Here Is My Experience Driving A Top Gear Patagonia Special Car

"Torque Affair" (torqueaffair) 01/11/2015 at 12:55 • Filed to: LOTUS

41

100

It was only a matter of time before I went back.

The last time I was at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , we drove the Shelby Cobra which was an eventful experience to say the least.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

As soon as I saw them put a Lotus Esprit up for sale, I called up Eric (general manager of Mosing Motorcars) at which point his immediate reaction was:

"That guy again???"

I always swing by Mosing Motorcars because they manage to get their hands on some very cool cars. When I saw the Esprit on sale, I had to go in and take a closer look.

If you take a quick glance at the Lotus Esprit, you might think this is a Lamborghini Diablo or another supercar from the same era. The Esprits are rare since only a handful of them were built and luckily, you can purchase an Esprit for a fraction of whatever ridiculous price the Diablo is valued at.

This Esprit was built in 1998 and has enough stickers and badges to make sure you know that there is a V8 in the car - a 3.5L twin turbo V8 to be exact. It generates a respectable 350 hp and at a weight of only 3000 lbs, the Lotus is still fairly quick.

Apparently, the engine is capable of producing 500 hp but the weak link in the car is the transmission. Because it couldn't handle that much power, the engine was detuned to 350 hp. It's unfortunate that the Esprit stock gearboxes are not the greatest, but, fortunately there are people out there who make upgraded versions so that you can drive a 500 hp Lotus Esprit.

I wish this one was a 500 hp version!

The Esprit looks really good with this eye-catching Azure blue paint scheme which has been kept in excellent condition. The 17 year old car also has only 30K miles on it.

The wheels look a little dated but, then again, this car was built close to two decades ago.

The engine cover in the back looks like it could be housing subwoofers instead of covering an actual engine.

But who needs subwoofers or music of any kind in the car when you have an amazing sounding twin turbo V8??

Behind the engine, there is just a little bit of room to store stuff which can only mean one thing: you can cook your eggs and bacon just in time for breakfast on your drive home from the grocery store.

At the very least you'll have your hot pocket all heated up and ready to eat by the time you get home. I'm joking - I don't really know how hot it gets in the space behind the engine.

Just don't put a bag of ice back there.

Under the front hood, there is no room for anything but at least you have a spare.

However, storage space doesn't really matter because you wouldn't be buying an Esprit to haul stuff around in anyway.

Getting into the car can be a challenge. You have to be flexible and bend down quite low in order to get yourself seated. Not only is the car very low to the ground, but the door sills are so wide that you have to climb over them to get in. Because there is not much wiggle room at all, you have to contort yourself carefully into a position to slide onto the seat.

Once you're inside the car you can breathe a sigh of relief - that is - until you have to get out of the car again which is another challenge . Actually, it's not all that bad. The Elise is much worse.

The two-tone interior looks nice and was kept in great shape.

Then I came across this which was quite odd.

What was it??

Should I be checking my blood pressure?

It turns out that you use it to adjust your lumbar support. That seems like a lot of work. These days, I need buttons to do things like this for me since I've forgotten what it's like to do anything manually in a vehicle aside from turning a steering wheel.

Ah…it's been a while since I've been in a car with an ashtray.

The Driving Experience

I found that the steering wheel was so close to me that my elbows were at a 90 degree angle which took me a while to get used to. The accelerator and clutch were fairly stiff and rolling from 1st gear seemed to be different every time like the clutch engagement point was moving around. However, once I got the car going, it was nothing but loads of fun.

As soon as I hit the higher rpms, the sound of the turbos along with the V8 exhaust sound made me forget about everything else.

The steering was really responsive and the huge rear tires made sure I had enough grip in the turns even though the body felt a little unstable (or maybe I was just imagining things) . My favorite part of the car was listening to the amazing mix of sounds between the V8 exhaust and the turbos: yes, there is absolutely no need for a stereo or music of any kind that would interfere with the sound of the exhaust/turbo combination.

Visibility in this car wasn't the greatest. There were blind spots for sure, although I was pleasantly surprised that the huge rear spoiler didn't obstruct the view in the mirror as much as I thought it would.

But, then again, who really cares what's happening behind you?

Just point and shoot.

Other cars can slow down...a nd they actually did!

