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The general busy-ness within the dealership means that there's been a slightly longer gap between newsletters than intended, but here at last is our latest offering.
In our trimshop, the range of vehicles coming through seems to be larger than ever. A couple of 1930s vintage cars - a Bentley and a Lagonda - are under-going major works to their interiors and also benefiting from new hoods. They're quite complex and challenging as projects, but ultimately very satisfying and the finished results will be rather impressive. Then as a total contrast, we have our mainstream Morgan and Lotus business, including a totally bespoke and very different interior on a new Morgan Roadster. To round things off, we're doing work for Radical Sportcars, as well as a plethora of minor works on more mainstream sports and modern cars.
Our workshop is experiencing the 'bus effect' at the moment - you know how it goes, no buses for ages and then they all seem to come along at once. In our case, the buses are suspension upgrades for Morgans, and Lotus Esprits in for servicing and general mechanical works. Otherwise the workshop is generally very busy - so it's advisable to allow plenty of lead time when booking work in at this time of year.
On the car sales side of the business, we're doing our normal spring time refresh of our demonstrator fleet. We've just taken delivery of a new 3.7 litre Morgan Roadster painted in a rather fetching 'Prosecco'. Then any day now, a new Plus 4 will be arriving to keep it company. So if you'd like to try out one of these new Morgans, or perhaps the 3 Wheeler we already have, then please do get in touch.
We're also actively looking out for more cars for the showroom, so if you're thinking of selling your car - Morgan, Lotus or other interesting classic or modern sports car - we'd love to hear from you.
For more news read on...and hope you enjoy this latest newsletter!
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Morgan Aero 8 vs Plane
For a challenge with a difference, Morgan Head of Design, Jon Wells, decided to pit his baby, the fabulous Aero 8, against a performance biplane flown by ex military and stunt pilot, Rich Goodwin.
Bruntingthorpe airfield was chosen as the venue, weather and film crew arranged, and the 'race' was on.
So how did Morgan's supercar, with 370 bhp on tap, fare against the 300 bhp of the Pitts S2S biplane...?
Click on the links below to see the full story, including a rather spectacular video:
Story behind the race
Video of the race
And should you wish to go racing biplanes, but are lacking a suitable car, we can offer you one of the last 'build slots' still available for a new Morgan Aero 8...
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Lotus news
In the last newsletter we featured the newly introduced Elise Sprint. Well following on from that, Pistonheads have now put the Sprint though its paces on the Lotus track at Hethel. To see the video of this session, click on Pistonheads Track Test
Then appearing in both Autocar and What Car were reports that the Elise is the slowest depreciating performance car in the market, with a 2 year old Elise retaining just under 80% of its value, and a 3 year old Elise retaining about 65%. Now of course, our Morgan owners may have something to say about which marque really does depreciate the slowest, but I think I'll stay out of that debate!
Then from the Lotus Factory there's news on yet another limited edition and rather special model - the Lotus Exige Cup 380. As shown in the picture above.
It's billed by Lotus as the perfect balance between a fully type approved road car and a genuine race car. Just 60 of the cars will be built, and differences over the acclaimed but 'standard' Exige 380 include: significantly uprated aerodynamics package, weight savings, upgraded suspension, optional race exhaust and FIA approved race/safety extras, and a whole host of cosmetic and styling changes.
To see Lotus' full write up, click on Exige Cup 380
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Cars for sale
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In our showroom we have a good selection of Morgans, with a particular emphasis at present on the performance models - Aero 8s, Plus 8s and Roadsters. We're also actively talking with some owners of 4/4s and +4s who are thinking of selling.
Then when it comes to Lotus, we have a couple of rather fine Elises plus a recently arrived and attractively priced Evora with a good specification.
In addition, our showroom has a wonderful example of a Porsche Cayman S with loads of extras and in truly stunning condition, as well as a brace of British classics - an Austin Healey 100/4 and a Triumph TR3A.
