Should have bought a 911/Cayman/Boxster/M3

[Del Lardo]

But I didn't, a decision that I don't think I am going to regret.

2010 (MY11) Evora NA with Tech/Sport packs.

When researching the car I was quite surprised to find very little mention or info on here so I'll post up my thoughts as I go along and see if I can convert anyone.

So why an Evora I hear you ask when you could have bought a far more powerful, well put together German car??!?
Boxster went first, I'm middleaged(ish), overweight and going bald. I look like an idiot in a convertible.
Cayman went next, great car but lack of back seats would make taking dog any distance a pain which would result is so little use I couldn't justify the car.
911 went next, in my price range I was looking at 2005/06 997s with the engine of doom, I know it's probably not as much of a problem as it's made out to be but I simply couldn't take the risk. Also, frankly I just don't like them as much as I try to make myself, I know they are great cars but they don't give me tingly feelings in my man parts.
Lastly the M3, I looked at E46 and E92, both brilliant cars and what engines but at the end of the day they're a four seater BMW and I already have one of them.

I was getting rather despondent as even an early Evora was out of my price range when consulting AutoTrader/Pistonheads when a friend mentioned that he was thinking of selling his, slightly higher miles at 58k but I thought I'd ask what he wanted for it and we came to a mutually disagreeable price. I owned a S1 Elise for 5 years and it really takes me back as it's like a grown up Elise, I am sure that a few people are already planning their but it only has 276bhp response but that really is missing the point, the previous owner collected me from the station and drove 10 miles cross country on B-roads and with the engine barely over 4-5k rpm the car was floating down the road at a speed that would get you in trouble whilst feeling like it had far more to give and like you were in something truly special. The other cars felt like very good sports car, in my short period of driving it home the Evora feels more like a Supercar, though admittedly a 20 year old one based on the straight line performance and occasional rattles

I'm happy as a pig in poo so will leave you with a few photos and a nice video from Mr Clarkson who clearly has impeccable taste.

 

[Del Lardo]

I came from a Z4 3.0si and wanted something at least a bit faster in a straight line so the Evora N/A was out - I did try both and it had to be the S. The very first Evora S I drove was perfect in that lovely blue colour but it was right at the start of my search and nothing else came up for months

I just missed out on a lovely blue na a few weeks back as I couldn't get the financial side sorted in time, I had never seen the colour on the car before and I'm surprised that more people didn't order them in that colour as it's lovely.

If you have a good one, which most are these days, then you will have a sublime car for road and the odd track day. I am not a fan of the looks, but Lotus are the world leaders in building cars that steer, turn and handle bumpy British roads and from what I have heard this car is no different.

Out of interest what do you think of the new 400?

I really like these from the outside (was a stunning looking one I saw in blue yesterday), but that interior is terrible

I guess the drive makes up for it though.

The steering wheel looks comical

I like the general design but trust Lotus to take some generally good quality leather and not quite get it correct, it's also not helped by the lack of Premium Pack which means some parts which really should be leather are scratchy cloth, on the plus side as it's a Lotus it's very easy to swap bits out so I am going to keep an eye out and see what I can find.

Out of (genuine) interest, what do you mean about the steering wheel?

Lovely motor mate. Speed bumps at my place would kill it dead lol

You might be surprised, rides remarkably well and is having no trouble negotiating an undropped kerb to get to a parking space.

 

[Del Lardo]

Thanks for the universally positive response, I really wasn't expecting that, forum must be losing it's touch

I drove it in the rain last night, I didn't die (much to the surprise of a work colleague) but it did make me wonder how I survived with an S1 Elise as a daily driver for 3 year back in the day. Perfect height to be sat in spray constantly and limited view of the upcoming puddles due to lower line of sight. I must be getting old!

if I had a double garage I would have looked more seriously into a TVR. What is great about these is that you'll not suffer huge depreciation and modifications are easy and welcomed!