Here is what I mean - every time I even had a thought about changing lanes, it seemed like people could read my mind and slowed down immediately. When I would actually turn on the blinker, people slammed on their brakes and gave me so much room that I didn't know how to react. What usually happens to me almost 100% of the time is that whenever I turn on the signal, people do whatever they can to not let me get in front of them. This involves dramatically increasing their speed to close the gap, flipping me off, honking and throwing rocks at me.

So, it was completely unexpected that people let me get in front of them. This was actually a good thing because there were a few times where I wasn't sure if anyone was there because of the blind spots.

I guess this is what happens when you drive a car that most people are admiring and happy to see. The Esprit is absolutely a head-turner.

When we parked, someone came over and remarked about how beautiful the car was. I'm sure things like this happen all the time with Esprit since there is no denying that the car looks amazing.

I caught the Top Gear Patagonia special after having driven the Esprit and was surprised to see James May pull up in one of these. I was completely shocked to see the Esprit hold up so well inspite of the usual crap that Top Gear puts their cars through. The Lotus handled mud, branches, rocks, water, snow, towed a trailer with ease and more importantly was more reliable than the other two cars! Who would've thought that the Esprit was capable of putting up with such torture and I must say that my appreciation for the car dramatically increased after watching the entire episode.

If you're looking for an interesting car ( ahem, Doug DeMuro ) that is hard to come by, the Esprit is certainly worth taking a look at.

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is about exploring my fascination with cars; I'm always on the lookout for things that interest me in the car world. Like !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and follow !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! !

CB > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 13:15

1

How much was it going for?

Torque Affair > CB 01/11/2015 at 13:17

4

Around $40K

Sam > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 13:24

6

Wow, for the price of one mildly optioned 2014 Evora, you could buy two TT V8 Esprit. What a bargain.

505Turbeaux > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 13:32

6

the V8 is so vastly superior to the 4 cylinder turbo, having driven both versions, and logging much more seat time in the 4 banger.

Torque Affair > 505Turbeaux 01/11/2015 at 13:46

1

Yeah, I bet. The V8 is awesome.

Torque Affair > Sam 01/11/2015 at 13:46

0

Yeah - and the Esprit hasn't depreciated that much. Brand new it was around $90k.

Sam > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 13:55

5

Calculating for inflation, that's about $5k a year. My BMW has lost about $3.3k a year, but was only about $50k new. Not at all bad, for what is basically a 90s supercar.

Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 14:29

1

Wow, super jealous of you. What a beautiful car. Its a shame what happened to the one in the Top Gear special.

QCGoose > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 14:30

8

I've always been in love with the Esprit and would love to have a '97 V8 (I've always liked the lower S4s wing used on the '97 before they went with the taller "pillared" wing for '98).

Torque Affair > Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage 01/11/2015 at 14:33

0

Yea those guys really just go at it with those cars.

Torque Affair > Sam 01/11/2015 at 14:34

0

Yep, you got it!

jkm7680 > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 15:10

1

Like the updated steering wheel, Looks great though! The shift boot just looks a little bit icky.

coday182 > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 15:16

2

I was also very impressed by the Lotus' performance in Top Gear's special. The only thing that surprised me was they way they willingly trashed a 'rare' exotic(?). I don't actually know much about how collectable these are, but I'm assuming they are not typically beater cars.

PitCrew Lefties > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 15:22

6

The real break out star in Pretty Woman was the silver Esprit

Dsscats > CB 01/11/2015 at 15:23

0

http://www.mosingmotorcars.com/cars/1998-lotu…

elkris > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 15:24

0

It's funny those blood pressure machine are in the Gen II Vipers. As soon as I install a lift, I plan on picking up a Esprit V8. I've always loved these machines. In my opinion ~$40k is a steal for such a rare exotic. I expect these values to jump in the near term. Of course a couple years back when I first started looking, they could be had in the high 20's.

forgeryfade > 505Turbeaux 01/11/2015 at 15:25

2

The early 4 cylinders did look a lot better in my opinion. I hate the half hearted attempt to round out the crisp lines of the original design. That flat plane V8 sounds amazing though and really is the perfect engine for the Esprit.

Postman Pat > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 15:35

0

Inb4 there are Toyota parts on this car and you are looking at them in one of the pictures here.

KatzManDu > 505Turbeaux 01/11/2015 at 15:36

1

Tell me more.

