how much that honda engine setup will worth???
Also. Did that Sinclair conversion cut anything off from the chassis and body?? As I don’t know much about the conversion. So I m not sure if I can return to standard vhpd. Even so I wanted it back to original as much as possible. Thanks for any advice!!
If you’re seriously considering that approach I’d seriously suggest that you try that car in it current configuration and I’m sure someone will take you out in their VHPD car and you can compare/contrast.
The conversion is reversible so you can restore it to its original configuration.
I’m not knocking striving for originality and/or VHPD engined cars, but have you actually been in a Honda/Audi engined car? You may (like many others) find there are many benefits to a heart transplant. You’ll only really know if you’ve experienced the dark side first hand 
[quote=Mr Pesky]Tim
The world is a very different place to how it was in 1974, & reality is now in the driving seat!
UK, Europe & latterly the USA were the target markets, but they are not large enough to sustain the manfacturing arm of the company.
The future lies in exploiting the Far East, like it or not, & the “old” Lotus is now well & truly dead. I would be amazed if part of it can/will ever do a “Lazarus” & sell “cheap” lightweight sportscars again. I’ve said it before, & I’ll say it again - Caterham should buy the rights for the “Elise” platform & stick Duratech engines in (& also employ the relevent peeps from Lotus)! They have an excellent track record of doing just that & developing the “Seven”. Personally I’m not bothered at all about the badge on my cars
[/quote]
Caterham = Ansar Ali 
I rest my case.
Yes Lotus needs to exploit new markets where the new money is, but they’ve exhausted the existing markets for now with the Elise/Exige concept & something needs done.
The Evora is close, but needs more power & a bit less weight to be selling over it’s competition IMHO.
Of all the stuff I’ve read lately the bit that beggars beleif is that to to spread the risk of the new car strategy, the mitigation is to build more models in the very same strategy! How did he sell that little pearler to the investors i wonder?
[quote=tim_marra]
Caterham = Ansar Ali I rest my case.
[quote]
I don’t understand your comment, Tim, sorry. What do you feel he did wrong whilst at Lotus (wasn’t he Marketing Director?), before he took over at Caterham?
Sadly, I can’t see the Lotus name ever again being put on cars costing �25K to �45K, once the run of current Elises ends - unless they’re the rebadged Protons necessary for the company to meet the requisite “eco friendly” production quota.
He contributed to the last near downfall of lotus before he and other board members got the marching orders by the then new owners. At the time money was heammoraging & he saw fit to spec a company bentley as his runaround. What a tosser
Are you sure he was fired, Tim? He was at Lotus from 2000 to 2004 - the period in which the S2 Elises & Exiges were launched, both in Europe & the USA (ok the Exiges went to the USA later). The problems at Lotus over many, many years have largely been due to a lack of finance to do things “properly”, & whenever new owners move in they always want to impose their own team (a bit like football clubs!!!).
Ansar Ali took over as MD at Caterham in Jan 2005, & they’ve done rather well since then
Any road up, I’d rather buy a new car from Ali Ansar than Mr Bahar 
If you’re seriously considering that approach I’d seriously suggest that you try that car in it current configuration and I’m sure someone will take you out in their VHPD car and you can compare/contrast. [/quote]
I have an original VHPD here for a proper back to back comparison
[quote=Mr Pesky]Tim
The world is a very different place to how it was in 1974, & reality is now in the driving seat!
UK, Europe & latterly the USA were the target markets, but they are not large enough to sustain the manfacturing arm of the company.
The future lies in exploiting the Far East, like it or not, & the “old” Lotus is now well & truly dead. I would be amazed if part of it can/will ever do a “Lazarus” & sell “cheap” lightweight sportscars again. I’ve said it before, & I’ll say it again - Caterham should buy the rights for the “Elise” platform & stick Duratech engines in (& also employ the relevent peeps from Lotus)! They have an excellent track record of doing just that & developing the “Seven”. Personally I’m not bothered at all about the badge on my cars, it’s just a friggin badge!
[/quote]
So true, I was standing at the foyer of the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Shanghai and watched Lambos, Bentley, Ferrari etc etc dropping off and picking up … Mercs and Porsche are ten a penny … this is where the money is and an Elise/Exige doesnt cut it in that company.
Would be perfect to see a small outfit like Caterham take on the rights … after all it will be a niche market but still with quite a reasonable potential for a small outfit with less overhead.
As someone in the fortunate position of having access to both I can’t say I agree. I can understand your probable logic in choosing the newer car but in truth if I had to sell one tomorrow it would be the S2. Whilst it may be faster, handle better, be more reliable, etc, etc, it would also be first out the door.
To me the S1 is the much more special car regardless of price difference.
^^^^ I agree the s1 is a very special car but at the moment I just can’t justify the asking price and may before so when the s2 is getting cheaper and cheaper. However let’s see in these few month what comes up.
Back to topics any s1 in orange or yellow??
If you’re seriously considering that approach I’d seriously suggest that you try that car in it current configuration and I’m sure someone will take you out in their VHPD car and you can compare/contrast. [/quote]
I have an original VHPD here for a proper back to back comparison [/quote]
Thanks Chris for the offer, i will need to think about it as i wanted a standard one really, not knocking off the honda engine i m sure it is great but it is just me that prefer the original engine within the car…