[71type65]

Hi,
My name is Jack. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and am looking for my next car (Elise/Exige/Vintage Formula Ford?). My background is in Autocrossing, Spec Miata (SCCA/NASA), Jet Ski racing, and Karting. Currently drive a Rx8 and commute in a Chevy Bolt (for the CA carpool sticker).

Jack

View attachment 1280869

Welcome. You're in the right place if you need a tow vehicle for the kart...😃

 

[billy bee]

All new members must post an introduction in the New Member Introduction forum...

You'll be sorry you asked... I am a long time car guy (and motorcycle and boat and plane and...). I have lusted over the Elise since I first saw one. I think that was at the LA auto show in '05...but I cannot be sure about that. The other Lotus I really lusted over was the Europa. I remember seeing one at the gas station when I was a kid...so maybe in the early '70's. So, I have always appreciated the brand.

Meanwhile, I have had a number of Audis, including an ur-quattro, a number of Alfas, and a number of BMWs. Currently own a 1971 Alfa Romeo Spider 1750, 1991 SAAB 900S Convertible, 2000 BMW 323iT (that is getting an M54B30 engine swap), a 2001 Chevy K2500HD crew cab, and a 2015 Audi Q5 TDI (that my wife drives).

I am also part of an active 24 Hours of Lemons team...those are the fun cars. We have a 1981 BMW 633CSi, with the Australian TCC John Player livery on it, and a 2005 Hyundai Elantra, that we themed as the Kim Jong Elantra. We are currently swapping a 2.7 Tiburon V6 into the Elantra. Need mo powah...

Clearly, I don't have a Lotus. But I'd like to add that I am currently driving a 2017 Camry LE, that, while is is simply a soul-sucking machine, was left to me by my father who recently died. (Thanks Dad!) I will be selling it once my father's estate is settled to help fund the purchase of a frivolous car, as if the Alfa, SAAB, 633, and E46 are not essentially frivolous now that I own a Camry...but, something that I probably would not otherwise buy for myself.

To give you a little background here (for the one person who is still reading this), I have been involved in racing for 30 years. For several years I earned good money as a driver. Since about 2000, however, I have had to pay to play. So, some of my discretionary income goes to my Lemons racing. Some also goes to our ski boat; some goes to a summer home; some goes to keeping a few motorcycles on the road; some goes to travel...not much left over for another car.

Some more background (apparently for my own edification since that one reader has now bailed): I was thinking the frivolous car might be a Challenger Hellcat, then a BMW M2, then an E39 BMW M5, then an E60 M5 (with the V10)...then I remembered the LA Auto Show, or where ever I was when I first saw the Elise. Duh. I wasted hours of my time searching for the wrong car. Worse still, I have been bugging my team mates for their thoughts on the wrong car. One guy is very high on the Hellcat since we could do burnouts all day long in it. Another the E60 M5 since we could do burnouts all day long in it. Well, you get the picture. Well, maybe not since you stopped reading this post while you still had a life. I'll say this, all of my team mates are high on the Elise.

Anyway, I am in the market for an Elise. My budget is about $35k. I figure I'll get $13k for the Camry and only have to cough up $25k in cash to cover the purchase and tax, reg, etc... I live in CA (Arroyo Grande, near Pismo Beach, and the summer hours is on the Sacramento River Delta). Since I live in CA, the taxes are painful. Ouch. But that's the cost of living in the land if sun and fun (where it is currently 76 and sunny in mid-February).

I'll post a few car pictures if anybody wants to see anything. Look forward to being part of the community.

--Bill

 

[Catsailr27]

Welcome to LT Bill! Get your ten posts in so that you'll be free to reply or post in the Marketplace. There is another current post on Evora's asking for advice where to buy and these are all good places to look for your car. GLWS!

 

[billy bee]

Welcome to LT Bill! Get your ten posts in so that you'll be free to reply or post in the Marketplace. There is another current post on Evora's asking for advice where to buy and these are all good places to look for your car. GLWS!

Thanks. I suppose a good place to get my 10 posts is by replying to everybody who posts here, starting with you...

BTW, are you a catamaran sailor? Beach cats? Whatcha got? I work for an outfit that builds trampolines.