JUSTPICKLESGODDAMNIT > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 15:41

0

outdated wheels? what the hell are you talking about? these wheels are awesome. it would be weird if you had modern wheels on there. thats what I think anyway JESUS!

stephenmcknight > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 15:52

1

Richard Porter joked to Chris Harris on Twitter, that the car Chris wanted was James May Lotus in the End Chris agreed he would like a Lotus esprit. for me i take the Mach 1 Mustang as i like an Amercian muscle car and the Mustang is my favourite.

the Porsche 928 is a fine car but it a Porsche and I am not a big Porsche fan. Top Gear return on Sunday the 25th of January at 8 pm on BBC 2, Andy Wilman said there is 12 shows in this season that included the two part special.

autothusiest > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 16:04

0

Good God that car is beautiful... you leave them wheels alone, they've done nothing to you.

Fuel_of_Satan > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 16:04

0

That's where I got it from! I recently retrofit one of those lumbar support seats in my Mercedes. Originally it was controlled by the same pump that does central locking, but in lieu of that pump for now I found one of these in my big box'o'parts and I figured it would be perfect. Never knew it was this perfect.

Who else used these hand pumps? I can't recall turning a single screw on a Lotus before.

Rx_37 > elkris 01/11/2015 at 16:05

0

Yes these cars might just start appreaciating in value quite good in the near future.

hgrunt > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 16:10

0

Fantastic car! I always curious about how they were to drive, from a normal person perspective, instead of jaded car magazine writer.

In the Patagonia episode, I noticed all of the cars were equipped with skid plates underneath, which explained how they never broke an oil pan!

Soused > 505Turbeaux 01/11/2015 at 16:12

1

I drove an 89 quite a bit and the engine was gutless below 4000 RPM.

Handling was phenomenal, though.

OtizzyStarBai > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 16:19

14

very cool read... thanks for posting it!

in the end, for my 40k I'd have to go for one of these...

Whitesmoke > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 16:25

0

I remember one of these at a track day at Little Talledega - I was in an M-Roadster and we were about evenly matched.

JustAnotherIdiot > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 16:38

0

Needs moar gated shifter.

rosslitman > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 17:19

0

Looks like this one was fitted with a later Elise/Exige wheel - I don't recall these wheels ever being fitted to Esprits

Torque Affair > rosslitman 01/11/2015 at 17:36

1

Yeah you're right, it wasn't the original wheel

Torque Affair > JustAnotherIdiot 01/11/2015 at 17:36

0

That would've been nice!

Torque Affair > OtizzyStarBai 01/11/2015 at 17:37

0

Sure thing! Yeah I think I'd want that too!

the_universe_according_to_jacob > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 17:39

2

DOUG

DOUG

DOUG

DOUG

DOUG

just kidding but if anyone deserves an internet chant its doug demuro

Torque Affair > hgrunt 01/11/2015 at 17:39

1

That makes sense! At the end of the episode they mentioned that their crew consisted of 31 people...most of them were probably there to fix the cars once a day.

Torque Affair > autothusiest 01/11/2015 at 17:40

0

lol. Yes sir!

Torque Affair > stephenmcknight 01/11/2015 at 17:41

1

The Lotus was so impressive in the special - could hardly believe it!

Torque Affair > Fuel_of_Satan 01/11/2015 at 17:42

1

Interesting story!

Torque Affair > elkris 01/11/2015 at 17:44

0

Yeah, and this particular one was in such great shape. Great value for whoever wants one.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Sam 01/11/2015 at 17:47

0

#justTavarishthings

DoneWithKinja > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 17:48

0

Take that thing offroading! If Captain slow can do it, it's gotta be fun

Torque Affair > DoneWithKinja 01/11/2015 at 17:49

0

So impressive how that car performed in those conditions!

Mr Ordinary > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 17:56

1

There's still quite a few knocking around in Blighty.

I recall reading this thread which is quite interesting and the sound of the engine + turbo (page 3) is amazing.

http://www.pistonheads.com/GASSING/topic.…

What an awesome car!

Mr Ordinary > OtizzyStarBai 01/11/2015 at 17:58

0

Another amazing car!

I'm not sure I could choose between them.

davedave1111 > coday182 01/11/2015 at 18:07

0

It's not all that rare, really. There are still 160 left in the UK, out of 173 at the peak - and that just the V8 turbos in the UK, not all Esprits globally.

https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/lotus_…

Esprits generally aren't that expensive here, and when you compare even a relatively expensive one to the cost of filming a TG special, it's negligible. I couldn't find any specific numbers, but regular episodes apparently average about £500k each, so a double-length special must cost at least twice as much.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 18:40

2

It's slightly amusing thinking that the Esprit shares a gearbox with this.

