Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Garage => Topic started by: literarymadness on Tuesday,November 12, 2019, 12:29:04 AM
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Pfreen and I were approved to participate in one of the most elite car shows on the planet: "Exotics on Las Olas." 250 uber exotic vehicles all on one street. Mercedes AMGs need not apply nor anything as mundane as any Audi RS or BMW M series. This was a show for the big guns: supercars and hypercars only (and a few token classics). There were at least 30+ Lamborghinis, if not more. The same for Ferrari. 20+ McLarens. A dozen or so Aston Martins. A half dozen or so Bugattis. A couple of Paganis and Koeniseggs. There was even a Glickenhause. What is an exotic car show without at least one Glickenhause. Not a Jaguar in sight! No regular Porsches were allowed. Just 918s, or 911 GT2s and so on. Oh yeah and two Lotus Europa Twin Cam Specials. We were in the classic section with cars like a Ferrari F40, a mid-sixties Lamborghini 350 GT and a BMW M1 (The only other BMW was an i8) and other crazy exotics. The main reason pfreen and I were approved was: the young woman in charge of the selection committee (Lily) happened to be a big fan of Lotus and felt our Europas were significant vehicles. She told me there were objections by other members but in the end she convinced them. Both pfreen and my TCS received more than a fair amount of intention which made me feel like we belonged there. Lily told me that some people just don't get what a Lotus was all about but that she did. She is right; Colin Chapman contributed as much, if not more, than some of those elite manufacturers to the sport of racing and to the automotive world. It was great show.
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WOW! What a car show! Lilly is one cool lady having the knowledge of how special Lotus is to the exotic sports car world. I’ve never seen a Glickenhause on the road. Pretty special. Glad the two of you were invited to show the Lotus flag.
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If they had an award for "Lowest Price of Admission" you would have won hands down! Thanks Wesley and Paul for doing your part to promote our underappreciated cars!
Tom
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What a great synoptic of a fantastic day! Thank for the pics.
It definitely raises the public interest every time you get guys exhibit your cars . Looking forward to running in the pack one day.
I second surfs award!
Dakazman
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How incredibly cool and what an honor! Congratulations to you and Pfreen for holding up the classic Lotus end among some very heady company so well and thanks to Lilly for pressing the issue!
:lotus:
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Here are a few more photos of the event. After seeing all the beautiful women posing in front of the exotic cars, I thought to myself, I can do that. :huh:
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My wife says she loves your pose. I’m still lmao. :FUNNY:
Looks like you guys had fun. Thanks for all the pictures.
Dakazman
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Great car porn, Pfreen!! Your pose... well not as much! :)
Since I saw one in person, I've thought the Miura was maybe the most beautiful cars ever made.
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Paul, how funny, as i'm wearing that same exact Lotus shirt myself today ( although a different color) :)
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There are quite a few videos posted of the show posted on youtube. This video is a little long but it shows my car and Paul's right around the 5 minute mark. They had everyone leave at the same time. Paul and I are driving off around the 20 minute mark. BDA: at the very end of the video, you can hear and see the Miura SV driving off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwEHqeYMb-I That engine sounds sweet.
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I think its the other wannabe supercar owners that should be honoured to be in the presence of true automotive innovation and heritage! well done for representing the brand! :)
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Great car porn, Pfreen!! Your pose... well not as much! :)
Since I saw one in person, I've thought the Miura was maybe the most beautiful cars ever made.
V12 E-Type Roadster is not too far behind. It was very good value back in its day.
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I'm watching the video now. There are some really fantastic cars there (sorry, I can't get into the orange Cobra GT replica with the snake painted on it. They should all be blue and white!) but there are a few that were not so pretentious that your Europas were out of place.
In fact the only time I've seen a Miura was at a Walter Mitty race many years ago. I was surprised not only how beautiful it was but how low it was!
Are you all going to Amelia Island this March? Roger Penske's cars are featured.
That was a great video but I think there were a couple of real dogs like the cannabis car and the lizard car... I prefer the orange Cobra GT to them by a lot!
Again, congratulations for your participation approval and being the only Loti there (from what I could tell). That means your cars were much more rare than some of those Lamborghinis!
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V12 E-Type Roadster is not too far behind. It was very good value back in its day.
Quite right! I think Enzo was right that it was the most beautiful car (at the time) and I wouldn't (or shouldn't) try to compare them as they are from different eras.