--Bill

 

[Catsailr27]

Down to a 27' Stiletto had 30' Stiletto, 40' Offshore Cat and a Macgregor 36' Cat.

 

[billy bee]

Down to a 27' Stiletto had 30' Stiletto, 40' Offshore Cat and a Macgregor 36' Cat.

Cruising cats are cool. In addition to wanting an Elise, I am in the market for a Corsair F31 (trimaran, although I bet you knew that...).

I was raised on the Chesapeake and sailed there for 20 years. Good times. Since I have been in CA, I have only done a few races out of Long Beach and some daysailing on the local lake. Gotta get back out onto the ocean!

--bb

 

[71type65]

You'll be sorry you asked... I am a long time car guy (and motorcycle and boat and plane and...). I have lusted over the Elise since I first saw one. I think that was at the LA auto show in '05...but I cannot be sure about that. The other Lotus I really lusted over was the Europa. I remember seeing one at the gas station when I was a kid...so maybe in the early '70's. So, I have always appreciated the brand.

Meanwhile, I have had a number of Audis, including an ur-quattro, a number of Alfas, and a number of BMWs. Currently own a 1971 Alfa Romeo Spider 1750, 1991 SAAB 900S Convertible, 2000 BMW 323iT (that is getting an M54B30 engine swap), a 2001 Chevy K2500HD crew cab, and a 2015 Audi Q5 TDI (that my wife drives).

I am also part of an active 24 Hours of Lemons team...those are the fun cars. We have a 1981 BMW 633CSi, with the Australian TCC John Player livery on it, and a 2005 Hyundai Elantra, that we themed as the Kim Jong Elantra. We are currently swapping a 2.7 Tiburon V6 into the Elantra. Need mo powah...

Clearly, I don't have a Lotus. But I'd like to add that I am currently driving a 2017 Camry LE, that, while is is simply a soul-sucking machine, was left to me by my father who recently died. (Thanks Dad!) I will be selling it once my father's estate is settled to help fund the purchase of a frivolous car, as if the Alfa, SAAB, 633, and E46 are not essentially frivolous now that I own a Camry...but, something that I probably would not otherwise buy for myself.

To give you a little background here (for the one person who is still reading this), I have been involved in racing for 30 years. For several years I earned good money as a driver. Since about 2000, however, I have had to pay to play. So, some of my discretionary income goes to my Lemons racing. Some also goes to our ski boat; some goes to a summer home; some goes to keeping a few motorcycles on the road; some goes to travel...not much left over for another car.

Some more background (apparently for my own edification since that one reader has now bailed): I was thinking the frivolous car might be a Challenger Hellcat, then a BMW M2, then an E39 BMW M5, then an E60 M5 (with the V10)...then I remembered the LA Auto Show, or where ever I was when I first saw the Elise. Duh. I wasted hours of my time searching for the wrong car. Worse still, I have been bugging my team mates for their thoughts on the wrong car. One guy is very high on the Hellcat since we could do burnouts all day long in it. Another the E60 M5 since we could do burnouts all day long in it. Well, you get the picture. Well, maybe not since you stopped reading this post while you still had a life. I'll say this, all of my team mates are high on the Elise.

Anyway, I am in the market for an Elise. My budget is about $35k. I figure I'll get $13k for the Camry and only have to cough up $25k in cash to cover the purchase and tax, reg, etc... I live in CA (Arroyo Grande, near Pismo Beach, and the summer hours is on the Sacramento River Delta). Since I live in CA, the taxes are painful. Ouch. But that's the cost of living in the land if sun and fun (where it is currently 76 and sunny in mid-February).

I'll post a few car pictures if anybody wants to see anything. Look forward to being part of the community.

--Bill

Considering your lust for an Elise, combined with an inclination toward mo powah, I think you need one of these, or something like it:

Lotus Elise GT1 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Or maybe a street version of this:

Might have to sell a couple other vehicles to pump up the budget for these 😉.

Enjoy the search!

 

[billy bee]

Considering your lust for an Elise, combined with an inclination toward mo powah, I think you need one of these, or something like it:

View attachment 1280935

Lotus Elise GT1 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

You are not wrong. Maybe we cram the Hyundai V6 into the Elise engine bay? The BMW E60 M5 has 500 hp; but it weighs 4,000 lbs. It is freaking fast. Since I still do some auto crossing, I think nimble is the way to go.

