Goodwood - updates and info

[Porter]

On a serious note, I’d guess you’ll get the same as the European market.

I really, really hope it's differentiated for the US market and they preserve full output, the way they did with the Evora GT.

Remember, the biggest mid-engine sports car price competition in the US is actually the C8 Corvette, and not even the regular one (which already walks all over the Emira on power specs for $30k less) but the wilder Z06 version which has 670hp and an 8400rpm flat plane crank V8. And it will likely still be cheaper than the Emira... final pricing should be released this week and is expected to be between $85k and $93k, just under the Emira pricing.

I hope Lotus isn't so focused on the UK market that they forget about these realities in other markets. There's more competition than the Cayman, and price is the key leveling comparator in the US rather than specs. For X dollars, how much performance can I buy.

 

[Porter]

Can someone at Goodwood please check to see if the current builds have the same child seat tether anchors in the upper rear cabin that the launch prototypes had?

I'm interested in whether they will follow through on this in production, as hoped. Even better if the seats have ISOfix anchors tucked in the seam. Being able to fit a child seat safely is a big deal for those of us who want to share the car with our kids, since the platform is no longer 2+2.

 

[CDM1855]

Mate of mine spoke to some technical Director of Lotus today. He said that the rev limiter is set to 6.6k due to emissions.

I have to assume that’s the close now for the FE cars.

Of course it’s mappable (what was said).

Of course the 410/430/450 version will have the opportunity for a higher number. That’s my cynical view.

The spec sheet that was at Goodwood with the nimbus grey shows 6,800 rpm for 400. So presumably that’s the extra 200 in sport and track

One would presume that with an ECU mapping to take it up to 7200, you could get 416hp or more

 

[Leonard]

The hero car 🦸‍♂️

So the question is what do I need to do to make my car sound like this?
I dont want the smoking though...

 

[Leonard]

The spec sheet that was at Goodwood with the nimbus grey shows 6,800 rpm for 400. So presumably that’s the extra 200 in sport and track

One would presume that with an ECU mapping to take it up to 7200, you could get 416hp or more

They should offer this in house as a performance package (altho really they should just give it to us as most of us were expecting it anyway...)

 

[SJR202]

After a battle with very long traffic jams I did manage to get some photos at FoS, sit in the Magma and take a few pics.
One take away is the Nimbus on show looked amazing, I was having doubts on my choice but with the spec on show it was spot on and I was very pleased. Think I'll add black pack to mine as it just works so well.

a few photos including the Ice interior. Seats were very comfy and fit (dont know if final versions were in there but wouldnt have any issue in a long trip sitting in them as they are) and finish was great even though still a pre prod car.

The cars going up the hill did sound a bit muted, almost muffled sound but I always find road cars on the hill tend to sound like that, not sure if the straw bales absorb a lot of sound however the GT4 was the loudest thing there!

p.s I think its photos which make panels look a different shade on the Nimbus, in person there is no visual contrast.

 

[Pav]

Just spoke to CS desk here. I am now September build/October delivery. Was July/August.

Seats in yellow car are not final apparently.

For UK buyers there is going to be a test drive roadshow by HQ, alongside dealer test drives. Apparently they have around 4,000 test drive enquiries.

Gear change is mechanical. That’s the best way to describe it. Drove here in my Yaris which is mechanical and smooth. Emira felt more mechanical to me. Took short video going through gears, will upload later.

A few of the seals on yellow car aren’t final but other than seats and number plate mounts close to production level.

 

[SJR202]

Just spoke to CS desk here. I am now September build/October delivery. Was July/August.

Seats in yellow car are not final apparently.

For UK buyers there is going to be a test drive roadshow by HQ, alongside dealer test drives. Apparently they have around 4,000 test drive enquiries.

Gear change is mechanical. That’s the best way to describe it. Drove here in my Yaris which is mechanical and smooth. Emira felt more mechanical to me. Took short video going through gears, will upload later.

A few of the seals on yellow car aren’t final but other than seats and number plate mounts close to production level.

Good point pav, I didnt rag the gearbox or anything but didnt find any issue with it personally, a bit notchy but very positive and coming out of a Boxster on the drive down it wasnt as nice as that but it was different and but not in a bad way. Wouldnt be concern - however the clutch was heavy, not sure I've used a clutch that heavy since hot hatches of the early 90s, think it would be a real ball ache stuck in length traffic jams, maybe I need to do more legs days at the gym ;-)

 

[switchlanez]

So the question is what do I need to do to make my car sound like this?
I dont want the smoking though...

Lol according to Goodwood the smoke was due to this:

"Don’t worry, it’s not burst a pipe and it’s not dropping any fluids. We hear it was tyre rub in the wheelarch, which is no biggy."

 

[virtualmacho]

side effect of the wheel gap fix?

