Let's talk about the new bonnet/hood seal

[Leonard]

Resurrecting an old thread! Can the bonnet be adjusted to close the gap a little? Some seem less noticeable that others

I saw it last week and it was not a big gap. The only thing that ruins it is the cheap and poorly fitted rubber weather strip.
Be really interesting to see if removing it makes any difference to noise or weather proofing

 

[Captain.Kirk]

Resurrecting an old thread! Can the bonnet be adjusted to close the gap a little? Some seem less noticeable that others

We need a Lotus tech rep on this forum to provide some solid answers.

 

[FW190]

Reasonable concerns, would counsel 'wait to see'. It may change again. Does minimize with darker colors. Recall first '70 240Z had rear hatch vents (not so pretty), eliminated by '71. Bottom end bearing issues on early E46 M3s (PITA, recall!) cured about 2003.5, so teething problems happen. All said, what's a Plan B???

 

[TomE]

We need a Lotus tech rep on this forum to provide some solid answers.

Plenty of Lotus people on here, just that they're generally not allowed to post in an official capacity.

 

[1stLotus]

Revisiting this as I’m seeing more pictures and we’re all getting our cars soon!

Any other ideas to either close the gap or make the seal more subtle? Do they have replacement seals that can match the color? I’m getting silver and some pictures the gap stand out and bother me. Silly I know, but I’m wondering if taking a permanent silver marker would make it more discreet without ruining it.

 

[VL3X]

This isn't an issue any more and was only on the early press cars. Pretty sure the production models look just fine.

 

[Porter]

This isn't an issue any more and was only on the early press cars. Pretty sure the production models look just fine.

100% solved in the production cars. It's a very narrow, appropriate rubber gasket at the joint where the hood meets the bumper.

 

[Hell4Leather]

Plenty of Lotus people on here, just that they're generally not allowed to post in an official capacity.

What about the bonnet from the GT4; same fitment?

 

[1stLotus]

Saw this picture on the Osmium Silver thread and personally I’d prefer to have the hood and bumper look less separated. Then again, I don’t think I’ve stared at many (if any other cars) as much as this beaut, lol.

 

[ADC]

Saw this picture on the Osmium Silver thread and personally I’d prefer to have the hood and bumper look less separated. Then again, I don’t think I’ve stared at many (if any other cars) as much as this beaut, lol.

TBH, in person, you just don't notice it... the pre-prod ones were *much* more noticeable.

 

[Speedy Emira]

This is the first time I’ve read this thread so to be honest it can’t be that bad because I’ve never even noticed it or thought it looked bad.
Like 1stLotus said it’s still a beaut.

 

[1stLotus]

I’m sure you’re right. Thanks for the comments.

 

[Porter]

Y'all missed the original intro of the crazy fat seal, which was the reason why this thread was created.

The original show cars and demo cars in 2021 didn't have a rubber seal there at all, it was basically a zero gap panel-to-panel seam there. Very smooth, looked awesome.

Then the early production test cars rolled out in early 2022 and started being seen various places, including at Goodwood in 2022, and they were AWFUL looking. Had a giant, super thick rubber strip between the hood and the front bumper that looked roughly the diameter of a human thumb, in splotchy grey-black rubber. And we all flipped out.

Then they re-engineered it, fixed their build process and part design, and the final version is perfectly reasonable.

 

[@Life411]

Interesting thread...some of you are my people. That seam between the hood and front bumper is unsightly...especially in a white or yellow car like my Emira! I've had to accept it on the Emira, though I would have preferred not to have it.

This was something on the Elise that I thought was really stupid...the seam between hood and bumper was there even though it is a single-piece front clam! It just breaks up the design for no good reason. Makes me think that the designers weren't paying attention and just assumed it had to be there because it is on 99% of vehicles on the road.

 

[Steve24]

This is the first time I’ve read this thread so to be honest it can’t be that bad because I’ve never even noticed it or thought it looked bad.
Like 1stLotus said it’s still a beaut.

Me too.

Probably best I don‘t say what I really think or I’ll be banned.

BMW did pretty much the same thing a generation or two ago where they changed the bonnet line on the 3/4 series and it got a lot of similar drama filled reaction.
And at the time, I agreed. It was a poor change.

But, fair dinkum, some of the carrying on over this is beyond a joke.
I always figured that if it was such a big deal it could be sorted by the owner for less than the cost of a new set of tyres.

Same goes here.

 

[1stLotus]

Me too.

Probably best I don‘t say what I really think or I’ll be banned.

BMW did pretty much the same thing a generation or two ago where they changed the bonnet line on the 3/4 series and it got a lot of similar drama filled reaction.
And at the time, I agreed. It was a poor change.

But, fair dinkum, some of the carrying on over this is beyond a joke.
I always figured that if it was such a big deal it could be sorted by the owner for less than the cost of a new set of tyres.

Same goes here.

Do you think they make rubber seals to have a closer match to the color of the car or any other good solution?

I’m getting Osmium and I’m sure it’ll stand out as you mention.

 

[Nova]

I think the seal is just a part of the black pack. Yea.

 

[Martylemoo]

My seal fell off inside two weeks. Not replaced.

 

[Porter]

This is the first time I’ve read this thread so to be honest it can’t be that bad because I’ve never even noticed it or thought it looked bad.
Like 1stLotus said it’s still a beaut.

This thread was made when Lotus brought cars to Goodwood the second year after announcement, and they had inserted a giant awful rubber piece almost an inch wide between the bumper and the hood. It looked nothing like the final production part. This thread is in response to that prototype, not in response to the production-fit hood seal.

 

[Hell4Leather]

This thread is in response to that prototype, not in response to the production-fit hood seal.

What’s the fun in that