CheshireCat
Active member
Picked car up from Oakmere Cheshire on Saturday. Ordered 12th July 21 and very grateful to this forum for educating me on all things Lotus and the Emira in particular.
My car history: Porsche 944S2 (linen metallic very similar to Nimbus), Porsche 928 S4 daily for 6 years, Porsche 993 C2, Porsche 996 C2 (GT3 suspension, remapped engine by Ninemeister and GT3 bodykit in Chamaeleon blue/purple- daily for 5 years, Nissan R35 GTR- I year, didn't get emotionally attached, BMW635D 3 years of pleasant cruising and latterley Porsche Boxter S for 6 years daily (tan leather similar to Lotus option, plus sprt chrono, torque vectoring and every extra, other than power mirrors.
So Porsche has been my main ownership experience. Always considered Lotus as a more hardcore drivers choice, but too much as a daily car.
My early impressions and comparison with the Porsche experience, especially the Boxter as follows.
Looks- Emira clear favorite for me. Much more sculptured than the Porsches and just on a higher level of desirebility. Along with that is a much more complex car to clean- Have already waxed body, rain x on windows and specialist wheel wax, so many more surfaces and details to cover. Black gloss details at front, on side sills and rear accentuate the curves of the bodyshell, but do raise some concern over durability (considering partial PPF). The car provokes much more reaction from onlookers, so far very positive (other than the chamelion 996 which was too much really). The view from the drivers seat is much more exciting. The front wings frame the road ahead beatifully and the deeply raked screen makes the cabin feel so much more special as soon as you get in. Nimbus is the conservative choice I feel but the red leather always suits silver cars and works brilliantly with red calipers.
Steering. Wow! A complete revelation bordering on a religeous experience. Hallelujah I have seen the light. Porsche is certainly up there with modern sports cars but this is the essence of Lotus, putting you right in the middle of the action, keeping your attention and giving pin point accuracy. It feels like your upper limbs are projected through the front wings, feeling the road surface at your fingertips. Nothing previous that I have driven other than single seaters and Caterhams comes close. This is the defining experience of the car for me.
Chassis. Only just eclipsed by the steering. Absolutely magic as I suppose we should expect from Lotus. For me the touring set up is on the pefect side of involving, firm and balanced , with the perfect compromise of suppleness on British roads. Certainly firmer than the Boxter in sport, but somehow more flowing and compliant, yet much greater feeling of control and feedback of limits of traction. Respect to the sports suspension selectors but Touring is as much as I want on the public road.
Brakes. initially feel over-servoed but I am rapiodly adjusting. I have never been a master of heel-and -toe, but will be trying to improve with practice. The pedal is highly sensitive to initial bite but more easily modulated with thinner soled shoes than my usual clodhoppers. When applied more firmly slowing for a bend the feel is excellent and easy to modulate with compression of the front springs. Brake power feels tremendous. Havn't had any experience yet to evaluate brake fade, but overall impression is of tremendous strength and reserve.
Gear box. Great. Positive, accurate, feelsome (whatever that means). Coming from a PDK I am really enjoying getting those skills back. So glad I opted for manual. Clutch has a fairly high contact point but you soon get used to it and no issue.
Engine- Limited to 4K so cant be too definitive but certainly feels stronger than the 3.4 Boxter low down. Engine music is a notch down from the Porsche, less sonorous but more business like and good in a different way. feels very progressive in power delivery, making the msot of the exceptional chassis. Overall I think a competent but not brilliant power unit. Exhaust sound good in sport mode which will be my default setting.
Build quality- I am putting it at 80% of Porsche. Paint looks good but with obsessive attention I can see some tiny defects in two areas, one on the bonnet, one drivers door and small defect of black gloss above the rear splitter. Having waxed the car I can see these very minor imperfections but they are very tiny and not worth fretting about. The Porsche paint was still excellent arter years of ownership and the Emira will struggkle to match that. Wheel siver finish very bright and even but resistance to brake dust and corrosion is unknown at this point. After one afternoon of driving there was a lot of dust taking care to clean so I have applied some wheel wax and time will tell.
The interior materiels are mixed, leather good but again will be difficulyt to match Porsche which was perfect other than very minor scuffing of the drivers offside bolster.
Good coverage of dach and sills with leather and alcantara. Some plastics at edge of sill and door cards is a bit scratchy and may mark easily with use- non of this on the high quality Boxter cabin, albeit with an expensive extended leather option.
Garage experience- Porsche has become very smooth and refined in customer service, but increasingly you are separated from the mechanics and never see the workshop or get direct advice from the technicians. Oakmere Lotus Cheshire feels so much more interested in you and your car. Run by enthusiasts and passionate about the cars they maintain. Much better for me than a Porsche main agent.
Overall- absolutely bloody love this car. Getting emotionally attached already. I was planning to use the car daily, but probably it is going to be 3 times weekly in summer, mabe less in winter. Feels special, exciting and the car I will keep forever.