The only one that could fit and handle (debatably) the power. It's actually rather amazing to note just how long the Esprit was in production considering the circumstances. Initially, it was a post-'73 oil crisis car, small engine and light body for fuel-sippy performance. Then the oil crisis went away and came back again, then went away again. Lotus was sold to GM, then Bugatti, then Proton. Apparently, when they were designing the Elise, they didn't have enough money to pay the invoices. And through it all, the Esprit soldiered on. One could say that to an extent, it definitely helped keep the company afloat.

DoneWithKinja > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 18:42

0

Seriously, I thought that thing was going to be the problem child of the group, but it did better than the other two by miles

stephenmcknight > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 18:43

0

better to get the cars back than been summoned to the DR Who rooms, to meet an angry BBC Director General Baron lord Hall of Birkenhead who read Andy and Jeremy the riot act over what happen in Argentina.

Andy using Top Gear Scarcam in this month magazine, said they spent a year getting facial and pedicure not in the papers or been stoned by an angry mob. Jeremy said he like the cars back but it highly unlikely that they get them back at all shame that.

Chaos-cascade > Fuel_of_Satan 01/11/2015 at 18:52

0

85 Celica SR5's had them and I suspect the supra did as well.

945T > Sam 01/11/2015 at 18:59

0

For further perspective, $40k in Ferrari land will only get you a ten year older car with 80 horsepower less. Nice Price.

Chaos-cascade > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 19:02

3

I used to see the 4 bangers for 20k. Today all I could find was the shell of a 1975. It's only a hundred bucks if someone has a Lotus bug.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/cto/483973…

Or as Tavarish would say. " You could own this Lotus Elise for the price of movie out with your wife and two kids!"

Of course she would probably wind up leaving you and selling your partially completed project to get it out of your former garage.

Fuel_of_Satan > Chaos-cascade 01/11/2015 at 19:04

0

It might be fair to assume some other Toyota's did as well then. That goes some way to explain where I got mine. Thanks!

Chaos-cascade > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 19:06

0

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/ctd/481365…

Good looking 4 banger for $18,000.

ZippyTheSlug > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 19:19

12

Mine is a 2001 and is as awesome as you think a true GT sports car should be. I think Doug should get one! :D

I've had mine for 25K miles and owned it for 3 years. Mainly a weekender and date night machine. The trunk does get hot on long trips, it will cook your wine! But probably not hot enough to cook your eggs, at least not from the grocery store to home.

It always gets second looks and everyone tries to race you. Mine is still completely stock so the 350HP next to most other sports cars is quite inadequate, so I don't even try. I just wave and let them go by.

The clutch does catch at different positions depending on temperature for some reason. I'm getting the transmo fluid flushed to see if that helps. Otherwise maintenance has been pretty regular. Tires, gas, oil, and knock on wood.. everything still works. Yea!

And this one above had the steering wheel replace with the Elise version. The original is from a Pontiac. One update I myself need to do.

Anyway, here's a gratuitous shot of the purple beast:

Torque Affair > ZippyTheSlug 01/11/2015 at 19:22

1

Wow - now thats a beautiful car and color. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Do you know what all changed between 98 and yours ('01)? Just curious..

Torque Affair > Chaos-cascade 01/11/2015 at 19:23

0

Ooooh. not bad!

Torque Affair > DoneWithKinja 01/11/2015 at 19:24

0

Yep - my thoughts as well!

bubblestheturtle > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 19:28

0

That is a great looking example of the Esprit. And it is in my neighborhood. Now if I had $30k.

smsalsuwaidi > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 19:39

1

Did you seriously call a set of OZ Futuras outdated ?

ZippyTheSlug > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 19:41

0

Thank you! Between the 98 and 01 there weren't a lot of changes. Mainly there were some cylinder liner issues with the earlier V8's that if the engine wasn't broken in properly it would have to be rebuilt. I believe the brakes were updated to brembo for mine as well. Wheel styles also changed. The '02-'04s had an updated rear end tail lights and exhaust.

Otherwise, there really isn't a whole lot of different throughout all the the Esprit V8s.

