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Lotus in the Peak
28th - 30th June 2024

Silverstone And Two New Cars: The Lotus Lf1 And Chris's New Evora


TimSportsTourer

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I've just got back from Silverstone, where I went to the Lotus dealership to see the "reveal" of the Exige LF1 that was revealed at Goodwood FOS last week. Lots of good things happened, and one not so good.

 

There were maybe 30 or 40 people there, in a variety of Loti, so the pre-show chat was quite focussed on people's cars. It was a fun bunch of people, and I recognised our very own Chris_h there too. I plugged Chatsworth to as many people as I could. Some said they are on here already - perhaps they'll read this and decide to come, because they should. It will be great.

 

We were due to see Romain Grosjean (sounds so much better than "Big John", doesn't it?), but instead both Pastor Maldonado and Charles Pic turned up. They did seem to warm to the crowd, though I'm sure it was the end of a long and hard day for them, and they might have preferred to be elsewhere. They had a long chat with the crowd, and then unveiled the new Exige LF1. I confess, it did look beautiful. To be fair to the drivers, they both seemed to be very nice, straight-talking people, focussed on their jobs but motivated and excited about it. They were smart guys, and gave considered answers to the questions we threw at them. I test drove a V6 Exige Roadster a while ago (there's a post on here about it somewhere), and if the LF1 is better still, which it almost certainly is, it will be an absolute hoot to drive. And it does look absolutely beautiful.

 

I forgot to take my camera, so I only have some grotty phone pics. Here's the best I have.

 

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Finally, Chris drove away in his spanking new Evora that Rowley (at the factory) has fettled for him. It looks and sounds wonderful, and frankly, I might well have preferred his car to the LF1. Not sure. Two very special cars. He's a lucky man. I'm quietly confident he'll enjoy it drive1.gif . It was great to meet his Dad as well - another lovely guy, MLOC is such a great place for people.
 
 

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Finally, the not-so-good thing that happened was when I parked my car in the garage at home. I think the chargecooler coolant pump (which has been weeping for several months) finally exploded on the way home, because there was steam coming from my engine and coolant pooling on the floor. When it all cools, I check which coolant circuit is empty, but I had a look underneath and the water temp gauge was reading normally, so I'm reasonably confident it's only the charge cooler water. I feel a trip to Gerald in Newmarket coming on. All being well, he'll be able to fix it up in time for Chatsworth. Seeing as I only booked just yesterday, it would be a pity if he can't! The trouble with having a 21 y/o Esprit is that things like chargecooler pumps are obsolete, so rebuilds are the order of the day, probably. I'm sure Gerald will take it all in his stride, though.

 

A great evening, and many (many) thanks to Aimee and the team at Silverstone for putting on the show and offering me an invitation.

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