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I have to agree with the crowd on how beautiful the Lamborghini Miura is, what a stunning machine. I have not seen one in person but my Dad always has talked about it being his favourite car since he worked on one back the 70s until the car was supposedly lost in a card game :blowup:. Absolutely stunning. As for Lotus heritage, if Lotus isn't allowed to hang with the best of Formula 1 manufacturers who is? Colin did amazing things, his thriftiness just got in the way of propelling the supercar industry. The Elite was the first monocoque chassis car like we know them today. Every single one of those carbon fiber beauties could credit Colin's teams work at Lotus in having the car industry head in the direction that has allowed for the amazing cars we have today.
Ross
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There was an open house at a shop near here called the Creative Workshop. At the open house, they were working on three Miuras! There is some money down here, but absolutely nowhere to drive these cars.
I thought the one in the show was stunning. I wish there wasn’t people in the shot.
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The Miura is nice , I like the Morgan aero. Found these pi on Instagram.
Dakazman
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But my favorite!
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:beerchug: :BEER3: :pirate:
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Here is a list of top baker's dozen exotics at the show. And other than the older classic models on this list, most of all the others had multiple representations at the show.
Ferrari Enzo $3,200,000
Bugatti Chiron $3,000,000
Lamborghini Miura SV $2,200,000
Ferrari Laferrari $2.200,000
Glickenhause SCG 003 $2,000,000
Bugatti Veyron $1,914,000
Lamborghini Centenario $1,900,000
Ferrari F40 $1,500,000
Koenigsegg CCX $1.450,000
Pagani Huayra $1,400,000
McLaren Senna $1,200,000
McLaren P1 $1,000,000
Porsche 918 $1,000,000
Honorable mention: the Lamborghini 350 GT $785,000
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See what a great deal Europas are? You and Pfreen got into the show for a whole lot less!! :pirate:
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Hey Lily is my hero :trophy:
BDA: Did you get to hear the sound of that Miura SV on the youtube video? And how great was that colour green!
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You bet! Sweet!
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Too bad you weren't still using a stick to hold the engine lid up. That would have really gotten 'em!
I'm re-posting the model shot, in a size that makes it easier to appreciate.
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Thanks,
I guess 200-300 kb is optimum
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Lol,
If only there were a wind machine. :FUNNY:
Thanks fotog
Dakazman
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Thanks,
I guess 200-300 kb is optimum
I'm no expert, but I think I'm catching on to this photo business a bit. I believe it's better to set the width in pixels to something that works. For your photo above, I set it to 900 pixels. On my laptop screen, that's just a bit too big to display it all in its box when it's opened to full size. I think the result depends to some extent upon the screen that's used for viewing because they vary in width (no. of pixels) I understand.
Size of the file isn't as good a parameter to control because the depth (no. of bits) of colors and the format of the file affect it's size, along with the number of pixels. Getting it to fit on the screen is mostly about getting the number of pixels right relative to what the display's specs.
I sized that one using MS Paint. Just opened it, clicked on "Resize", chose Pixels rather than Percentage, and set it to 900. At least on my laptop, probably 800-850 would be ideal.
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And... very cool that you guys were able to take part in this event among all those super-cars. That's quite a collection.
I like the old ones though. Maybe the Alfa is my favorite.
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To put it visually in perspective, there were four complete city blocks of exotics cars with vehicles parked on both sides of the street and on the side streets, the staff only seem to allow parking for exotic cars owned by people attending but not participating in the show. It was on a grande scale. Seeing the cars in photos is one thing, but in person some of them were no less than stunning. It was nice to see our Europas receiving the attention they got. At the very end of the show, they made all the drivers rev their engines which was quite an effect. And Fotog, the Alfa looked awesome.
Ps my photos were posted all at 800 x 600
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Maybe the Alfa is my favorite.
The little Alfa was my favorite non-Europa also!
t
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Which Alfa? 123 or the coupe?
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Found a few more cars.
Dakazman
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Which Alfa? 123 or the coupe?
Well, I always liked those Bertone bodied GT coupes. But I'm talking about that 123 car, whatever it is. Very special. I'm not that knowledgeable, and particularly about the newer cars. So many of them, such ridiculous power, and so out of reach. Many not even very great or distinctive looking to my eye. They all kind of blend together.
The one time I drove a GTV about 25 or 30 years ago, it seemed loose and kind of like a truck. Maybe it was just not in good condition. Needless to say, I didn't buy it.
