[Spridgets] Lotus mailing list members (no gumbo/shrip/fish heads)

[Robert Bruce Evans]

Ron Soave wrote:  "It was the cost of preventative stuff that got overwhelming [on a Lotus Esprit]...."
Lots of people have company cars...Fords, Chevrolets, etc. But a friend in England had a Lotus Espirit for his company car, which was fitting since he was the chief test engineer for Lotus. He once gave Pam and me (separately) for a little spin on those little byroads of Norfolk and Suffolk. At speed. What a hair-raising ride. He was quite proud of their product, and never ceased to enjoy telling of its virtues off the production line such as the incredible audio system, handling, braking, and air conditioning (not common in the UK at the time). 
What he was particularly proud of was the 30+ mpg system that met higher EU emissions standards, but not the lower US requirements. To meet the lower US standards, modifications had to be made to be tested on the outmoded brand of equipment explicitly required by US law. That had the effect of meeting the US requirements, but would fail the more stringent EU standards. The mpg, although lower, still did not impose the American gas guzzler tax. What a crazy bureaucratic world! 
Oh, he had absolutely no problem with the cost of maintenance!
Buster

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Ron Soave 
To: bugeye at yahoogroups.com
Sent: 7/13/2007 1:32:27 PM 
Subject: RE: Bugeye Group..... Re: Lotus mailing list members rally to restore unwell fellow-lister's car]


--- type79 at ix.netcom.com wrote:

> Basically, one shouldn't buy a Lotus if they don't
> understand it is a performance car that lives it
> life on the edge. 

Actually, the Turbo Esprit was quite civil and spot-on
reliable. I put almost 30,000 miles on it as a daily
driver for the better part of 3 years. It was the cost
of preventative stuff that got overwhelming (the
radiator actually ended up easy - I had the local shop
make a copy of the factory one for $450). 

I'll have another, someday.

Ron Soave

"Life is just one damn thing after another" - Mark Twain

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