 

[SJR202]

Oh 5 sec vid of Emira going past on the hill

 

[Pav]

Gear change..

 

[Leonard]

Gear change..

Nice one.
Sounds like Michael Caines battalion getting ready for the next wave of Zulus. But defo looks smoother than the brand new box I tried yesterday.
What is the pedal position like for heel 👠 and toe?

 

[Magicman]

So from what I'm reading here cans I assume my manual was June build that was last moved to July build Aug delivery is now likely to be August build September delivery?

 

[TomE]

Info update - part 1

Here's the other stuff I saw and found out yesterday. I'll post some of this in the relevant topic threads too.

Car versions: the Magma, Seneca and Hethel cars are the press cars used for the recent reviews. They are all "PP" pre-production cars. The next and final non-production step is "TT" (Tooling Trial) cars, then production.

• Magma Red = AU22 BUP = Touring + Goodyear
• Seneca Blue = AU22 BVA = Sports + Cup2
• Hethel Yellow = AU22 BUO = Sports + Goodyear

I'll post some more pictures on the colours threads so people can find them.

Redline: is 6,600rpm in Tour drive mode, 6,800rpm in Sport/Track mode - emissions-related and will be the global spec.

Power: published figure will be 400hp.

Auto start/stop: no, at least not on manual.

Soft rev limiter: yes in Neutral, no if you depress the clutch.

Gear change: its mechanical, like my Evora. It needs to be changed "with purpose" rather than rushed. No issues going up the hill. Because the power delivery is very linear you don't get much of an audible or visceral clue that you are "running out of revs", so I wonder if some reviewers bumped up to the rev limit or found themselves rushing a gear change because they'd left it slightly too late. Once you're used to the power delivery and engine note - and if you're not driving 10/10ths up to the rev limit on every shift - then it'll be fine. I think part of the character of the car (as it was with the Evora) is the satisfaction of learning how to drive the manual shift. I know some people will say "why do I have to learn that again" and it's not a wholesale re-learn, it's just getting used to how this specific car drives. I also think they'll benefit from some running in (with plenty of changes) and changing the gearbox oil at 1,000 miles (which isn't usually done).

Seats: I sat in all 4 cars, which had different iterations of the seat. They all had decent side bolstering and going up the hill it was a good level of support for high speed corners. Sometimes people have commented that you're more likely to slide on a leather seat compared to alcantara but I think the Emira bolstering will largely eliminate that. Height adjustment seemed decent - I couldn't measure it but from lowest setting to highest was a good enough range for me at 5'9" to get a decent position and view, and also for others taller and shorter than me to get comfortable in the car. Quality looked good to me. The Ice Grey in the Magma car had some sag on the base - I believe it's done about 4k miles. No evidence of the three short stripes on any of the seats.

Wheel gap: it looked fine to me, but then I'm used to an Evora and wasn't expecting it to be as low as last year's show car. I guess it rides slightly higher than some people might want, as the suspension travel is what contributes to the Lotus-style ride. To me, if the gap at 12 is the same as at 3 and 9 then visually it looks right.

Bonnet seal: it looks more obvious in photos than in real life. If it hadn't been on my list of things to look at I doubt I would have noticed. On the Goodwood cars it's slightly recessed whereas earlier pictures showed it sticking up out of the gap and so looked wider. The gap it seals is wider than some of the other panel gaps, as it needs to hinge here for under bonnet access. I think they could have found a way to make the gap narrower and it may be possible to adjust the bonnet to reduce it. The seal is apparently for aerodynamics (perhaps there's some wind noise without it?) so I think removing it will be feasible and unlikely to cause issues.

Steering wheel: I didn't have any problem with the shape or thickness of the wheel. It's a bit thicker than my Evora wheel but not an issue. The thickness various around the wheel and I could position my hands at several points between 2/3 o'clock and 9/10 o'clock easily. I tried both LHD and RHD cars and couldn't see any left/right offset of the wheel centre from the driving position.

Pedal offset: yes, there is on LHD. The RHD cars have no discernible offset and the brake pedal is centered on the centre line of the wheel and seat. The LHD cars do have a noticeable offset and the brake pedal is more towards the centre of the car, maybe by an inch. It's noticeable but (at least to me) didn't look like a big issue.

RHD:

LHD:

Note: the opening in the lower dash is not centered on the steering wheel.

Dashcam fitting: previously someone had been told there would be a USB connector in the overhead panel (@donskibeat I think Scott told you?). There isn't one and so no simple connection there. A dashcam will either need hard-wiring into the panel (there's obviously power there) or running a cable tucked into the trim above the windscreen and down the A-pillar. The only 12V socket is behind the armrest, so basically in the rear storage space, and the USB sockets are under the shifter or in the armrest storage. I think I'll be asking my dealer to find a way to hard wire something. The other factor is the large sensor pod top centre of the windscreen and how the rear mirror attaches to it (see pic). This means a dashcam fitted behind the mirror will have its view blocked by the sensor. I think that means having to mount it lower, slightly below the level of the mirror, or off to the passenger side. That might affect what size/shape/mounting/camera position of dashcam you choose.