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I tend to agree with you on the supercars. I can’t relate to them, and they all look very similar. I also liked the 123 Alfa. A friend of mine’s wife said to me while looking at that car, why would someone sloppily hand paint the numbers on such a beautiful car. I replied, I don’t know. :confused:
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The 123 Alfa is a beautiful car. Like so many things about the older sports cars nothing was perfect but at the same time so appealing with all the imperfections. The 123 being painted on is probably a sign it was done in period when someone just needed a racing number and adds to the mystique of the car. I have a friend who restores concourse cars and had won his class at pebble beach a few times and his opinion is that most old cars are over restored because in the 50s/60s/70s built by hand meant built by hand and things were not perfect but were very serviceable to race and race fast. Look at the cobra world, the rattiest one at the field is probably the real one all the replicas are the perfect ones.
R
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Which Alfa? 123 or the coupe?
I was thinking of the 123 racer, though the Giulia coupe is nice too. I bought a Spyder back in the day. Loved that car, but killed it trying to use it as a daily driver/commuter car including New England winters. Sold it when kids came along.
t
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I guess South Florida exotic car owners need something to do in between Exotic car shows and picking up South Beach super models, or Eastern European exotic dancers. So in the spirit of the holidays, they are having The Toys for Tots Exotic Car Rally. They try to define what is an exotic car and what is not. And they then ask you to understand if your car isn't exotic enough. Here are the requirements for exotic car eligibility.
What is an exotic?
http://www.toyrally.com/exotic_cars.htm
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What a great selection of cars, thanks for sharing. The Europa is the best bang for your buck out there if you want to hang out with the "fancy" guys (or even if you don't!). My S2 was singled out and sent to the fancy parking area at the Portland Cars & Coffee a few months ago, look which car gets the attention and it was like this all morning.
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I guess South Florida exotic car owners need something to do in between Exotic car shows and picking up South Beach super models, or Eastern European exotic dancers. So in the spirit of the holidays, they are having The Toys for Tots Exotic Car Rally. They try to define what is an exotic car and what is not. And they then ask you to understand if your car isn't exotic enough. Here are the requirements for exotic car eligibility.
What is an exotic?
http://www.toyrally.com/exotic_cars.htm
I understand why they want to make it exclusive and I appreciate their way of determining just what "exotic" means to them but I'm still not sure what that means to our Europas. I really don't consider the Europa exotic but maybe that's because it's not unusual for me to see one in a parking lot (mine) but it is but it is scarce (maybe more scarce than a Lambo Muira). You could say it was created in an unusual way (sometimes that's not a good thing) but I have a feeling that Chunky was hoping for a bigger market for the Europa than it got...
I guess it's ok since I won't be able to attend anyway! :)
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BDA: I was happy they had Lotus on their list.
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I was too. I was wondering which Loti they would accept as exotic. As I was saying, maybe I'm too close to them, but I don't see Europas as exotic. Original Elites or Elevens would certainly be rare enough and unusual enough and interesting enough but they don't fit my definition of exotic. On the other hand I would consider them among the most exotic Lotus road cars.
Anyway, I'm glad somebody else is trying their hand at the definition of exotic because it makes my head hurt!
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Reading the description, it seems like Lotus was grouped with the makes that were all models inclusive as exotics. Porsche and Mercedes on the other hand were in the specific exclusive models used as examples. The Europa or any Lotus model seems to fit right in with their description. And 1970Europaguy: I am not surprised that they loved your car :trophy:
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I don't consider my S1 Europa an "exotic" car. I consider it an impractical, fragile, sports car with absolutely amazing handling characteristics when it's not being repaired or serviced. I absolutely adore it, warts (in my case figurative) and all.
One example of its "non-exoticity" is that people do not find Europas nor their owners intimidating. There's no pretension, nor assumed wealth, when you drive a Europa. Everyone and anyone just walks up and starts asking questions. Those in the know, usually have a concerned look and want to know if you've broken down ;-) I really, really like that aspect of Europa ownership. I get the same fun as the "exotic" car owners and none of the resentment nor assumptions of "ass-h*le-ness that they get -- and sometimes richly deserve.
