i had a friend who really liked to ask to ride in my lotus, but who complained throughout the ride. the lotus elise is a no compromise vehicle in terms of comfort. you couldn’t drive a lotus elise for long just because you liked the status of it. you really had to love the road.
and that’s why i loved it, because it was purely about driving. i won’t get into the disappointment i feel when i look inside an aston martin and see satnav and seatwarmers and automatic gearboxes. i’ll take the brilliant simplicity of the elise any day. i loved that there were only 16 buttons, including the radio’s, inside the car. i loved the lack of power steering and the firmness of the gearbox. i didn’t mind that it leaked in the rain. i loved the bumpy ride, even on daily commutes lasting from two to three hours. i still remember how phenomenal the feedback was. you could even feel the tyres warming up to temperature. it truly gave you a sense of being one with the road.
