At long last it's here! I can't tell you what a surreal feeling it was for the car to finally be real, after almost 3 years of waiting and frustration.
Ken Scott at Flow Lotus in Winston-Salem NC was great to work with, a real gentleman and consistently true to his word. Many thanks to him for also sticking it out through what I imagine was an interminable wait from the dealer perspective.
I left the dealer and immediately headed north to the Virginia line, avoiding highways entirely and seeking out twisty mountain roads on my route home, to give the car the kind of "varied engine speed" break-in procedure that I think is probably ideal for this car, and keeping very conscientiously to the letter of the factory break-in recommendation.
I covered about 350 miles of fantastic mountain roads on my way back home, split over 2 days. About half of that distance was on the Blue Ridge Parkway. An utterly sublime way to get to know the car, and start to develop some nuance and driving rhythm with it.
Initial Takeaways:
1. Even without going much over 4,000 RPM the car is exceptionally competent on a twisty road. When driven like a momentum car it 100% rewards the driver, even without using much (if any) of the meaningful power the car has on tap. A truly fantastic chassis that's been set up very competently. The terminal handling balance is mild understeer but needs to be provoked to get there. Great shifting, great brakes, and the Goodyears are up to the task of really spirited mountain drives without being too extreme in their behavior or characteristics. The limiting factor is very clearly the tires though, for track use the Cup2s would be strongly preferred I think.
2. The seats are comfortable for long drives but I could really use another inch down. Maybe 2 inches. I will be budgeting for Tillett buckets in time I guess, even though I really don't want to do that on a brand new car that I intend to keep long term. Maybe someone will come up with another solution before too long.
3. The induction noises are musical and addictive. I went through a tunnel on the BRP that tempted me into running up briskly through two gears and then downshifting again on the exit to hear it howl, and I found myself cackling with laughter involuntarily. It's an absolutely ridiculous and addictive thing to drive and experience.
4. Bystanders are absolutely thrilled to see this car. I felt like an instant celebrity everywhere I went this weekend, and got into some exceptionally fun conversations with people who had questions or wanted to take a closer look. The valet crew at the hotel the first night was an absolute hoot about it, I ended up hanging out with them and talking cars for at least half an hour. I even met a young British expat the next morning as I was leaving, who told me about the Lotus Europa his father had owned for many years back in the UK, and how much of a joyful feature it had been throughout his childhood and in his relationship with his dad.
As a person who absolutely loves talking to strangers, the opportunity to talk to people about their own experiences or interests that are tangent to the car in some way is a unexpected super bonus to owning this car that I really hadn't fully anticipated, but I absolutely love it. And I love the reactions from kids, who have such a joyful response to a thing as silly and wonderful as a cool red car, that it re-validates the whole reason for owning this crazy thing: taking simple pleasure in something that's pretty darn cool, and sharing that feeling with others as much as I can.
I'm a very happy Lotus Emira owner, and I'm looking forward to sharing here more of what I discover, as well as trips and experiences that I have with the car.
The journey begins!
Ken Scott at Flow Lotus in Winston-Salem NC was great to work with, a real gentleman and consistently true to his word. Many thanks to him for also sticking it out through what I imagine was an interminable wait from the dealer perspective.
I left the dealer and immediately headed north to the Virginia line, avoiding highways entirely and seeking out twisty mountain roads on my route home, to give the car the kind of "varied engine speed" break-in procedure that I think is probably ideal for this car, and keeping very conscientiously to the letter of the factory break-in recommendation.
I covered about 350 miles of fantastic mountain roads on my way back home, split over 2 days. About half of that distance was on the Blue Ridge Parkway. An utterly sublime way to get to know the car, and start to develop some nuance and driving rhythm with it.
Initial Takeaways:
1. Even without going much over 4,000 RPM the car is exceptionally competent on a twisty road. When driven like a momentum car it 100% rewards the driver, even without using much (if any) of the meaningful power the car has on tap. A truly fantastic chassis that's been set up very competently. The terminal handling balance is mild understeer but needs to be provoked to get there. Great shifting, great brakes, and the Goodyears are up to the task of really spirited mountain drives without being too extreme in their behavior or characteristics. The limiting factor is very clearly the tires though, for track use the Cup2s would be strongly preferred I think.
2. The seats are comfortable for long drives but I could really use another inch down. Maybe 2 inches. I will be budgeting for Tillett buckets in time I guess, even though I really don't want to do that on a brand new car that I intend to keep long term. Maybe someone will come up with another solution before too long.
3. The induction noises are musical and addictive. I went through a tunnel on the BRP that tempted me into running up briskly through two gears and then downshifting again on the exit to hear it howl, and I found myself cackling with laughter involuntarily. It's an absolutely ridiculous and addictive thing to drive and experience.
4. Bystanders are absolutely thrilled to see this car. I felt like an instant celebrity everywhere I went this weekend, and got into some exceptionally fun conversations with people who had questions or wanted to take a closer look. The valet crew at the hotel the first night was an absolute hoot about it, I ended up hanging out with them and talking cars for at least half an hour. I even met a young British expat the next morning as I was leaving, who told me about the Lotus Europa his father had owned for many years back in the UK, and how much of a joyful feature it had been throughout his childhood and in his relationship with his dad.
As a person who absolutely loves talking to strangers, the opportunity to talk to people about their own experiences or interests that are tangent to the car in some way is a unexpected super bonus to owning this car that I really hadn't fully anticipated, but I absolutely love it. And I love the reactions from kids, who have such a joyful response to a thing as silly and wonderful as a cool red car, that it re-validates the whole reason for owning this crazy thing: taking simple pleasure in something that's pretty darn cool, and sharing that feeling with others as much as I can.
I'm a very happy Lotus Emira owner, and I'm looking forward to sharing here more of what I discover, as well as trips and experiences that I have with the car.
The journey begins!
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Strangers asking about the car is indeed a very nice part of the experience that you wouldn't get with a Cayman.
. I’m doing a road trip with my dad in May and we’re taking the Blue Ridge Parkway from mile post 0 right to Asherville. It’s looking like I’ll be getting my Emira in about a month as I believe it’s currently on the Atlantic. However, not planning to take the Emira as great as that would be, as that won’t quite work for 2 of us and 1 set of golf clubs (possible but going to pass - I also don’t really want to put 3000 miles on it with a boring highway drive on the way home).
