Lotus EVORA

Well I have seen the Evora in person while attending the Los Angeles Auto Show yesterday (Thursday Nov.20th). During the press launch I listened to Roger Becker and the lead designer speak about the short lead time for the car and the expected start of production for the US market. The Evora is quite stunning and in fact pictures do not do the car justice. There are subtleties in form and details that are not quite translated in a 2D image. One has to walk around the car taking in forms from varied heights and angles as well as allowing light to dance across the surfaces to see just how much thought and refinement went into the design. No small feat, again considering the 18 to 24 month gestation period.

Unfortunately I could not get too close to the interior (they allowed no one within 10 feet) but the doors were open. When reviewing images of the interior I was skeptical of the large touch navigation screen just above the HVAC control , center of the IP. Well, in person it is better but I think they refined the surfaces along the way. Brushed aluminum is used a fair amount and Recaro Sportster CS seats are used for keeping the occupants in place.

Even though this car is still a prototype I would think most of what was view Thursday will remain in production.

Chris

Larini SE

Recently I replaced my OE exhaust with a Larini SE twin exit exhaust. The type of configuration is standard in Europe. When the Elise was approved for the US the style of exhaust was a center exit located under the diffuser. Personally I thought the size and location of the tips were a bit weak in appearance.

After installing the Larini SE the rear of the car appears more muscular and effectively make the car look wider in the rear.

The installation was pretty straightforward. The OE exhaust did separate without a hitch but I may have been lucky. In some cases the OE system may be a bit stubborn. If this is the case when removing your exhaust a hard rubber mallet will aid in removing.

I elected to use the euro style grills which have the holes already for the exhaust tips. The grills are pop rivited to the center license plate mount so this will require drilling out the rivets and riveting the new ones in place..

The sound is deeper then some competitors (which I prefer) and is pretty quiet at low idle. Once over 6000rpm the system sounds great and really makes a difference at passing speeds. I would definately recommend this system!

Chris

DBW Pedals for the '06 and up Elise Exige!

Need Better Heel & Toe Control? Try these pedals for your 2006+ Elise and Exige to make that critical throttle blip each and EVERY time you downshift. Our crossdrilled pedal kit replaces the stock pads with grippy and adjustable aluminum pads. The wider accelerator makes a tremendous difference when every second counts. Tailor your Lotus to fit you.

Visit our website to view more details for the '06 and up Lotus models. The 'o5 cars have the award winning design so new pedals are not necessary. The pedal kit addresses some concerns on heel and toe issues some users have with the 'o6 and up cars.

"DBW" by the way stands for "drive by wire" which the '06 and up cars utilize now over the the direct throttle cable of the '05 cars.