The video sums up nicely a lot of the advice I would give to prospective buyers...

 

I like James' reviews. I sleep and breath Lotus so he generally speaks my language. However, these reviews are very specific to the car he drives, ie sportshift vs manual, standard vs sport suspension, standard vs power upgrades. It can't replace a test drive with each car one is considering.

 

I had a 07 and a 09 Vantage - drove both hard - few problems in the combined 40,000 miles between the two - actually one of the most reliable cars I've owned, not so much luck with the three 2015 Vantages (two V12S and a V8 GT - all under warranty, however the latest a V12S, so far no problems other than a loose hood latch and leather shrinkage - all covered under warranty.

 

I know him from the lotus forums.

 

I think he nails the topic. I am not red light racing anyone in my 4.3 V8V and I'd look silly if I did. You don't have to. Tho I probably drive faster than most and leave people behind me at the light just because I am not texting.. I am 'driving'.. And thats part of the point. Winding it out to 7k on an on ramp is great fun... It's more about you and the car versus what other cars can do on paper. The 'niceness' of the car, and the sheer v8 stick shift part is epic... Nothing 'extra'... Its probably the last of the 'older' car feel with very little computer control, and I am good with that... Plenty capable. I didn't see Bond trading in his DB5 as his personal car... I think it'd still take a F355 on quite well. You can also take it on a road trip and not worry. A key topic for me.

Besides, based on how it sounds... it sounds plenty fast. 75k on the odo and treating me very well!

 

I’ve test driven a bunch of performance cars recently (Audi RS’s, Porsche etc) and its made me value the Vantage way more.

I really didn’t enjoy many of them despite their spectacular numbers.. the steerings were dead, the exhaust notes lifeless and synthetic, and the chassis either race car hard, or you could feel anything.

The performance of some was insane, in fact way too fast to be fun, you’d get a couple seconds before you had to back off and brake on most roads. You could tell it was mostly big numbers to keep the marketing guys happy.

And don’t get me started on the multi screen media extravaganza displays which you have to take a course on to learn, and which all had issues..

I can’t help thinking there will be a greater move back to drivers cars with some character at some point.

 

my thoughts exactly! Been driving a lot lately now that the weather is nice and oh how I missed it so much, totally agree with the not as fast as other cars but the drama when you wind up that engine is something else and makes it feel a lot faster than it really is!

 

You guys are funny. You're describing this car as if it's slow. This isn't a Miata or a BRZ where you can wind the car out on a 40 mph road. Those cars are all about the total experience. The 4.3 is a very fast car. Enough to get you into trouble pretty quickly on the highway. I do agree, though, that the Vantage is a wonderfully tactile driver's car unlike most modern German cars. But that's the same between the 4.3 and 4.7.

 

Fast and quick are two different things. Of course 185 is fast, and it pulls hard over 100, but I've been absolutely dusted by Audi's [SUV!!], Mercs, and I had trouble with a new F150 yesterday! Although I didn't know I was going to be in a drag race and he did get the jump on me when the light changed, that's how I figured "I guess I'm in a drag race". I'm still in the last 100 miles of break in so 6k is max now which didn't help, but it's not like I was blowing his doors off.

It's plenty fast, but 4.5 is not very quick. Whether you can use it or not.

But as said, for the pure pleasure of driving I'm always smiling.

 

IF you want bragging rights on 0-60mph there are plenty of other cars on offer. None are as unique or sophisticated as an Aston Martin. An Aston Martin is a gentleman's car.
CATTMAN

 

Sure but the only one that's as purty is the V12V


And it is a gentleman's sports car, though I'm definitely no gentleman LOL

 

0-60 is a pointless measure, still 4.5 is alot quicker than the 6.7 that an F150 can do. It goes to show how pointless.

 

It's not pointless when you're willing to take on all, and lose too much LOL


Who said it was stock? I guarantee that Audi SUV that dusted me last year was tuned/charged/whatever, it was QUICK. He had me by a car length at 100'. I don't mind losing, but I was just making a point. Fast and quick are very different. Quick you can use on the street, fast, not so much, unless you live in Germany

 

this car is fun. i think just the 1)sheer fun of exhaust note combined with 2)acceleration and how the 3)chassis responds to you together with the 4)curvature and contour of its body. even in a sportshift i still find that it requires more attention and raw input to this magnificent machinery than any other computerized high power cars i've driven before. whenever i see people try to race or gun pass me i just let them pass and wait a bit before i go back to repeat 1), 2), 3) and 4). But most of the time i just get the respected nod or thumb up. i've done plenty of stupid things on the road in my 20's until luck nearly ran out on me a few years ago. i walked away with a different perspective and luckily the only thing lost was my dignity. thing is, no matter how well your car is designed, and no matter how well i could corner on the track, the civilian road condition will always play trick on you. all it takes is one time of overconfidence and you end up side ways onto a pillar. true story.

i am in my late 30's now. lucky to be alive and fortunate enough to own one of these things. at this point i've got nothing else to prove to nobody other than the sheer satisfaction of self indulgence with this beautiful machinery i call Vesper.

be safe out there and enjoy this work of beauty.

 

Vesper, there's a story behind that name?


I think if you live long enough you have plenty of stories,. I've been in 7 car accidents, but only 2 behind the wheel, and only one of those serious where I hydroplaned at 100 back in 95' in my 88' MR2. On I95 N, Walterboro SC, 3am, rain, cruise control on [who knew there was a sticker telling you not to do that on the visor?]. It did a 270* into the very wide median full of trees where it was a foot away from over, but I crushed it on a big tree right behind the drivers door, it wrapped up the tree as it spun it around and slid on it's side for about 100' [the memory of my hair dragging thru the leaves is unforgettable] where it dropped down on it's tires just as it was loosing momentum. I crawled out, crawled to the edge of the highway, looking like Mel Gibson in Braveheart but red instead of blue, couldn't raise my arms but they bent at the elbow and I got a truckers attention and within minutes it was crawling with cops, fire, ambulance. They kept trying to get me in the ambulance and I said sure, as soon as you find my wallet [went out the window at impact], glasses [somewhere on the slide] and guitar [was in the trunk and blew out on impact, and was the last thing they found, on the other side of the highway with the neck impressed into the wet ground under the front tire of a cop car].


Get to the hospital and I'm definitely in a different decade. 2" gash to the scalp they stapled shut, then said "lets get you to x-ray, FOLLOW ME!" Yes, I walked myself to x-ray bouncing off the wall about 5' behind the orderly. Nothing found, I'm Gumby, I bend and don't break, but I had sciatica bad for 5 years which still visits every now and then and some abdominal something no test has ever diagnosed. But, I'm still ticking, and learned a valuable lesson!


Do not drive with your cruise control on in the rain!!