The whole process was kicked off by a TVR Cerbera coming up for sale last summer and the realisation that I could afford to buy it, the good ones look amazing and apparently even drive pretty well with modern shocks/springs.

I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's something to do with the utterly gigantic "spokes" and massive "horn". I think it just looks a little like something you'd see on a "Ridge Racer" arcade machine

Well at least I know where to go if I need a replacement wheel now I just missed out on a refurbished, fully black one which I think looks better so will be on the list of things to keep an eye out for.

 

[Del Lardo]

You're gonna let your dog in that? fml.

She loved it!

 

[Del Lardo]

How do you like the ride? Lotus seem to achieve something other manufacturers cannot which is superb ride quality even on the most terrible roads.

It's very good for a sports car, after all the reviews that were so complimentary I was a bit surprised at how it rode so much harder than my 5GT but once I engaged my brain and drove it a bit more the underlying way that a Lotus just floats/flows down a road came through, I'd always assumed with my Elise that it was down to the lack of weight but it is just something that the people in Hethel seem to know how to do.

 

[Del Lardo]

So after a few months I am still very happy with my purchase.


Finally got round to giving her a good wash.

Cleaned and restored the leather

The leather gearknob was rather worn, so I replaced it with a shiny aluminium one, easier to grip and I like the extra weight.

Put some funky stuff on the black plastics, looks much better and has stayed put.

I'll be doing round two this weekend (if the weather holds), another clean and treatment of the leather and clay bar & wax on the to do list.



Next I shifted my attention to the noise or rather the lack of it. The first owner lived not far from Cambridge and commuted to Hethel so understandably did not specify the Sports exhaust, this means that the engine note whilst a reasonable V6 noise didn't really match the car.

Options for induction in the UK are limited to the Supercharged Evora but luckily the US market has a Cold Air Induction kit from BOE and I happened to be across there for work which saved me quite a bit of money on shipping and tax (value just below the Goods Allowance you can carry yourself into the UK). Very happy with the end result, iPhone doesn't capture it very well but adds loads more character and theatre under load with no noticeable extra noise when cruising.

Next up will be an exhaust from 2bular http://www.2bular.co.uk/evora/evora-na-635mm-diameter-valved-system. On order but waiting for Jim to finish his move before it turns up, it should be awesome.


Keen to find out more of what the car is capable of I've booked myself onto a CarLimits Driver Training day in June but had the opportunity to do an Activity Day with them a couple of weeks ago though LoT and discovered that the car is far more capable than I am brave and/or talented (even with nothing to hit and big run off areas) and that it offers a far more stable and forgiving platform than my old Elise which is nice to know.
My GoPro was at home on other duties and I'm still struggling with a good interior mounting point for it so iPhone video will hopefully suffice.

Most importantly, our dog is happy in the back so bonus points from SWMBO as we can use the car for weekends away

 

[Del Lardo]

Pics not working for me!

bah! Dropbox continues its fall to uselessness for me.

Updated, thanks for the heads up.

 

[Del Lardo]

So you fitted an aluminium gear knob. I made that mistake, wait until the sun comes up. I recommend wrapping it in some felt or something if you don't like 1000c gear changes

I had one of my Elise many years ago and don't remember it being a problem even when it was left out in the sun, either that or I have inherited my mothers asbestos hands

Great choice - Love the Evora, I almost bought one myself however since I had a decent daily ended up buying an Exige v6s purely for weekend fun.
Plenty of options for power upgrades too if at all needed from H111/Komotec.

Presuming you've seen this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt4fGIoVMpM

Love the Exige but still way out of my price range. Most of the performance mods are for the S, understandable so, and not much for the NA unless you want to start spending silly money. I think 300-310bhp is achievable with CAI, Exhaust, Headers and a tune but that's in the region of £3800 on top of the £400 I've spent on the CAI and £1200 on the exhaust which is a lot of money for not a huge amount of performance gain.

I have vaguely aware of the Electric Evora from the build side but I'd not seen that video, brilliant