the Evora/S is supposed to be both on road and track, and just how it compares to the 911 which is where Lotus are aiming the S version IMHO. I'll try and get loads of pics and stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shire350Z Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Bugger I got a email today saying that I'd missed out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LRF4N Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Sounds good mate I love the evora. Saw it unveiled at London motor show 2-3 yrs ago, only seen one on the road since Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Mcgoo Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Nice one! I don't think I've ever entered or applied for anything like that, I just assume I wouldn't win. I suppose if you don't ask you don't get. That should be a good day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vern Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I've just had the 'thanks but no thanks' e-email They obviously didn't like my profile........ Currently have a 370z aged 45 Local to the circuit Able to afford the car Never mind, at least they have 'kindly' passed my details onto the local dealer who can now rag me about buying a new Evora! Happy days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urabus Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 it's the Porker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 11, 2011 Author Share Posted February 11, 2011 it's the Porker As much as I laugh at that, it's also probably true: There's loads of guys over on SELOC who missed out because they have the cheek to own a Lotus already, and it's the people that don't that I'm assuming they're trying to coax away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daryl Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Thats 10 minutes from my house! Cant believe i missed out on that,iv not gone through last months Evo yet,so thats a bugger. What time does it start and finish? Im working tomorrow,but if im traveling back at a good time,i can pop in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H5 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Would love to get an Evora on track, am envious, enjoy it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 11, 2011 Author Share Posted February 11, 2011 What time does it start and finish?Im working tomorrow,but if im traveling back at a good time,i can pop in. Don't panic just yet, it's not until next Saturday (19th)! I'm on in the morning so it's a 9am start I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 That's a pretty cool free prize. Will you want to punt the 911 soon after it???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 11, 2011 Author Share Posted February 11, 2011 I very much doubt it, but I'll go in with an open mind. The S will have to be screwed together a lot better than the early launch car I sat in to be worth the money though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narcotix Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 I had a test drive in the Evora about a year ago and it was great fun to drive! On a track would definitely have been better! I'm Jealous ... LoL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daryl Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 What time does it start and finish?Im working tomorrow,but if im traveling back at a good time,i can pop in. Don't panic just yet, it's not until next Saturday (19th)! I'm on in the morning so it's a 9am start I think. Ah right,i wont be about then im affraid,im off to Coombe Abbey next weekend. Hope you have a great time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 So, the Evora and Evora S then. Despite yesterday being a total washout with regards to the weather, which made driving the southern section of Silverstone a bit of a nightmare due to all the freshly-laid surfaces, I can without doubt say that I had the greatest drive in any car ever yesterday. The day was very well structured, and after being split into groups I discovered that I had pretty much the perfect itinerary for the day: Track in Evora, then track in the Evora S, then a road drive in the Evora. As said above, the track was soaking wet and I'd never driven Silverstone before which makes it very hard to get your bearings, and I have to say that my instructor in the Evora was very forgiving as I was pretty awful first thing That said, it was still a good chance to drive the car and I actually prefer driving in the wet on track, really sorts the men from the boys. A couple of the quicker S cars came past but with an extra 70bhp that wasn't surprising really! The wet line at Silverstone is a bit weird in places, and I found myself getting a bit lost pretty easily sadly, however it gave me a good idea of the layout for the fun that was to come... Ahh, the S. Pretty much the drive everyone was looking forward to all day. Different instructor this time, and by some miracle fluke I ended up with Ian Ashley, ex-F1 driver who's driven with and against Moss and Fittipaldi in his time. Really nice guy, very much a gentleman from that era, until you sit in in a car on track. He then became the most aggressive and forceful man I've ever met, which was fantastic! He was literally shouting at me to take the right line, and he got me trail braking incredibly hard into the corners to get the weight over the front which was just brilliant, feeling the car work so hard despite the conditions. The best part was coming through Stowe at the end of the Hangar Straight, where the wet line is right round the outside and he was making me take it at a speed that I would've struggled to contemplate in the dry! I was terrified yet enthralled both at the same time, and it really made me re-evaluate my own driving skills, or lack thereof. After a short break we had the road drive, which was a bit irrelevant really given the route (bit of dual carriageway then a pootle through the village). I'd have settled for another couple of laps in either car really, but at least the offer was there and Lotus were very generous with their cars. So, the cars themselves then. On track they are simply incredible: The base Evora is a pretty quick car anyway, and the Toyota lump powering it suits the car perfectly and you get a wonderfully smooth delivery from it. Tbh I didn't really notice the extra power on the S too much but then I was quite busy being terrified, and the lack of any noticeable supercharger whine is a little disappointing: I like a little drama in my sports cars. Where the S does score above the NA car is the handling, as the suspension bushes have been stiffened up by 10% which doesn't sound a lot, but it makes a wonderful car into something