 

[emiraspain]

Nice one.
Sounds like Michael Caines battalion getting ready for the next wave of Zulus. But defo looks smoother than the brand new box I tried yesterday.
What is the pedal position like for heel 👠 and toe?

but... but... wasnt our friend ..or rather yours.. haha..jethro's complaint more about the box when.... pushing hard. I dont think doing that just sat there and it being okay is a guarantee...or close to it... that it will be fine under the type of track conditions jethro gets to.
I see its virtually the same as the elise gear change, mechanical and not a mini second one .. Im fine with it, more than fine, I like it, when its adjusted correctly, which perhaps Jethro's car wasn't, simple as that.. maybe. Someone should ask the questions to Lotus at the show.... if I am sat in the car I am asking them what about Evo's negative comment on the gear change... just to see what they say no?

If I could, I would maybe change the clunk sound to a slightly higher pitched tone... more metallic than wooden.. if that makes any sense, which admittedly not much I say does!

 

[TomE]

Info update - part 2

Boot space: looked a bit bigger than the Evora. No 12V socket but access to the battery behind a panel and hence possible to fit battery tails if you want to use a charger/conditioner.

Screen visibility: I'm not sure which version of software the cars had but I had no problem with seeing and reading the drivers display and infotainment display. That included looking at them from the passenger seat while going up the hill. We had a bright sunny day and I didn't have problems with contrast or reflections. I believe there is at least one more version of software to be delivered, which is aimed at optimising use in very bright and very dark conditions. The software will be able to be updated in future by dealers - not yet clear if it will be something owners will be able to do themselves as well.

Forward view: for the first time sitting in the car it struck me that you can't see the bonnet or nose of the car. You can see the "Becker Points", the rises in the wings that show you where the axle line is, but all you can see straight ahead is a thin sliver of exterior colour above the wipers and then the road. I tried raising the seat and leaning forward and it was the same. This is even more dramatic than my Evora and Exige and it gives a real sense of being close to and connected with the road. I loved it. But you will need those front parking sensors

PPF: Scott says they are going to offer PPF for the factory collection people (and ceramic coating too). They’ve found a local supplier who can handle the volume, so it will be done by a specialist rather than in-house by Lotus. Dealer and home delivery people will have to make own arrangements. Most dealers have a local specialist they use. I believe the Lotus PPF pricing will be similar to specialists, so £3000-3500 for full coverage, less for partial packages.

Type Approval: not formally received yet, but another step signed off last week and final sign off expected by 1 July.

Delays and delivery timeframes: Customer Care on stand had information on delays for individual customers. Contact Centre apparently do have this info too (although I've seen some posts from people saying they called in yesterday and couldn't get the info). Delays vary from +4 weeks upwards and depend on several components, place in queue and build sequencing, so you can't just say for example "everyone with silver wheels is +6 weeks)". This makes sense if you consider their suppliers may be able to deliver enough components for say the first 100 cars in 4 weeks but the next batch is going to be 10 weeks. This is affecting ramp up and post-ramp up run rate. From what I've read so far, people early in the queue (orders up to Goodwood Day 1 last year) are delayed 4-8 weeks and then Goodwood deposits are delayed more. Mine looks like it's +6 weeks on the original June date, so into early August. Yachtie had a Goodwood Day 1 deposit (manual Seneca) and has moved from July to October, which is disappointingly long. Autos (V6 IPS) were said to be "bigger delays" but I've not heard or seen anything specific yet - my hunch is later orders may have bigger delays than earlier ones. This means any chance of cars being delivered in strictly deposit date order are gone, but they will still try to honour that principle, now within the constraints of component supply/availability. Emails to individual customers are going to be sent, as well as people being able to get info at Goodwood or call in. It isn't possible to change your spec to try and reduce the delays.

Dealer demos and test drives: UK dealers are expected to have cars by late July. Hethel are also organising an extra test drive programme centrally, using the HQ cars, press cars, LDA cars and the LDA instructors and factory staff.

Customer service and comms: I had chats with many Lotus people, including Matt, Geoff (head of sales), Scott, the Customer Care team at Goodwood and the recently-joined Head of Customer Experience. I'll write separately on this, as there's a lot of info. Matt wants to do something soon as a follow up, involving this forum and one of the other forums.

I also had interesting chats with Gavan, Russell and Will from the braking systems team. Will drove me up the hill and although that was only a minute or so, we had about 45 minutes in the car with all the queuing and the return run down the hill.

