LOTUS

It�s a name that everyone recognises but few know much about.
Love them or hate them � you have to admire them.

My love affair with Lotus Cars started when I was old enough to understand what a car was for. I walked to school everyday and had to go past an old Lotus �lan that was parked in a driveway � sadly in a state of neglect and in need of some TLC. Often I would creep into the drive and stare at this sorry site that stood before me.

When I reached the age of seventeen and passed my driving test, I promised to myself that one day I would have my own Lotus, money permitting.

Well I am now 34 years old and have had the - pleasure - of owning four Lotus Cars. I have experienced the good, the bad, the sane and the most outrageous pieces of machinery that have ever rolled out of the Lotus factory.

I am still in love with these crazy cars and I hope to show you why on this page.

My Lotus Excel

This was my first and worst Lotus. I was really caught out with this Excel and ended up having to sue the garage who sold it to me. There used to be a saying: -Lotus - Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious. This was as good an example as you will get. I learnt two lessons with this Excel. Firstly, if it's cheap - there's a reason. Secondly, if it hasn't got a full service history - don't touch it with a barge pole.

My Lotus Excel SE

This Excel SE was my second Lotus. I was very wary after being caught out with my first Excel but the person who owned this car was a real Lotus buff. The car was in superb condition as you can see. Although I loved this car, I craved to own an Esprit.

My Lotus Esprit GT3

This was my third and the best Lotus I ever owned. This machine had a top speed of 165mph and raced from 0 - 60mph in 5 seconds. I purchased it second-hand with 11000 miles on the clock. I think the Esprit models are one of the most beautiful cars on the market. Production on these cars have now ceased after 25 years. If you have a good one, keep hold of it. The value of Esprits are going to rocket.

Lotus Exige

This is my current Lotus machine. Some of you who are familiar with Lotus Cars may make the mistake of thinking that this little tool is a Lotus Elise. The Elise is a sheep in wolf�s clothing. The Exige on the other hand is the wolf.

The Exige is essentially a sports version of the Elise, built for the track with only minimal refinements for the road. When in the design phase a central driving position was even considered, such was the desire to build a car as close to race spec as possible.

Although the engine is a mere 1.8-litre, there�s still a race-bred 177bhp to play with in a car that weighs about half the average family saloon. This makes for 0 � 60 mph in 4.7 seconds and a top speed of 136 mph. The Exige is a thinly disguised racer and it has all the accompanying noise to go with it. The engine roars away just behind your eyes and the stiff suspension leaves you in no doubt as to how large the bumps in the road are.

This car is for disappearing, usually ahead of everyone else. It is very single-minded and doesn�t like plodding along in traffic.

There�s not much to look at in an Exige. If you want a car with frills, you had better look elsewhere as the Exige has one thing on its mind and that going round a race track as quickly as possible. You could possibly rank the number plates and tax disc as extras to make it road legal. A radio and speakers are installed as an extra option but you are not going to hear any music over the engine, so why bother?

The Exige is not my favourite Lotus. Don�t get me wrong. It�s an absolute blast to drive and has the sheer presence to make BMW M3 owners nervous when you appear in their rear view mirror. The trouble is that you have to drive the Exige at full revs to get any real sense of power out of it. It doesn�t matter what you drive. Sometimes you just want to get there without any real effort. Not a chance with the Exige.

I hope something on this page takes your fancy. I haven't finished it yet and as most of you will know, it takes for ever to finish. I will keep updating as and when I can.

Thanks for looking.