BTW, I see the Europa was sold, but are you still racing SCCA? I raced SCCA and IMSA in the 90's. Now racing 24 Hours of Lemons and really having fun.

--Bill

 

[71type65]

You are not wrong. Maybe we cram the Hyundai V6 into the Elise engine bay? The BMW E60 M5 has 500 hp; but it weighs 4,000 lbs. It is freaking fast. Since I still do some auto crossing, I think nimble is the way to go.

BTW, I see the Europa was sold, but are you still racing SCCA? I raced SCCA and IMSA in the 90's. Now racing 24 Hours of Lemons and really having fun.

--Bill

Seems like a V6 should fit. I would love to see a compact V8 in an Elise, but it might involve stretching the wheelbase, not a trivial task.

I'm just a racing spectator these days. Europa project, which I built up 100% from 2 wrecked cars stripped down to the frame and every last nut and bolt, was early 80's. I have toyed with the idea of getting back in, but for now just enjoying the Esprit and C6 Vette on the road. Might try to do a Formula Car Experience event this year, since I've never driven an open wheel racer.

Saw a Lemons race at NJMP. Pretty outrageous conglomeration of machinery. Big turnout, it's obviously popular.

 

[billy bee]

Seems like a V6 should fit. I would love to see a compact V8 in an Elise, but it might involve stretching the wheelbase, not a trivial task.

I'm just a racing spectator these days. Europa project, which I built up 100% from 2 wrecked cars stripped down to the frame and every last nut and bolt, was early 80's. I have toyed with the idea of getting back in, but for now just enjoying the Esprit and C6 Vette on the road. Might try to do a Formula Car Experience event this year, since I've never driven an open wheel racer.

Saw a Lemons race at NJMP. Pretty outrageous conglomeration of machinery. Big turnout, it's obviously popular.
View attachment 1280942

Is that action shot taken at Summit Point? Probably the closest road course to NC in the day... I started racing there and took my SCCA school there. Worked for Bill Scott Racing on occasion...

 

[71type65]

Is that action shot taken at Summit Point? Probably the closest road course to NC in the day... I started racing there and took my SCCA school there. Worked for Bill Scott Racing on occasion...

Yep, that's good ol' Summit. I think BSR had just taken over the track at that time.

I did a track day with my street 914 where Bill was the instructor, learned a lot. Including the fact that the 914 shift lever pivots on a ball that is held in place by sheet metal pressed around it, which can fracture causing the shift lever to pop out (thereby useless) while hurtling down the main straight into turn 1, just as I was about to downshift...but that's another story. 🤯

What car did you race at Summit?

 

[billy bee]

What car did you race at Summit?

I raced a few different cars there. All Showroom Stock and IT. In the early 90s it was a SSC Mazda Protege, then a Neon, then a Miata. Raced in ITA in a friend‘s Audi GT. Did some of the endurance races and MARRS races. Mostly I traveled to Nationals and Runoffs. Summit was my home track. when working for Bill, I would manage marque events for Ferrari Club and quattro club, etc. I ended up in a career managing automotive driving events thanks to Bill‘s confidence in me.

Was your E Prod car your only foray into wheel-to-wheel racing?

--bb

 

[71type65]

I raced a few different cars there. All Showroom Stock and IT. In the early 90s it was a SSC Mazda Protege, then a Neon, then a Miata. Raced in ITA in a friend‘s Audi GT. Did some of the endurance races and MARRS races. Mostly I traveled to Nationals and Runoffs. Summit was my home track. when working for Bill, I would manage marque events for Ferrari Club and quattro club, etc. I ended up in a career managing automotive driving events thanks to Bill‘s confidence in me.

Was your E Prod car your only foray into wheel-to-wheel racing?

--bb

It was, except for co-driving endurance events with friends in a H Prod Bugeye Sprite. Did one SCCA driver school in a D Prod TR6 lent by another friend.

Sounds like a fun career.