Gav had been with Chris Harris for the Top Gear filming and his off-camera feedback was even more enthusiastic, but filled with swear words (in a good way "f***ing amazing" etc) so not repeatable!

I think I've covered most of the questions people posted earlier in the thread. I'll run through them again and answer any I've missed.

Note: if any of you social media types decide to "borrow" my pictures then some acknowledgement would be appreciated

The cars are great and I'm excited about getting mine, whenever that might be.

Finally, it was great to meet several forum members and chat. Thanks in particular to @JumboJet for managing to get pictures of my hill run in the HY Emira.

 

[TomE]

 

[TomE]

I consoled myself about the delay by finding they now have the model Emira in exactly my spec:

 

[DJS]

Info update - part 2

Boot space: looked a bit bigger than the Evora. No 12V socket but access to the battery behind a panel and hence possible to fit battery tails if you want to use a charger/conditioner.

View attachment 6818

Screen visibility: I'm not sure which version of software the cars had but I had no problem with seeing and reading the drivers display and infotainment display. That included looking at them from the passenger seat while going up the hill. We had a bright sunny day and I didn't have problems with contrast or reflections. I believe there is at least one more version of software to be delivered, which is aimed at optimising use in very bright and very dark conditions. The software will be able to be updated in future by dealers - not yet clear if it will be something owners will be able to do themselves as well.

View attachment 6819

View attachment 6820

Forward view: for the first time sitting in the car it struck me that you can't see the bonnet or nose of the car. You can see the "Becker Points", the rises in the wings that show you where the axle line is, but you all you can see straight ahead is a thin sliver of exterior colour above the wipers and then the road. I tried raising the seat and leaning forward and it was the same. This is even more dramatic than my Evora and Exige and it gives a real sense of being close to and connected with the road. I loved it. But you will need those front parking sensors

View attachment 6821

View attachment 6822

PPF: Scott says they are going to offer PPF for the factory collection people (and ceramic coating too). They’ve found a local supplier who can handle the volume, so it will be done by a specialist rather than in-house by Lotus. Dealer and home delivery people will have to make own arrangements. Most dealers have a local specialist they use. I believe the Lotus PPF pricing will be similar to specialists, so £3000-3500 for full coverage, less for partial packages.

Type Approval: not formally received yet, but another step signed off last week and final sign off expected by 1 July.

Delays and delivery timeframes: Customer Care on stand had information on delays for individual customers. Contact Centre apparently do have this info too (although I've seen some posts from people saying they called in yesterday and couldn't get the info). Delays vary from +4 weeks upwards and depend on several components, place in queue and build sequencing, so you can't just say for example "everyone with silver wheels is +6 weeks)". This makes sense if you consider their suppliers may be able to deliver enough components for say the first 100 cars in 4 weeks but the next batch is going to be 10 weeks. This is affecting ramp up and post-ramp up run rate. From what I've read so far, people early in the queue (orders up to Goodwood Day 1 last year) are delayed 4-8 weeks and then Goodwood deposits are delayed more. Mine looks like it's +6 weeks on the original June date, so into early August. Yachtie had a Goodwood Day 1 deposit (manual Seneca) and has moved from July to October, which is disappointingly long. Autos (V6 IPS) were said to be "bigger delays" but I've not heard or seen anything specific yet - my hunch is later orders may have bigger delays than earlier ones. This means any chance of cars being delivered in strictly deposit date order are gone, but they will still try to honour that principle, now within the constraints of component supply/availability. Emails to individual customers are going to be sent, as well as people being able to get info at Goodwood or call in. It isn't possible to change your spec to try and reduce the delays.

Dealer demos and test drives: UK dealers are expected to have cars by late July. Hethel are also organising an extra test drive programme centrally, using the HQ cars, press cars, LDA cars and the LDA instructors and factory staff.

Customer service and comms: I had chats with many Lotus people, including Matt, Geoff (head of sales), Scott, the Customer Care team at Goodwood and the recently-joined Head of Customer Experience. I'll write separately on this, as there's a lot of info. Matt wants to do something soon as a follow up, involving this forum and one of the other forums.

I also had interesting chats with Gavan, Russell and Will from the braking systems team. Will drove me up the hill and although that was only a minute or so, we had about 45 minutes in the car with all the queuing and the return run down the hill.

Gav had been with Chris Harris for the Top Gear filming and his off-camera feedback was even more enthusiastic, but filled with swear words (in a good way "f***ing amazing" etc) so not repeatable!

I think I've covered most of the questions people posted earlier in the thread. I'll run through them again and answer any I've missed.

The cars are great and I'm excited about getting mine, whenever that might be.

Finally, it was great to meet several forum members and chat. Thanks in particular to @JumboJet for managing to get pictures of my hill run in the HY Emira.

Fair play Tom this is brilliant.