Torque Affair > smsalsuwaidi 01/11/2015 at 19:46

0

Yes I did, but apparently that didn't go over so well with many of the commenters. It's just a personal opinion although I can see how many would still love the looks of them.

Torque Affair > ZippyTheSlug 01/11/2015 at 19:46

0

Ah cool...interesting.

William Robinson > Fuel_of_Satan 01/11/2015 at 20:30

1

Toyota was one.

TheStigsGermanCousin > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 21:16

0

Wow, Compare that to the cheapest Diablo I've seen which was 90k this is a real bargain. I WANT THE ESPRIT.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 21:19

0

If this was a Hyundai, this bad ass engine cover would be hiding a transverse V6

Nytmare > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 21:20

0

My Esprit rarely invites anyone to race me, and people are constantly pulling out in front of me, like I don't exist. Maybe it's the black color, I don't know. Many people don't know what it is, often guessing that it's a Lamborghini.

The pedals are very close together because of wheel well intrusion. But the turning radius is superb.

Stupid transmission. The syncros stink, I can't shift into 2nd gear at high rpm without grinding — really interrupts trying to accelerate hard from a stop.

There are two rear windows (one on the hatch) and it's very hard to clean in between them.

It is fast, gorgeous, and gets 17 mpg.

Cowboy behind the wheel > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 21:28

0

I so totally want one of these. They've always been in my top ten most wanted cars. 350hp is plenty of horsepower to have a load of fun. There are a number of Elises and Evoras around here but you very rarely ever see an Esprit, much less a v8. Its crazy to think that for $40,000 you can have some great performance and all the exclusivity and just as much attention as a Ferrari or Lamborghini costing several times that.

hgrunt > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 21:59

0

And to grill that cow they found!

LastScene86 > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 23:04

0

My Corolla also has the squishy lumbar support thing.

I wonder if that is also a shared part like the taillights... Hmmm

http://jalopnik.com/5166223/the-to…

Stang70Fastback > Torque Affair 01/11/2015 at 23:42

5

Dated?! Those wheels look GLORIOUS!

BLCKSTRM > Torque Affair 01/12/2015 at 00:08

1

I was really surprised my first winter with my M3. A limited slip diff means it was driving 2 wheels all the time. Compared to a normal open diff pickup or suv in 4WD, it means you're driving the same number of wheels.

Add the rear weight bias of the Esprit, and you have a lot of weight over the driven wheels.

It's just that you never see cars like that doing stuff like that. I imagine it would be fantastic in the snow.

TavshedFjols > Torque Affair 01/12/2015 at 00:20

0

Wait a second. My Buick may have that same exact ashtray.

Jay > Torque Affair 01/12/2015 at 00:48

0

That is one of the most gorgeous vehicles ever made!! That blue is amazing, thanks bro cause this car is so underated most people wouldn`t think of writting about it. I love that car ever since I saw it in Basic Instinc, the Sharon Stone-Esprit combo still the hottest one I can think of hehehe.

GhostZ > Torque Affair 01/12/2015 at 05:34

3

I wonder how many people came here thinking you drove the exact same car they used in the special.

The esprit is my favorite lotus ever build.

Torque Affair > Jay 01/12/2015 at 07:12

0

Yeah there really isn't much written about this car is there? This color is really amazing in person.

Torque Affair > TavshedFjols 01/12/2015 at 07:12

0

lol, it probably does!

Torque Affair > LastScene86 01/12/2015 at 07:17

0

hmm, interesting!

Torque Affair > Cowboy behind the wheel 01/12/2015 at 07:17

0

You should buy this one!

Torque Affair > Nytmare 01/12/2015 at 07:18

0

Awesome - do you have a picture of yours?

Torque Affair > TheStigsGermanCousin 01/12/2015 at 07:19

0

You should buy this one..still up for sale!

Cammmy > Torque Affair 01/12/2015 at 07:43

3

Here is my '98 GT3. Not a v8 but does 0-60 in under 5 seconds standard (which mine isn't any more). Weighs in at about 2,750lb. It's been a great car so far. Look after them and they'll be as reliable as anything else.

Cammmy > 505Turbeaux 01/12/2015 at 07:55

1

The brilliant thing about the 4 banger is the weight and cost. I've not driven a V8 but they start at literally double what I bought the GT3 for and are quite a bit heavier.

