This just in:

Image: Ellie Hamilton

Recount news of food, roller coasters and magic winter Lotus driving in the latest edition of Quokka Talk, chronicling the adventures of the WA Lotus Club. Thanks to Steve Pretzel.

Read More

Bother, late again!

And winter is well and truly upon us. Mrs R. and I just got back from a lovely weekend in Orange, but my goodness they know how to do cold! Clearly I have been out of Edinburgh for too long. And, frankly, the houses (or at least the one we stayed in) are not designed for it, which is a bit odd.

So, we are already halfway through the year and tearing headlong towards lots of opportunities to enjoy our cars. I hope yours is/are in better working order than most of mine currently are! I had a very helpful pointer for a replacement starter motor (thanks Al!) so that should be on its way shortly, and with that hopefully more use of the Elan.

We have sprints of both varieties coming up. The Cootamundra Sprints are on the 28th of July and our next CSCA day is on the 11th of August. Several show or display days are on offer over the next few months, including Kiama, Shannons, Lugarno and the All British Day. We’re also looking forward to a social evening, meeting at Dario’s Carbonix on the 25th of July.

There are also two more Targa events still to come this year – the new Great Barrier Reef event in early September (for which Giles and I sadly won’t make it back in time from Alice) and Targa High Country in November. Not to mention the next Simply Sports Cars Lotus Only Track Day in two weeks’ time and the November LOTD at Phillip Island.

Tom’s first Lotus Lunch of the year is just around the corner. That will be held at Butcher and the Farmer at Tramsheds on Saturday the 28th of July. Details here.

If you haven’t seen something in that lot which grabs your fancy, let us know what you’d like to do and we’ll see what we can do to make it happen!

Elsewhere, young Daniel R is doing great things at Red Bull and reportedly is looking elsewhere (or possibly just some mischief-making in the wind). We’ve got World Cup fever, even if Australia can’t play football (or soccer – what ever you prefer). Wimbledon is just underway, and New South Wales may just win the State of Origin this year. Plenty going on on the world stage, even before you mention Thump or the great ‘Murkin dream.

At some point towards the end of the year Mrs R and I are planning to go to Sri Lanka, so if anyone has been there recently and has any recommendations for places to go, things to do and, most importantly, cooking classes for Caroline to drag me along to – I’m all ears!

Righto, better get this to Tom before I’m the one holding up proceedings – again!

Have fun, keep it safe, upright and, most importantly, on the blackstuff (unless you’re coming rallying with us!).

Pip pip,
Ashton.

Image: Scott Brooks

The July 2018 edition of Lotus & Clubman Notes, the official magazine of Lotus Club Victoria and Lotus Club Queensland, is on its way to members of those clubs. Editor Simon Messenger has kindly provided a digital copy for download by Club Lotus Australia members, and it’s up on the members’ page to be enjoyed.

This month’s magazine features:

• EMR to Beeac Hotel
• LCQ New England Late Autumn Run
• Targa Tasmania 2018 Blog
• Middle Park State School Display
• LCV Shed Night at Mike Moore’s ‘shed’
• Noosa Winter Hillclimb

And much, much more!

The newsletter is kindly provided to Club Lotus Australia by Lotus Club Victoria in its digital form, and will as such require you to be logged in to your members account. Download it from our ‘Members‘ page.

If you’re not a member yet, hit this link to find out more about the club and why you should become one! To learn more about Lotus Club Victoria, hit this link to their website and consider catching up with them when you’re in the state.

Jeff Morton & Steve Fisher’s Lotus Exige Sport 350 – winners of Targa Tasmania Rookie GT.

Image: Emma Morley – Events Manager, Lotus Cars Australia.

Simon Messenger and the Lotus & Clubman Notes team have recently published a bumper edition of Lotus & Clubman Notes for June, 2018, and have kindly made the digital copy available for download on the members page.

This month’s magazine is a Targa Tasmania special edition and features:

• Lotus Dominates at Targa Tasmania 2018
• MYELIS – The little car that could
• Lotus Melbourne heads to Targa Tasmania
• Targa Great Barrier Reef 2018
• APC Round 1 Sandown – An Exciting Debut for the Lotus Exige Sport 350

And a whole lot more!

Lotus & Clubman Notes is the official magazine of Lotus Club Victoria and Lotus Club Queensland, and includes contributions from the other branches of Club Lotus Australia as well.

The newsletter is kindly provided to Club Lotus Australia by Lotus Club Victoria in its digital form, and will as such require you to be logged in to your members account. Download it from our ‘Members‘ page.

If you’re not a member yet, hit this link to find out more about the club and why you should become one! To learn more about Lotus Club Victoria, hit this link to their website and consider catching up with them when you’re in the state.

A line up of Lotus 16s at this year’s Monaco Historique (Grand Prix). Photo courtesy of Anne Blackwood, who just happened to be there!!

After our first truly wintery week of the year, warm up with Tom Devitt’s latest Chunky’s Chatter and catch up on everything going on in the club.

The June magazine features:

• Anne Blackwood’s fabulous Monaco trip
• Who remembers Paul Hawkins? Myths and Legends recollects his career
• A great day out for the NSW club to the Gosford Motor Museum
• All the news from SA and WA

And much more! Enjoy Chunky’s lighthearted and sometimes irreverent monthly look at the world of Lotus.

Head to the members’ page to download your copy. And if you’re not a member already, have a browse around the site and hit up our membership page here to find out why you should be!

Hello! Winter seemed to arrive a couple of weeks ago, and with it a general reluctance to go into the garage to face the music – in my case the need to replace the starter motor on the Elan. This situation is aggravated by the need to spend a few weekends up on the Gold Coast finishing Gidget, the Austin Healey 100/4 we are preparing for the Peking to Paris rally – which starts in 363 days as I write this – GULP!

We are preparing for our next Club Night (well, strictly speaking our first of the year!) on 25th July, when we are visiting Carbonix, an innovative carbon fibre production facility run by one of our members, Dario Valenza. The eagle eyes will recognise the address as it is where Simply Sports Cars were located prior to their current home.

Speaking of whom, the next SSC LOTD is taking place next month on 14th July and if you’ve never been to one of their events you should! Have a look here.

We are fast approaching the busy time of the year, so I hope all your plans to fettle and finish off projects are well underway. I just dropped the sump off the Elite to freshen up the big end bearings – there’s a bit of wear there but nothing untoward. As mentioned, the Elan needs some love in the electrics department. And the Eleven is due back from Suspension Concepts soon having had the ruler run over all the suspension components. I’m  looking forward to getting her back to the track soon.

Looking out a bit further August will see us at SMSP for both the Morgan round of the CSCA and the following day the Shannons Day – 10 places are available – first in best dressed – drop a line to Evan Jones (contact details on the second page) for yours.  August will also see Giles and me in Alice Springs with Gidget for her inaugural rally – the Central Outback Trial – I’ll be interested to see how we go. Then in September we’ll have the AGM and (hopefully!) Eggs B.

On a different note, it’s good to see a significant increase in the number of transactions in Lotus cars, whether old or newer, and whether through Simply Sports Cars, our website, Carsales or Aussie Elises. All the signs point to something of a resurgence in the brand’s fortunes here which is most encouraging – and in no small part due to SSC’s unstinting efforts. By the way, if you are in Melbourne pop into the new showrooms in Southbank – very smart!

Right, better get this to Tom, so keep safe, upright and on the black stuff and I hope to see you soon!

Pip pip,
Ashton