The Lotus Grand Tourers

Mkelite
Have you received any email or PM from me?
I seem to be having difficulties with my messages.
Regards Tony

Maybe we can arrange an Elite car owners meet up. Never ever see an Elite. ( only new ones in Camden Motors, Leighton Buzzard when I was 14 years old ! )

Owned my car for over 24 years - only seen one or two in reality in that time.

regards, DC.

mkelite wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 08, 2020 09:57

Maybe we can arrange an Elite car owners meet up. Never ever see an Elite. ( only new ones in Camden Motors, Leighton Buzzard when I was 14 years old ! )

Owned my car for over 24 years - only seen one or two in reality in that time.

regards, DC.

Sounds like a good idea - why not propose something on here: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=11609

Would be nice to get a few S2.2s together as well - it's the 40th anniversary this year. Spoke to Leigh Greenham about it at Castle Combe last year & he's interested in doing something. I could design a sticker!

Cheers, Richard

( only new ones in Camden Motors, Leighton Buzzard when I was 14 years old ! )

Good old Camden Motors - where my Lotus adverture started in 1976 - aged 8...

Maybe we can arrange an Elite car owners meet up.

How many trailers are there in the country? Probably not enough !!
For every one on the road, seems there are at least 3 trapped in a garage undergoing serious restoration work.
Fully in support of a meet up though once Boris allows it. I'm now aware of at least 4 Elites within 20 miles of me in Northampton ( 1 one the road, 3 on SORN, so there's that 3:1 ration again ). Take it out to an hours radius and draws in at least 1 more ( Pete in Nott's)
Tony

I'd be up for it - not that I'll have my car, but it would be good to talk Elites for a while

Pete

Tbh I really want to make the Elite more high profile.

Look at the Lamborghini Espada for example. I can remember years ago seeing them with quite low values. No one wanted a big petrol guzzler with high maintenance costs. I was always a Lamborghini fan - but way back they were the less obvious Italian car to like. All you heard about was Ferrari. Now with a new company owner, and more exposure the Lamborghini Espada is now being seen for the piece of art and the great car it is.

I see the Elite in the same league. It was the last car Mr Chapman really gave indepth attention to and was part of the upmarket plan for Lotus. A significant step. This gets forgot about.

Id like to see the Elite on more Youtube articles, on tv and more autopress coverage. The more exposure the Elite gets the more enthusiasts will understand how important this model is. Before we lose the few that are left.

Sermon over. lol.

Lets arrange some form of Elite meet please after Boris has said we are safe to go out and play.

Very best regards,

DC.

AndyD wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 08, 2020 10:36

Good old Camden Motors - where my Lotus adverture started in 1976 - aged 8...

Bought my first two Lotus from Camden Motors in the mid 70s, starting with a Seven S4 with big valve twin cam which was swapped in for a Europa Special.
We lived in Leighton Buzzard then

We lived in Leighton Buzzard then

I was born and grew up in Dunstable so Camden's was a mecca for a small car-mad boy. I used to pester my dad to take me over there!

As a family in my teens we lived in Watford. My late father was a car nut. Had many cars and fixed almost everything on them that's where I got my love for unusual cars from. He had many cars in his lifetime but never a new car. He mainly liked Jaguars - had lots of XJ6, XJS, Rover 3500, and many Leyland cars !

We would drive around lots of garages viewing and obviously a lot of the time pure dreaming what we could buy if we won the football pools lol.

Camden Motors was a bit of a Sunday afternoon visit - that's where I first saw a Lotus Esprit and Elite. At one point there were three new cars and a couple of used cars on show. They were the lowest height cars in the showroom. Although I am biased I can remember as a teenager thinking how space aged and modern the Lotus cars looked. All the other cars around them looked so dated and frumpy.

I truly don't think look wise cars are designed with that leap forward look as they were then. Sure car build quality and tech is higher than it was but certainly no real new new shapes I don't think.

Best regards all. Hope we can Elite meet soon.

Be safe.

DC.

Although I am biased I can remember as a teenager thinking how space aged and modern the Lotus cars looked.

Hi DC - yep same for me and almost the same comments I made in my 'Dream Drive' - see below.

https://drive-my.com/en/test-drive/item ... pe-75.html

One day when the 'toy box fund' is larger I will have an Elite...

Cheers

Andy

That 'Dream Drive' is a great feature, Andy! I quoted from it in the Elite/Eclat/Excel section in Club Lotus News in April.

Richard

Hi Andy,
Great article. Must have been a great day for you.
Who arranged the car for you ?
I think I share a lot of your comments there.
The S2.2 Elite is a better beast - obviously why I bought mine.

A dream ride ?
I have such a list of cars Ive loved to own - I dont know where I would begin..........
When I was 18 and passed my driving test I fell in love with the Lotus Europa Special TC five speed big valve. When I was 20 I viewed two '74 cars but chickened out lol. Bought a '76 Triumph Stag instead....then lots of other British sports cars........

So my list has always been Lotus Europa, Esprits and turbos, Panther J72 ( I owned a S2 Panther Lima when I was 21 ), Jensen Interceptor, Lotus Exige 350 sport, Lamborghini Countach, Miura, Diablo, Marcos, Ginetta G15 and G33, Gibern Invader S3, Piper P2 etc etc.

I find a lot of Lotus car enthusiasts like the same type of cars. It seems many of us were taken by how modern and futurist the Lotus Elite and Esprit were in their period.

Best regards. Im waffling..............

DC.

Richard - yes a pal showed me the mention in the club mag. I did email you thanks but I think you posted elsewhere that your inbox was full so maybe you didn't see it. But thanks again!

DC - don't get me started on Europa's! Yes, your list is good too...

The dream drive is from Classic Cars magazine and they give one reader a month a free chance ro drive one of their list and I was lucky enough... Lotusbits arranged it through Mike and Dave and I got the full tour and hence latterly bought my Excel from them.

Now I'm waffling...

Cheers

Andy

Fairly dreadful video of a road test of an '84 Excel for sale by a garage in Yorkshire. Would be better if the bloke shut up for a moment or two.

https://youtu.be/aiBhJdOyRJw

Sale ad is here (but may not be up for ever): https://www.rm-motors.co.uk/showrooms/1984-lotus-excel/