505Turbeaux > KatzManDu 01/12/2015 at 08:14

1

an ex's aunt had a 4 cylinder, and an ancient rolls royce she drove daily. Whenever we visited she was always super okay with me taking the Lotus out. Though I had to drive it with no shoes on. Stupid pedals were all super close and there wasnt much room for my dogs in the footwell.

Torque Affair > Cammmy 01/12/2015 at 08:16

0

awesome! Really nice.

Nytmare > Torque Affair 01/12/2015 at 09:04

1

Meatcoma > Torque Affair 01/12/2015 at 09:18

0

I love this... They give you a spare, but where in the hell are you going to put the full size tire after you put the spare on? What if the trunk is already full of stuff? I mean that's the only time you get a flat, when you have the trunk full of crap that you have to move around to even get to the spare in a ordinary car.

protodad > Torque Affair 01/12/2015 at 09:33

0

Still one of the best looking cars ever. Word is it only needs to sit an inch or two lower to drive right under a guard shack boom barrier.

boxrocket > Torque Affair 01/12/2015 at 09:55

0

My first experience with the Esprit was in the video game Need for Speed II, where it was the slowest car in the game, so I wasn't as enchanted with it as I was other cars from the game, like the McLaren F1, Ford GT90 (which they should have built), Jaguar XJ220, and Ferrari F50.

That said, I was quite surprised and engrossed with the first one I saw in person a few years after that game came out, a yellow model coming out of a suburban neighborhood onto the local 4-lane state route (highway with stop lights). At first I only saw the front bumper and leading edge if the hood, and thought "holy crap, a Diablo!!", then got the profile and recognized it as an Esprit. Had I never played NFS2, I wouldn't have known what it was. No one else on the car shared my enthusiasm, so I only got that fleeting glimpse as we passed it sitting at that light.

Mustangs_turn_corners > Torque Affair 01/12/2015 at 10:32

0

Is this the same Mosing Motors off of Breaker in Austin? I'm suprised to see another Austinite that doesn't have a Prius/Tesla/Big Ole Pick-em-up truck.

utahsaint365 > Torque Affair 01/12/2015 at 10:52

0

That exhaust rasp is just audible heaven.

TerraTech > ZippyTheSlug 01/12/2015 at 11:18

0

Im not sure what other sports cars you mean. This is about the same p/w as the previous 507bhp m5 and more than the current m3. More than the current 911 carrera or cayman S. I think thats quite fast. Sure there are faster cars out there with the bhp numbers lately hitting crazy heights but 350 or so in such a (relatively) light car is plenty.

Coty > Torque Affair 01/12/2015 at 11:24

0

loltheydo?

ZippyTheSlug > TerraTech 01/12/2015 at 12:36

0

Indeed it is crazy fast and enough to handle (especially without traction control). But it's not a drag racing car. The transmission frankly sucks and is slow to shift. At speed (60+) it takes off nicely, but stop light to stop light, a full size Merc can best it.

There was a time when I was following an M3 out in the middle of nowhere on a road trip, had no trouble keeping up with that guy. :)

Saracen > Torque Affair 01/12/2015 at 12:57

3

Nonsense. OZ Racing wheels are timeless.

Cowboy behind the wheel > Torque Affair 01/12/2015 at 13:44

0

I would if I didn't have to have a back seat for the kids! That blue and that sound are definitely lustworthy.

TheStigsGermanCousin > Torque Affair 01/12/2015 at 14:33

0

I would if I had 40k to spend on a car...

mfennell > 505Turbeaux 01/12/2015 at 14:34

1

OTOH, there are plenty of people who feel the opposite. My Lotus mechanic's favorite was the S4s. He had plenty of opportunities to buy V8s but the S4s was the one he spent his own money on.

505Turbeaux > mfennell 01/12/2015 at 14:39

1

I have heard this as well. Just my humble opinion right there, and I am not a lotus wrench so I am curious as to why besides working room in the engine bay

mfennell > 505Turbeaux 01/12/2015 at 14:53

1

He just felt they were more fun to drive and a better representation of the Lotus ethos even if the last US 4cyl cars were barely 100lbs lighter than the early V8s (IIRC).

Jay > Torque Affair 01/12/2015 at 15:07

0

Well, Lotus handling is famous and a twin turbo V8 is very cool always, but the shape of the car is gorgeous. The interior is very nice too. Is it somewhat comfortable to drive?