If you'd like to find out more about our current stock, please click on the links:
Morgans for sale
Lotus for sale
Other makes for sale
Our used cars come fully serviced, HPI checked, have a new MOT (if applicable), and if sold for use in the UK have a 3 month warranty.
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Saturday Breakfast Clubs
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Our very successful Breakfast Clubs have now been running for 5 years. They take place on the first Saturday of the month, kicking off at 9:30am with bacon rolls and hot drinks, followed at 10am by what's normally a motoring themed talk or activity.
For our next breakfast club on Saturday 3rd June, we'll be talking about electric cars - what are Morgan and Lotus doing - and what the future might bring.
All are welcome to our Breakfast Clubs - no need to book, but just turn up on the day. Or for more information, visit our website by clicking on Breakfast Club
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Continuing on from previous newsletters, Neil Furber from DRIVE 7TENTHS carries on in his role as our 'agony aunt' for all things driving related. To find out what's on his mind this month, read on...
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Dear Neil
I’ve done a couple of trackdays and am looking at tuning and modifying my Lotus to go faster. Where might be the best place to start?
Thanks
In Tune
Dear In Tune
Tuning and modifying is, of course, very popular in the trackday scene especially among regular enthusiasts. I see three main considerations. Firstly, is this a trackday-specific toy or a regular weekend/daily run around? Secondly, what is the main motivation for going faster? Finally, and perhaps more importantly, if you have only done a couple of trackdays and don’t already have a successful motor racing history are you definitely getting the full potential out of the car as it is currently?
The first consideration concerns reliability. Lotus engineers spend a huge amount of effort doing everything they can to maximise the reliability of their cars. Some aftermarket parts and home modifications can introduce unreliability and/or make the car less useable for normal road conditions. The way(s) you use the car should perhaps influence which areas of the car you wish to develop or change.
How do you wish to go faster? Are you looking for increased power/straight line performance, increased cornering speeds or is there more focus on lap times?
Realistically, the best value for money at this stage is likely to be driver development. I see plenty of regular trackday enthusiasts who have spent a fortune on modifications or very high performance cars and yet they are actually using less of the car’s potential than if they had a lower powered unmodified sports car. Learning to get the very best out of your current Lotus as it is at the moment will likely be far more rewarding and provide a great platform to realise the true benefit of performance modifications or a step up in car in the future. I would suggest that modifying and tuning the driver is the most cost effective step you can make. The driver is so often overlooked.
Alongside that, fitting safety equipment (harnesses and perhaps a fire extinguisher) and ensuring the engine, brakes, suspension and tyres are all in tip top condition would be very sensible. Later on, you may wish to upgrade the performance enhancing areas of the car. The key thing is to consider what will become the weak point(s) as you increase performance in one area. For example, more power will lead to more engine heat and perhaps overload the brakes or lead to drivetrain failures. Sticky track tyres will generate significantly more grip and braking and cornering forces. The fuel and engine oil pickups could suffer starvation leading to instability or engine damage if these areas are not addressed also. Sadly, it is never a simple answer and sometimes, a change of car with a higher ‘standard’ performance may be the safest option. Again, driver development will ensure you are
getting more from whichever of these routes you choose.
Regards
Neil
If you'd like to find out more about the driver training Neil's company can offer, or some general tips and comments, please visit www.drive7tenths.com
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Sports cars wanted!
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We continue to be really busy on the car sales front, and as a result, we're on the look out for more cars for our showroom!
So if you're thinking of selling your car - Morgan, Lotus or other interesting sports car - please do get in touch with our sales manager, Phil, and he can chat things through.
We buy cars outright, take cars in part exchange, and sell cars on behalf of their owners. We're very flexible as regards the solution that's right for both sides.
So if you would like to talk more about selling your car, then please give Phil a call on 01234 750205 or email phil@allonwhite.co.uk
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Allon White Sports Cars Ltd
119 High Street, Cranfield, Beds, MK43 0BS
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