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Just because something is affordable doesn't mean it isn't exotic. That article mentioned specific criteria to define exotic. It mentioned "rare." There are no more than a dozen or so Europas in the state of Florida which has a population of almost 22 million. That is one Europa per 2 million residents. It mentions "unusual style." I can't think of any car that could possibly mistaken for a Europa. It mentions "design." The Europa was one of the first cars ever designed in a wind tunnel. That was pretty exotic in 1966. Price is irrelevant. At one time old Ferraris were affordable. It wasn't that long a go that a Dino 246 was going for $20,000. Now they are $400,000. It mentions "historical significance." Lotus pretty much beat everybody but Lamborghini to the Mid-engine game in 1967. I could go on and on. Not everyone who owns an expensive exotic car is an a**hole. Some of my friends worked very hard to be in a position to own the cars they own. And they never forgot where they came from and are very approachable. Yes some wealthy people who drive exotics are a**holes but so are some people who drive Toyotas.
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I've actually been fighting the "exotic" label. A local garage (Burnetts, Wenham, MA) specializes in Triumphs, Healeys, MGs, etc.. I asked them to help me get my Strombergs dialed in, but NOOOO! "Lotus is too EXOTIC for us." they said. "It's just a f@#king mish-mash of all the other cars you service!" I said, but to no avail. Sheesh!
t
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I've actually been fighting the "exotic" label. A local garage (Burnetts, Wenham, MA) specializes in Triumphs, Healeys, MGs, etc.. I asked them to help me get my Strombergs dialed in, but NOOOO! "Lotus is too EXOTIC for us." they said. "It's just a f@#king mish-mash of all the other cars you service!" I said, but to no avail. Sheesh!
t
Those guys are losers, Surf. IIRC, Triumphs use Strombergs (but maybe only one). Find a classic Jag shop. If your carbs don't need to be rebuilt or fitted with a new needle, most of it is balancing and setting the idle speed. I'll bet there are videos that can help.
Good luck!
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Absolutely, there are, probably, many decent exotic car owners. Given my profession, I have been exposed to them, and, unfortunately, the not-decent. Here's one example:
Chap brought in an F355 for a timing belt change. Told us not to start the engine because one of the belt idlers was in a bad way. The manual says you have to pull the engine to change the timing belt but you can do it insitu if you have double jointed elbows and a very high tolerance for pain. So I did the work without pulling the engine. Fired it up afterwards and it's making a knocking noise. Shut it down instantly and called the customer. The customer said that it wasn't noisy before.
I was super careful doing the work but I guess I must have f***ed up. Sh*t happens. Best not to take life personally.
I pull the engine and check my work, it's perfect, no issues. So we put the engine back in and fire it up again. Still noisy, of course. Do a bit of detective work and it has a bent valve on the left bank. Talk to the customer and then the real story comes out. He was driving it slowly up and down the strip, pausing to rev it up with the clutch in when it started making an awful clatter and he shut it down.
Now I'm into this thing for 20+ hours with very few billable hours in sight. If he told me at the beginning what was up, I'd have thought him a bit of an idiot and then done the work. Now? I wouldn't work on his car, period. It came on a tow truck. It left on a tow truck.
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Even though we cannot enjoy reading this article it’s fantastic to see a Europa on the cover of a car magazine sharing a small picture of an eviga. That should raise an awareness of these beautiful works of art.
Dakazman
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Lotus for the most part (at least in the states) is an automotive brand that most consumers have never heard of. I can't count the number of times I have been asked: "Who makes Lotus?" During the semester, I occasionally poll the students on cars. The majority of students at the county college I teach economically fall in the Lower class to upper middle-class income. Almost 99% of them have never heard of Lotus. And Most have never heard of Aston Martin or McLaren either. Forget about Koenigsegg or Pagani. Almost everyone of them "are" familiar with Ferrari or Lamborghini. Mention Supra, GTR, or NSX and every male student's eyes light up. Most of us bought a Lotus because we were somehow exposed to one in someway and we never forgot it. For me, I was a huge Formula 1 fan as a kid and as far as I was concerned, there were only two makes that mattered: Ferrari and Lotus. I was also an "Avengers" fan. Good enough for Emma Peel or Tara King then good enough for me. Others knew someone who had one and couldn't get that image or sound out of our minds. Some of us were car magazine junkies like myself and memorized every cool car spec and Lotus was always near the top. I love my Europa. With all its quirks, it is an automotive original work of art.
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Agreed on all counts! Maybe if I had watched "The Avengers" more, I would have bought an Elan (Emma Peel there's nothing more to be said) but the truth is that I saw a real Elan long after I had bought my Europa.