Well this is where I get to talk about my new car the Lotus Elise.
I got the car back in September '98 from Bell & Colvill in West Horsley, this is the first Lotus I've ever owned but not the first open top sportscar (I used to own a Westfield).
When I was looking for a new car I had three that I was interested in: a Toyota MR2, an MGF and the Lotus Elise. I went and had a look at the MR2 and thought it was very nice but at the end of the day it wasn't a true sportscar. It's more of a coupe than anything else. The following weekend I had a look at the MGF which was also very nice, but I didn't like the handling and the steering. It felt very detached, and I like to be 'hands on'. When I came back from test driving the MGF the salesman asked if I was looking at any other cars and I told him about the Elise, at which point he said that if I was going to have a look at the Elise then I wouldn't be buying the MGF!
The week after that I went and had a test drive in the Elise. Bell & Colvill's garage is situated out in the country side and the road we used to get there runs downhill between trees so the forecourt is hidden from view until the last moment. We popped out of the trees and there she was an Azure Elise sitting on the grass verge waiting to be thrashed. I fell in love instantly. I met Tom Clark in the garage and I could tell immediately that he thought I was just a kid looking for a free ride, but he took me out anyway. Oh boy did he give it some stick! There are some great roads around that neck of the woods and he knew them all. By the time it was my turn to have a go I was scared. I thought this was going to be a beast to drive as it seemed so quick, but my fears vanished as soon as I pulled away. This cars is fantastic. If you want to drive normally it lets you. All you have to do to liven things up a bit is floor the loud pedal and it comes into a life of it own.
When we returned to the showroom I was hooked but I said that I'd think about it and get back to him. I could see it in Tom's eyes "you won't be back", but a week later I was. You should have seen the shock on his face when I asked if he would take a cheque!
17 Months later I got a call asking me to pop in and give my spec., so I decided to test drive the B&C Super 140 while I was there. After I'd been out in it I'd made up my mind that was what I was going for, so the spec was submitted and then began the longest wait of my life. About 6 weeks later they phoned again to say that my car was ready and they asked if I could pick it up that Saturday. I told them that if it was ready Saturday then shortly it would be ready Friday night! They agreed so I popped down after work to collect my new pride and joy. A week later I was off to the Lotus 50th at Hethel, hopping to have the newest one there, but there was a guy that had picked his up that morning!
Before the end of '98 I had managed to get in two trackdays (Brands Hatch (GP circuit) and Goodwood) and I've joined the Lotus Drivers Club. Then for Christmas I got a one year membership to The Circuit Club. This is a club that collates all the spare slots on trackdays nation-wide and gives you a discount on some of them.
Below are some photo's of my car:
Trackdays I've been on so far:
