Brits hit the east coast - LotusTalk

pearman00 · 05-27-2009, 11:51 AM

i am now starting to plan

a trip to usa with our cars

(max10 cars ) all of them LOTUS mine being a S1 Elise (Honda engine) im looking at shipping them to New York and going down the east Coast for 2 to 3 weeks next year (2010).
so im am posting on here for some ideas : roads to drive, events or places to see, LOTUS meetings to go or even trackdays todo.
As this is the start of my plan what is the best month for the weather.
and as long as we end up at a port where we can put our cars back on a ship to England it should be fine.
so all of your help will be appreciated

Tony

ajp33 · 05-27-2009, 11:56 AM

Sounds like a hell of a fun trip. Have you contacted Ian Wilson on seloc as he did a trip accross the US in his Honda'd Elise a couple of yeras ago on his way back to Oz.

I'm a Brit about 7 hours from New York and can't add too much advice but would love to help, meet up if I can.

pearman00 · 05-27-2009, 12:24 PM

yes i know of Ian from seloc, i have no problems in getting the cars over to New York and back.
what i am after is more info with local knowledge.

would be great to meet up at some time

Tony

ajp33 · 05-27-2009, 12:55 PM

You may want to try tail of the dragon in North Carolina. A group of us are heading there on teh way back from the annual Lotus meet and it;s supposed to be amazing

Tail of the Dragon after LOG 29 June 1-2

Uncle Sam · 05-27-2009, 01:19 PM

You should consider these East Coast tracks, north to south: Watkins Glen; Virginia International Raceway; Road Atlanta; Daytona (unlikely, only a few events a year); Sebring.

You could ship out of Miami easily.

Washington D.C. has tons of stuff to see in museums. Plan on a couple of days minimum. Sounds like a cool trip.

Rainier · 05-27-2009, 01:54 PM

For driving scenic routes on east coast from NYC area and down, I know of following:

A bit north of NYC : Hudson river valley, Storm King Highway, Catskills

Virginia: Shenandoah National Park

Florida Keys

If you going to the trouble of comming over, you might as well go out west to where the stunning scenery is!
Monument Vally, Utah, Moab, Grand Canyon, Canyon Lands....

lotus69f2 · 05-27-2009, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pearman00

Coast for 2 to 3 weeks next year (2010).
so im am posting on here for some ideas : roads to drive, events or places to see, LOTUS meetings to go or even trackdays todo.

I applaud you for the financial and time obligation to do such an event, especially for organizing and exclusively Lotus group.

I organize the Philadelphia Area Lotus Society and we do monthly events which you can find posted regularly to Lotus Talk.

You would certainly be welcome to attend any of them, but if I could see fit to do an event especially to welcome you and your group to the US. I would even be willing to host it at my place. I have a Barn dedicated to my Lotus collection and a large property that can accomodate a large gathering of Lotus - and have done so - Philadelphia Area Lotus Society (PALS) Winter Planning Meeting

Also consider making LOG part of your plans. 2010's edition has not yet been announced, but it should be announced in a few weeks, as the next years LOG is usually announced during the current LOG. It is rumored to be in the Northeast of the country in the Fall.

Reply to post or PM me if you want to coordinate your trip with a PALS event.

catapult · 05-27-2009, 02:25 PM

I suggest you combine some good driving with checking out some cool sites/places. Try this route if you are arriving and leaving from New York. I recently did a road trip from Toronto to Charleston. You could go to Philadelphia from New York, from there I would suggest heading towards Wilmington (Delaware I think) and then cross the Cheasapeake Bay Bridge (IMO its an engineering marvel) to Norfolk, West Virginia (Norfolk is where the US Navy's Atlantic Fleet is headquartered). From there you can check out some very important historical sites including Jamestown (first North American permanent settlement and also where Pockahontas is from) and Williamsburg (this is where much of the American Revolution was fought). From there head to Wilmington, North Carolina while hugging the coast and sticking to secondary roads. I was able to set my GPS to "scenic". From Wilmigton you can head to Charleston, South Carolina (Myrtle Beach is along the route - a bit tacky IMO) and then perhaps Savannah, Georgia. For the trip back, we then headed to Asheville, North Carolina. This is in the middle of the mountains and has some great driving roads. This is also where Biltmore Estate is (the Vanderbilt's estate). If you head west from there you can hook up with the Tail of the Dragon (see other posts) or head towards Washington via the Blue Ridge Skyway (now quite as twisty as the Tail of the Dragon but less traffic and less cops but still a beautiful and fun route). Washington is worthwhile spending a coupe of days in if you haven't been there before.

I'm excited for you. I had a great time on my road trip. Remember to pack light!!

...m... · 05-27-2009, 03:39 PM

...just, you know, avoid alabama if you have MAN LOVE RULES OK painted on the haunch of your car - just sayin'...

ggelise · 05-27-2009, 05:05 PM

Was that 5th Gear who pulled that stunt? Those guys genuinely feared for their lives! One of the funniest things ever on tv.....

pearman00 · 05-28-2009, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajp33

You may want to try tail of the dragon in North Carolina. A group of us are heading there on teh way back from the annual Lotus meet and it;s supposed to be amazing

Tail of the Dragon after LOG 29 June 1-2

had a look on the map and tail of the dragon looks and sounds

good to me, so that will have to go on the list

thanks for your help

Tony

pearman00 · 05-28-2009, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ...m...

...just, you know, avoid alabama if you have MAN LOVE RULES OK painted on the haunch of your car - just sayin'...

Does it not rule in Alabama then

so we can go to Alabama then, as i took that off my car last week

serpent · 05-28-2009, 08:42 AM

As far as i know next LOG (Lotus Owners Gathering) is supposed to happen in Philadelphia (or somewhere else close). We wont know for sure until its announced, but you guys should definitely plan on coming to that.

Why not ship cars to NY and then drive down to Miami and ship out? That way you can hit everything along the way and have a fulfilling trip.

Once you have the basic planning down i'm sure we can all plan for an awesome trip with specifics.

mldlaw · 05-28-2009, 08:50 AM

1. Track days are easy to arrange at Pocono International Raceway - 2 hours from NYC or Philly, and at New Jersey Motorsports Park near Ocean City New Jersey (they have great go-karts, too).
2. You may want to come watch the Pagoda or Duryea Hillclimb in Reading, Pennsylvania, about 1 hour from Philadelphia.
3. Why not sign up for a Philadelphia area SCCA autocross one Sunday.
Just some ideas for you.
Be sure to let us know when you are coming.

JungleJim · 05-28-2009, 09:29 AM

Tony, if you want some track time, contact Ian at SCDA1.com to talk about Driver Ed days at Lime Rock Park. Beautiful setting in the Berkshires. An easy drive from New York City. Don't miss out on some great roads in the Northeast. If you are planning a run to the south, head out onto the Skyline Drive and BlueRidge Parkway.

Sounds like a great trip.

TheViper · 05-28-2009, 09:41 AM

If you come to South Florida, as an ex-Brit, I would be happy to meet you. We have a Pub here The Blue Anchor British Pub...... 19th Century Pub Imported From England that was partially brought over from the UK, Chancery Lane to be precise, nice place to meet.
BTW, hurricane season is June 1st to November 30th.
Cheers,
Michael

pearman00 · 05-28-2009, 12:59 PM

All, thanks very much for all of the replies, much appreciated, your suggestions have given me a lot of ideas of routes etc. We will definitely plan the event to coincide with LOG30 - sounds like that will be a lot of fun.

I'll get the group together to sort out details soon, but at the moment I'm thinking we'll start in NY, go inland to Phili and then head over the the East coast and meander back up the coast to NY.

pearman00 · 05-28-2009, 01:03 PM

Sorry - hit the send key before I was ready to send that message - meant Alabama not Phili..... but will take that in as well.

If we get as far as S Florida we'll definitely pop into the pub for a real English pint!

Again - thanks for all your help - keep the replies coming - all ideas greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Tony

Vampyre · 05-28-2009, 01:10 PM

Starting in New York......
Check out one of our local tracks
Watkins Glen International - Watkins Glen International

Located in the Finger Lakes wine country.
Finger Lakes Wine Country

... the track opens in May

Paul H · 06-06-2009, 11:16 PM

Just saying 'Hi' - I intend to be coming across with Tony for this next year. Already excited!
As for pre-planning what do you recommend as the best map book to use for checking out routes?

05-27-2009, 11:51 AM	#1 (permalink)
pearman00 Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Location: south yorkshire, England Posts: 8	Brits hit the east coast i am now starting to plan a trip to usa with our cars (max10 cars ) all of them LOTUS mine being a S1 Elise (Honda engine) im looking at shipping them to New York and going down the east Coast for 2 to 3 weeks next year (2010). so im am posting on here for some ideas : roads to drive, events or places to see, LOTUS meetings to go or even trackdays todo. As this is the start of my plan what is the best month for the weather. and as long as we end up at a port where we can put our cars back on a ship to England it should be fine. so all of your help will be appreciated Tony

05-27-2009, 01:54 PM	#6 (permalink)
Rainier Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 164	For driving scenic routes on east coast from NYC area and down, I know of following: A bit north of NYC : Hudson river valley, Storm King Highway, Catskills Virginia: Shenandoah National Park Florida Keys If you going to the trouble of comming over, you might as well go out west to where the stunning scenery is! Monument Vally, Utah, Moab, Grand Canyon, Canyon Lands.... __________________ I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree... Last edited by Rainier : 05-27-2009 at 02:07 PM.

05-27-2009, 03:39 PM	#9 (permalink)
...m... Denuo Volatilis Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 2,715	...just, you know, avoid alabama if you have MAN LOVE RULES OK painted on the haunch of your car - just sayin'... __________________ 2005 Federal Elise \| Touring \| Storm Titanium ...73,000 miles and aging beautifully... 2000 New Beetle \| Turbo \| Reflex Silver ...107,000 miles of steadfast service...

05-28-2009, 08:42 AM	#13 (permalink)
serpent Driver!! Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 3,462	As far as i know next LOG (Lotus Owners Gathering) is supposed to happen in Philadelphia (or somewhere else close). We wont know for sure until its announced, but you guys should definitely plan on coming to that. Why not ship cars to NY and then drive down to Miami and ship out? That way you can hit everything along the way and have a fulfilling trip. Once you have the basic planning down i'm sure we can all plan for an awesome trip with specifics. __________________ Studies show 100% of people die. Might as well have some fun.

05-28-2009, 08:50 AM	#14 (permalink)
mldlaw Registered User Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 78	Philadelphia area 1. Track days are easy to arrange at Pocono International Raceway - 2 hours from NYC or Philly, and at New Jersey Motorsports Park near Ocean City New Jersey (they have great go-karts, too). 2. You may want to come watch the Pagoda or Duryea Hillclimb in Reading, Pennsylvania, about 1 hour from Philadelphia. 3. Why not sign up for a Philadelphia area SCCA autocross one Sunday. Just some ideas for you. Be sure to let us know when you are coming.

05-27-2009, 11:56 AM	#2 (permalink)
ajp33 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Sunny Pittsburgh Posts: 672	Sounds like a hell of a fun trip. Have you contacted Ian Wilson on seloc as he did a trip accross the US in his Honda'd Elise a couple of yeras ago on his way back to Oz. I'm a Brit about 7 hours from New York and can't add too much advice but would love to help, meet up if I can.

05-27-2009, 12:24 PM	#3 (permalink)
pearman00 Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Location: south yorkshire, England Posts: 8	yes i know of Ian from seloc, i have no problems in getting the cars over to New York and back. what i am after is more info with local knowledge. would be great to meet up at some time Tony

05-27-2009, 12:55 PM	#4 (permalink)
ajp33 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Sunny Pittsburgh Posts: 672	You may want to try tail of the dragon in North Carolina. A group of us are heading there on teh way back from the annual Lotus meet and it;s supposed to be amazing Tail of the Dragon after LOG 29 June 1-2

05-27-2009, 01:19 PM	#5 (permalink)
Uncle Sam #14 Sport Elise Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Rockville, Maryland Posts: 862 Images: 2	You should consider these East Coast tracks, north to south: Watkins Glen; Virginia International Raceway; Road Atlanta; Daytona (unlikely, only a few events a year); Sebring. You could ship out of Miami easily. Washington D.C. has tons of stuff to see in museums. Plan on a couple of days minimum. Sounds like a cool trip.

05-27-2009, 02:25 PM	#8 (permalink)
catapult Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Toronto Posts: 1,569	I suggest you combine some good driving with checking out some cool sites/places. Try this route if you are arriving and leaving from New York. I recently did a road trip from Toronto to Charleston. You could go to Philadelphia from New York, from there I would suggest heading towards Wilmington (Delaware I think) and then cross the Cheasapeake Bay Bridge (IMO its an engineering marvel) to Norfolk, West Virginia (Norfolk is where the US Navy's Atlantic Fleet is headquartered). From there you can check out some very important historical sites including Jamestown (first North American permanent settlement and also where Pockahontas is from) and Williamsburg (this is where much of the American Revolution was fought). From there head to Wilmington, North Carolina while hugging the coast and sticking to secondary roads. I was able to set my GPS to "scenic". From Wilmigton you can head to Charleston, South Carolina (Myrtle Beach is along the route - a bit tacky IMO) and then perhaps Savannah, Georgia. For the trip back, we then headed to Asheville, North Carolina. This is in the middle of the mountains and has some great driving roads. This is also where Biltmore Estate is (the Vanderbilt's estate). If you head west from there you can hook up with the Tail of the Dragon (see other posts) or head towards Washington via the Blue Ridge Skyway (now quite as twisty as the Tail of the Dragon but less traffic and less cops but still a beautiful and fun route). Washington is worthwhile spending a coupe of days in if you haven't been there before. I'm excited for you. I had a great time on my road trip. Remember to pack light!!

05-27-2009, 05:05 PM	#10 (permalink)
ggelise Registered User Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 193	Was that 5th Gear who pulled that stunt? Those guys genuinely feared for their lives! One of the funniest things ever on tv.....

05-28-2009, 09:29 AM	#15 (permalink)
JungleJim Left Lane Assasin Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Norwalk, CT Posts: 121 Images: 12	Tony, if you want some track time, contact Ian at SCDA1.com to talk about Driver Ed days at Lime Rock Park. Beautiful setting in the Berkshires. An easy drive from New York City. Don't miss out on some great roads in the Northeast. If you are planning a run to the south, head out onto the Skyline Drive and BlueRidge Parkway. Sounds like a great trip. __________________ 2007 Exige-All Black and Mean, Factory TouringPak/TrackPak/StarShield/LSD/TractionControl/iPodDock. All stock but not for long. v = square root ((2 * e) / m)

05-28-2009, 09:41 AM	#16 (permalink)
TheViper Alarmed & Dangerous Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Boca Raton FL Posts: 3,202	If you come to South Florida, as an ex-Brit, I would be happy to meet you. We have a Pub here The Blue Anchor British Pub...... 19th Century Pub Imported From England that was partially brought over from the UK, Chancery Lane to be precise, nice place to meet. BTW, hurricane season is June 1st to November 30th. Cheers, Michael __________________ Cobra OEM - Alarm, Immobilizer, CDL Emergency Override with warranty Additional Emergency Touch Keys - see link above Brand New Cobra Alarm Remote with warranty Cobra Remote Key Fob Strap Cobra Window Closing Module - Add to your existing Cobra alarm 3 Piece Front Clam Protection Kit with Center Bumper Undertray Removal Tool INFORMATION Improved AC & Heating System Battery Choices & Information Remote Key Fob, Alarm & Immobilizer Programming Light Bulb Conversions 2005

05-28-2009, 12:59 PM	#17 (permalink)
pearman00 Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Location: south yorkshire, England Posts: 8	All, thanks very much for all of the replies, much appreciated, your suggestions have given me a lot of ideas of routes etc. We will definitely plan the event to coincide with LOG30 - sounds like that will be a lot of fun. I'll get the group together to sort out details soon, but at the moment I'm thinking we'll start in NY, go inland to Phili and then head over the the East coast and meander back up the coast to NY.

05-28-2009, 01:03 PM	#18 (permalink)
pearman00 Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Location: south yorkshire, England Posts: 8	Sorry - hit the send key before I was ready to send that message - meant Alabama not Phili..... but will take that in as well. If we get as far as S Florida we'll definitely pop into the pub for a real English pint! Again - thanks for all your help - keep the replies coming - all ideas greatly appreciated. Thanks Tony

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05-28-2009, 01:10 PM	#19 (permalink)
Vampyre Sports Cars Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Rochester, New York Posts: 1,940	Starting in New York...... Check out one of our local tracks Watkins Glen International - Watkins Glen International Located in the Finger Lakes wine country. Finger Lakes Wine Country ... the track opens in May __________________ 2006 Chili Red / Touring / LSD / TC / Forged Wheels / Hard & Soft Top / Lifestyle Paint / Desnorkeled / Odyssey Battery / Sector 111 Extinguisher Bracket / Sector 111 LidBone / CF Splitter / CF Bits / Lotus Stage 2 / Pure X C3 Corvette 383 TPI Stroker 6.3 liters of Torque / 1976 MG Midget, fun run about / 2005 Mits Evo 8 ACD/SSL / Dodge Van for hauling stuff / http://www.photobucket.com/mygarage

06-06-2009, 11:16 PM	#20 (permalink)
Paul H Registered User Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Leeds, UK Posts: 3	Just saying 'Hi' - I intend to be coming across with Tony for this next year. Already excited! As for pre-planning what do you recommend as the best map book to use for checking out routes? __________________ Remember: I before E, except in Budweiser.