CA is a great place to end up for racing. I enjoyed a CART race at Long Beach, and attended what I think was one of the last SCCA races at Riverside. Bulldozers were lined up on the grounds as if they were impatiently waiting to get started on the shopping mall, that was sad. Now that malls are out of fashion maybe they'll tear it down and build a racetrack. Ha! 😆

 

[Catsailr27]

Is that action shot taken at Summit Point? Probably the closest road course to NC in the day... I started racing there and took my SCCA school there. Worked for Bill Scott Racing on occasion...

BSR used to have a shop up the road near Tyson Corner from my parents and you could hear the dyno runs late at night. I only ran at Summit once in the mid 70's but I was there doing sidecar demos and getting on track with various size class bikes.

 

[billy bee]

BSR used to have a shop up the road near Tyson Corner from my parents and you could hear the dyno runs late at night. I only ran at Summit once in the mid 70's but I was there doing sidecar demos and getting on track with various size class bikes.

Now we are talking—I had a BMW R75/6 with a California car. It was the only sidecar rig I ever owned or rode. Traded a Honda Transalp for it. Rode the Honda from Los Angeles to Flagstaff to make the trade. Jumped on the sidecar rig, my first time riding one, and rode home to LA the next day. I had read a book called “How to ride a sidecar outfit” and thought I would be safe. I wasn’t. I left Flag right after the trade and rode down Oak Creek Canyon, a twisty descent from the high chaparral down to Sedona. On several occasions I carried too much speed and ended up in the opposite lane. At least once there was a car coming at me. I eventually learned to slow down and stay in my lane. Made it safely to Prescott that night. And back to LA the next day. I learned to the ride rig pretty well and enjoyed it. The book was very good, and I may have killed myself that afternoon if not for the lessons I learned from reading it. However, I would have really appreciated a demo and a lesson from somebody who knew what they were doing.

I’d love to hear more about you sidecar experience.

Bill Scott had another passion—tractors. The track held an annual vintage event where Brian Redman would show up.The highlight for Bill was an antique tractor parade. He’d restored an old Porsche tractor. I still have a vivid image of him coming out of the carousel at 4mph on the tractor. He had the most peaceful look on his face. He was a very kind and gentle man; seemed more like a gentleman farmer to me than race car driver.

—bb

 

[Catsailr27]

At that time I was working for a Kawasaki shop in Chantilly VA that was selling sidecars for Z1's and owner had me bring it to Summit to demo and try and sell. After moving to Virginia Beach the shop I worked for picked up BMW and they sent me off for factory BMW training in '75. I got out of motorcycles in '79 after near fatal wreck in '76.

 

[billy bee]

I got out of motorcycles in '79 after near fatal wreck in '76.

And into cruising cats? You're still close to VA Beach. Your profile says Elizabeth City, NC. Had to look that one up. Looks like a great place to sail the Sound. We recently rented a place in Buckroe (Hampton). Really enjoyed being on the sand there and reflecting on my days sailing the Chesapeake, including the Annapolis to Hampton race.

My first wife (of two) crashed her BMW R65LS and broke her shoulder pretty badly. Shortly after that, we sold all the bikes and got her an Alfa Spider Quad. I remember driving the Alfa over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, top down, thinking it was as close to a motorcycle experience as I might ever have again. After we divorced, however, I bought a 2000 BMW R1150GS and have probably ridden a hundred thousand miles since.

I currently own a Buell Ulysses and a Suzuki DR650. My second wife has a Harley Dyna. We don't ride as much as we once did. She hardly rides at all. I ride regularly but racing has taken over as my primary outlet. I think that's safer...

Thanks so much for the conversation. You Lotus guys are great. Such interesting backgrounds and experiences. Makes me feel like I am in the right place.

--bb

 

[aja314]

Hello, My name is Amos. I currently own a Lotus Elise and live in Boston MA. I am here for general lotus up keep and knowledge.

 

[Catsailr27]

Hello, My name is Amos. I currently own a Lotus Elise and live in Boston MA. I am here for general lotus up keep and knowledge.

Welcome to LT Amos!

 

[zilviaaaa_]

Hi! My name is Mark from Los Angeles, CA. Currently daily/all stock weekend track toy is an 07' Cayman base. And my fun project car is a S14 240sx (sr20 with boltons and aftermarket suspension). Looking to get into an Evora as an upgrade to my 987. Life is too short to drive boring cars!