"bling my engine"

[PaulP]

So in case this offends anyone understand I'm not a lotus guy....

Went to the event and saw the Emira. I would say by far the most disappointing thing was that the mid-engine on display through the window looked a bit ... cheap?

The hose clamps were kinda janky looking spring clamps, the air intake was just plain rubber, the black cover of the supercharger looked blah compared with the GT Evora I saw which was red.

It just didn't give the same vibe as the rest of the car - didn't feel special looking at that engine. Kinda reminds you that it's just a reworked Camry engine....

So does anyone ever do a little remodel in this area - anodized parts, making things look better? Any prior Evora owners have any examples? Am I just nuts?

 

[prestonc]

So in case this offends anyone understand I'm not a lotus guy....

Went to the event and saw the Emira. I would say by far the most disappointing thing was that the mid-engine on display through the window looked a bit ... cheap?

The hose clamps were kinda janky looking spring clamps, the air intake was just plain rubber, the black cover of the supercharger looked blah compared with the GT Evora I saw which was red.

It just didn't give the same vibe as the rest of the car - didn't feel special looking at that engine. Kinda reminds you that it's just a reworked Camry engine....

So does anyone ever do a little remodel in this area - anodized parts, making things look better? Any prior Evora owners have any examples? Am I just nuts?

We're all nuts mate, just in different ways.

 

[Nova]

Solution: privacy glass.

 

[VL3X]

I agree with you 100%. That being said, I plan to powdercoat or high temp wrinkle spray the supercharger cover on mine and either carbon dip those cheap plastic surrounds or actually mold new ones out of carbon. The intake pipe.. err flex tube.. can easily be replaced along with that blue washer fluid cap (at least I think that's what that is). Hopefully some of this will be updated for the production model. Maybe then it'll actually show like a proper $100k exotic sports car! At least it isn't just covered like the Caymans (well, except for the awesome new GT4 RS).

I also really like how other mid engine vehicles, like the R8, have an option for led lighting back there to display the engine.

 

[TXEMIRA]

The hope for the production model to have some of these changes implemented is on my Christmas wish list for sure. I love the visible engine and want to display it proudly.

 

[Pegasi]

Because the car is so compact I thought the engine display looked good. Did it look great, no, but for the price of the car I think it more than satisfied.

However, it is a great place to make visual improvements. And I hope @VL3X shares what he does to his car so we can do the same to ours.

 

[PaulP]

That's the thing - "for the price" I know car manufacturers watch every penny, but probably $50-100 in parts would have made it look 10x better. I mean they went out of their way to make sure the engine is seen, why not spend a LITTLE money to make it look really sexy?

 

[VL3X]

That's the thing - "for the price" I know car manufacturers watch every penny, but probably $50-100 in parts would have made it look 10x better. I mean they went out of their way to make sure the engine is seen, why not spend a LITTLE money to make it look really sexy?

There's still hope the production version is improved here and there.

 

[Eagle7]

If you saw the Harry's video where he was talking with Russell Carr, and saw the interior model that had over 90 stickies all over various things inside, it's obvious that they are paying attention to every minute detail. I wouldn't doubt that they're looking at the view through the rear window. More than once they've pointed out that you can see the throttle linkage working on the V6, so they're aware of the view back there. Hopefully we'll see something a bit more finished on the production cars, but that's not a difficult thing to customize if they don't.

 

[Lankan]

Indeed, it would be superb if the visual drama extends to the engine bay as well.

 

[Leonard]

I'm pretty sure there will be quite a few tuners offering upgrades. Shame to have to pay, but everyone likes a modification right?

 

[~el~jefe~]

someone is totally going to open up the v6 more and put all sorts of LED's in there. back trunk running three 14-inch subs.

 

[digilotus]

How about some carbon engine surround to replace the nasty looking plastic? Hmm, I'm actually considering removing it if possible so you can see deeper into the engine bay. Not sure about LED lights inside though.

Oh and replacement of that blue (water?) cap with a stainless steel finished one?

Lots of opportunity for mods!

 

[~el~jefe~]

How about some carbon engine surround to replace the nasty looking plastic? Hmm, I'm actually considering removing it if possible so you can see deeper into the engine bay. Not sure about LED lights inside though.

Oh and replacement of that blue (water?) cap with a stainless steel finished one?

Lots of opportunity for mods!

seriously, that is a really good idea. The cover looks kind of Meh for a $94,000 car. I cannot imagine how much custom carbon fiber would be? Carbon fiber transfers heat well too. I know when it is on a steering wheel in the sun, that can just about burn a hand.

 

[4GIV8M3]

Evolve will be making all sorts of CF parts and I am sure this will be one of them. Expect it to be $1000-$2000 though. They will also develope an intake

 

[Mike-engel]

I’ve not seen the engine on display so I can’t yet have an informed opinion. But I do agree that the goal should be to present the engine compartment in a stylish way that matches the presentation of the car itself. Rich surfaces and accessories. Nothing should look or feel cheap. Things should seem substantial and luxurious. This was one of the failings with the Alfa Romeo 4C, which is an otherwise brilliant car. So much so that one is almost willing to overlook that some of its implementation was far from luxurious. I bet just a few small adjustments/substitutions would really elevate the presentation in the engine compartment. The C8 corvette offers appearance packages for the engine compartment and they are both popular and profitable. Some are not my choice, but some are quite nice. Perhaps these will be a good third party opportunity? FWIW, I think some LED lighting could be a really nice addition and could be done in a classy way.

 

[First Lotus]

Agreed on the engine bay not looking that special. Hence I've stuck with privacy glass. It did just look like a piece of plastic and a throttle linkage. But I do think we're now highlighting the nice to have and claiming they wouldn't be much cost to implement. But if you do that with all the nice to haves then suddenly the car costs another few £000 to build. Lotus isn't set up like Porsche yet to be able to have hundreds of optional extras to pick and choose from. They need to get these cars out smoothly and on (their now slipped) time scale.
I will probably change whatever the blue plastic cap is though, despite privacy glass!

 

[Wolfram]

...it's not quite this, is it?

 

[RENDERMAN]

Solution: privacy glass.

That's what I'm doing, and something as simple as recasting the I4 cover in Carbon, it makes all the difference in the world!!

 

[981KMAN]

Lotus should take a page from the Porsche "Option" book, and offer the Engine Supercharger cover in Red or other colors for a $399 upcharge.
They could do the same with the Windshield Washer Fluid Cap - optional Chrome or Red, etc for some $$$$.