truly special, and you then realise just why other companies pay Lotus Engineering so much to fine tune their own cars. These guys really know their stuff, and as much as I hate to repeat what every other motoring journo has said for the last two years, the Evora is simply untouchable from a handling POV. The rough circuit ring road which in under construction still has these immense potholes that the Evora just gobbles up so smoothly, when the suspension on the 911 is getting a bit jittery. Ah yes, comparisons with a Porsche. Given that Lotus themselves have said that both the Cayman S and entry level 911 Carrera were targets for the Evora/S to beat, I don't feel bad making these comparisons. Unfortunately, this is where the Lotus falls apart as an ownership proposition. The interior is covered in leather, but it's not very high-quality stuff and there's a lot of wrinkling and panel gaps which shouldn't be there on a car costing around £70K in a decent spec. Lotus might've been better off with a decent plastic than trying leather here I feel, but it's certainly a jump up from an Elise or Europa. The seats are Recaros which are wonderful, and yet the seats in the 911 are that little bit better, even considering that mine are the adaptive sports seats. The sat-nav/ICE Alpine thing is vile and obtrusive in the car, shining a bright red glow much like Rudolph in December. The steering wheel, which looks far too big for the car at first glance, is actually a very good size in use which makes it more of a shame that it covers up half the buttons next to the dash including the vital Sport button! Tut tut Lotus, this is very basic stuff. And yet, when you remove the comparisons, what you're left with is a wonderful sports/GT car. The chassis is sublime, with a stiffness yet compliance you wouldn't have thought possible. The S in particular, with the revised suspension settings, is a joy when pushing on and corners so flatly it's as if it was laying the rails itself. The P Zero tyres compliment the car very nicely, and give a balance on the limit in the wet that any car would be proud of at any price point. The brakes are a touch over-servoed for me, yet they stop the car well and are very progressive. There is a certain amount of criticism that can be levelled at the gear change, as the gate seems to widen for some reason over by 5th and 6th, and although Lotus also tightened the whole mechanism up on the S, it's still a bit like stirring a bucket of bricks at times. The one thing that bothers me is that I love all things Lotus, and I love the way they go about things, and I deliberately put off driving an Evora for as long as possible as I was terrified that I might realise that I'd actually bought the wrong car. Luckily for me (not so much for Lotus), I made the right call. It's missing that spark, that magic, that little something extra that makes every drive an event. The Zed has it, the 911 definitely has it, but the Evora doesn't. If you knocked £10K to £15K off the cost of the Evora you'd have an absolute bargain, and a must-buy car that would be selling out everywhere, but as it stands it's simply too expensive for what you get. If you really don't like German cars or must have a car that no-one else has then you'd be perfectly happy in an Evora, but for the rest of us I suspect that you'd spend your whole time driving it getting more and more irked by the little things they should've gotten right rather than the things they did. Yes, of course it's vital for a car to handle and stop and go very well, but it's also important to get the tiny details right. I'm not sure the Evora is quite there, but it's given me a renewed hope for the Esprit and Elan when/if they get released in a few years time. I'm more in love with Lotus today than I was before driving the Evora, and yet I'm less likely to buy any of their range today than I was before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Husky Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 very good write up any chance it could have a thread with the review right at the top so i can send it to friends Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisS Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Great write up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 any chance it could have a thread with the review right at the top so i can send it to friends If you give them this link: http://www.350z-uk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=679669#p679669 ...it'll take them right to the post And thanks guys for the positive comments! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richt Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Great review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK350Z Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Good write up mate. Isn't the Evora getting the heave-ho when the new Lotus line up/buisness model comes online? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 It is, which is another reason not to buy one: I doubt the new models will be anything less than stunning, and they're going to make the Evora seem very old hat. Don't ge me wrong, the Evora is a wonderful car, but I couldn't recommend it over a Cayman S or used 997. In all honesty even a sorted 370Z might even be a better buy if you can live with FR over MR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK350Z Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 The new models will have to be top drawer for the projected prices! Weight wise it might be the final end of the Chapman philosophy though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Husky Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 any chance it could have a thread with the review right at the top so i can send it to friends If you give them this link: http://www.350z-uk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=679669#p679669 ...it'll take them right to the post And thanks guys for the positive comments! perfect, ta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Different instructor this time, and by some miracle fluke I ended up with Ian Ashley, ex-F1 driver who's driven with and against Moss and Fittipaldi in his time. Really nice guy, very much a gentleman from that era, until you sit in in a car on track. I remember him well from my days of following F5000 all over the country, small guy, looked like a young kid in the 70's despite the fact he must have been at least 30 . He was known as "Crashley Ashley" back in the day , often wondered what happened to him Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 great write up, always had a soft spot for Lotus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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