2007-01-21

Vroom

Filed under: Lotus — iain @ 22:03:33

Today was the first time I saw my parents since I bought my Lotus Elise in December. It was a lovely sunny day and they were both looking forward to seeing the car and going for a drive.

In their earlier days my parents owned an MGB when it was the latest and greatest thing so I was sure they’d understand my decision to buy a light and nimble sports car for the sole purpose of enjoying driving. When you’re 17 years old driving is cool because it’s what adults do and it’s fun. Then you drive to work every day for a few years and it becomes a necessary evil. I’ve always lived within walking or public transport distance of my work and never owned my own car. I wanted something that would remind me of how I used to enjoy driving rather than let me in on what everyone else feels about their daily commute. Hence the Elise.

I took them both for a drive around the same route. Some fast corners, a few slow villages high streets and some fun twisty bits. My father drew the short straw as we got stuck behind a few sheds on his run whereas my mother saw the road mostly clear of traffic and we managed to get up to speed. They both asked more or less the same questions along the way. Why that car? Is it fun? How much was the insurance? The technical specs. My father couldn’t believe it only has a 1.8l engine and puts out 118bhp. That power goes a long way in a small, light car.

Surprisingly, they both turned down the invitation to get behind the wheel although my father really had to force himself to say no and he did note that swapping seats might make it easier for him to exit the vehicle once we arrived back home. He has arthritis in his left leg so manoeuvring himself into the passenger side was a struggle. In contrast my mother surprised me when, despite her protestations of it being too low and impossible to enter, she was in and out without too much bother.

We all had a splendid time and, as I knew they would, my parents absolutely understood my motivation for buying such a lovely car.

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