My car history: Porsche 944S2 (linen metallic very similar to Nimbus), Porsche 928 S4 daily for 6 years, Porsche 993 C2, Porsche 996 C2 (GT3 suspension, remapped engine by Ninemeister and GT3 bodykit in Chamaeleon blue/purple- daily for 5 years, Nissan R35 GTR- I year, didn't get emotionally attached, BMW635D 3 years of pleasant cruising and latterley Porsche Boxter S for 6 years daily (tan leather similar to Lotus option, plus sprt chrono, torque vectoring and every extra, other than power mirrors.
So Porsche has been my main ownership experience. Always considered Lotus as a more hardcore drivers choice, but too much as a daily car.
My early impressions and comparison with the Porsche experience, especially the Boxter as follows.
Looks- Emira clear favorite for me. Much more sculptured than the Porsches and just on a higher level of desirebility. Along with that is a much more complex car to clean- Have already waxed body, rain x on windows and specialist wheel wax, so many more surfaces and details to cover. Black gloss details at front, on side sills and rear accentuate the curves of the bodyshell, but do raise some concern over durability (considering partial PPF). The car provokes much more reaction from onlookers, so far very positive (other than the chamelion 996 which was too much really). The view from the drivers seat is much more exciting. The front wings frame the road ahead beatifully and the deeply raked screen makes the cabin feel so much more special as soon as you get in. Nimbus is the conservative choice I feel but the red leather always suits silver cars and works brilliantly with red calipers.
Steering. Wow! A complete revelation bordering on a religeous experience. Hallelujah I have seen the light. Porsche is certainly up there with modern sports cars but this is the essence of Lotus, putting you right in the middle of the action, keeping your attention and giving pin point accuracy. It feels like your upper limbs are projected through the front wings, feeling the road surface at your fingertips. Nothing previous that I have driven other than single seaters and Caterhams comes close. This is the defining experience of the car for me.
Chassis. Only just eclipsed by the steering. Absolutely magic as I suppose we should expect from Lotus. For me the touring set up is on the pefect side of involving, firm and balanced , with the perfect compromise of suppleness on British roads. Certainly firmer than the Boxter in sport, but somehow more flowing and compliant, yet much greater feeling of control and feedback of limits of traction. Respect to the sports suspension selectors but Touring is as much as I want on the public road.
Brakes. initially feel over-servoed but I am rapiodly adjusting. I have never been a master of heel-and -toe, but will be trying to improve with practice. The pedal is highly sensitive to initial bite but more easily modulated with thinner soled shoes than my usual clodhoppers. When applied more firmly slowing for a bend the feel is excellent and easy to modulate with compression of the front springs. Brake power feels tremendous. Havn't had any experience yet to evaluate brake fade, but overall impression is of tremendous strength and reserve.
Gear box. Great. Positive, accurate, feelsome (whatever that means). Coming from a PDK I am really enjoying getting those skills back. So glad I opted for manual. Clutch has a fairly high contact point but you soon get used to it and no issue.
Engine- Limited to 4K so cant be too definitive but certainly feels stronger than the 3.4 Boxter low down. Engine music is a notch down from the Porsche, less sonorous but more business like and good in a different way. feels very progressive in power delivery, making the msot of the exceptional chassis. Overall I think a competent but not brilliant power unit. Exhaust sound good in sport mode which will be my default setting.
Build quality- I am putting it at 80% of Porsche. Paint looks good but with obsessive attention I can see some tiny defects in two areas, one on the bonnet, one drivers door and small defect of black gloss above the rear splitter. Having waxed the car I can see these very minor imperfections but they are very tiny and not worth fretting about. The Porsche paint was still excellent arter years of ownership and the Emira will struggkle to match that. Wheel siver finish very bright and even but resistance to brake dust and corrosion is unknown at this point. After one afternoon of driving there was a lot of dust taking care to clean so I have applied some wheel wax and time will tell.
The interior materiels are mixed, leather good but again will be difficulyt to match Porsche which was perfect other than very minor scuffing of the drivers offside bolster.
Good coverage of dach and sills with leather and alcantara. Some plastics at edge of sill and door cards is a bit scratchy and may mark easily with use- non of this on the high quality Boxter cabin, albeit with an expensive extended leather option.
Garage experience- Porsche has become very smooth and refined in customer service, but increasingly you are separated from the mechanics and never see the workshop or get direct advice from the technicians. Oakmere Lotus Cheshire feels so much more interested in you and your car. Run by enthusiasts and passionate about the cars they maintain. Much better for me than a Porsche main agent.
Overall- absolutely bloody love this car. Getting emotionally attached already. I was planning to use the car daily, but probably it is going to be 3 times weekly in summer, mabe less in winter. Feels special, exciting and the car I will keep forever.
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