If you’re looking for a Camry-powered, mid-engine, 2+2 sports car that’s not the same as every other Camry-powered, mid engine, 2+2 sports car then today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Evora may be just the car for you. Let’s see if its price is too.
There’s this pivotal scene in David Cronengerg’s remake of The Fly. It involves Geena Davis’ character having to call time on an hours-long whoopee session she’s been having with Jeff Goldbloom’s pretty-fly-for-a-white-guy character. She says just can’t keep up with his bug-enhanced stamina, wondering aloud how he can “have any fluid left in his body?” I know, eww.
Well, we all know from the rest of the film that Goldbloom’s body has a few more surprises in store for her, but that whole scene came to my mind whilst I was wondering about yesterday’s 1999 BMW M Coupe. That little clownshoe did seem to have gone well beyond its intended expiration date, having racked up 285K while still looking, well, pretty fly.
Those miles and a possible issue with the car’s registration (it was pictured with expired tags) didn’t bode well for its $9,800 asking price,however. At the end of the day in fact, it fell in a narrow but damning 56 percent Crack Pipe loss.
So, I’m wondering, at what level of acquisition cost would you just leave well enough along with a new car? It seems that those with the money to buy more expensive cars tend to also like to spend even more on making those expensive rides even more individualistic.
That’s perhaps the case with this 2011 Lotus Evora. The seller says he’s putting his beloved British sports car up for grabs as part of a plan to purchase a house, but as we will see he’s certainly already marked his territory with the car.
There’s a litany of aftermarket bits and pieces here which the seller hilariously intros by telling us that the car is “completely stock except for…” The changes are said to be purely cosmetic, and include a big-ass (literally) wing, 430-style A-posts, a new front splitter and side skirts, and a cat-back exhaust so your neighbors can enjoy the car too.
Other updates include a clear bra on the front—something I’ve been lobbying Victoria’s Secret to add to their line of women’s swimwear for years—and an aftermarket double-DIN head unit in the dash. It should be noted that all the bits to return the car to its stock state come along with the sale.
But what about the car underneath all those extras? Well, I can say that the basic Evora is a hoot to drive. The 276 horsepower quad-cam V6 is sourced from Toyota but makes sounds and puts down the power in ways no Camry ever did. A lot of that has to do with Lotus bringing the Evora’s weight in at just a hair over a ton and half. A six-speed manual, also a purchase from the house of Kiichiro helps the 3.5-litre sidewinder be all that it can be.
This Evora comes in striking Ardent Red over a black leather interior. The seller describes the car as “beautiful, but admits it’s not perfect, advising that it’s no “garage queen.” To that end, there are some road chips in the paint on the nose, and that’s despite the clear bra. One wheel exhibits some curb rash on its alloy spokes too, but he says it’s hardly noticeable. I noticed.
The interior looks to be in fine shape, albeit with Lotus’ odd mix of professional and amateurish assembly. Yes, not everything fits in here like it should (I’m looking at you, passenger-side airbag lid), but that’s just part of the British builder’s charm, right? Nothing seems excessively worn nor hacked-up in here, and who doesn’t love those bear hugging Recaro seats?
There seems to be no issues mechanically, and the present owner brags that the car is more fun to drive than his buddy’s Ferrari F430 Scuderia. Having had seat time in both, I’m going to go with the ‘nonplussed emoji’ as response to that statement.
The Evora is still a blast to drive, and with this one’s, I’d say, tasteful mods, it should be a hoot to look at too. A clean title and passing grade at the smog station round out this Evora’s bonafides. How much might you spend for such a car as presented?
Well, the asking price here is $34,999 and at that the seller seems to be getting a lot of interest but no solid bites. He’s had to add disclaimers to his ad letting scammers and people who want to trade him other cars and children for the Lotus that he’s just not interested. Seeing as he’s banking up for a house, that makes total sense.
Ah, but does paying his $34,999 asking make any sense? What do you think, is this Lotus worth that, mods and all? Or, is that price way too extra for this Evora?
You decide!
San Francisco Bay Area, CA Craigslist (again!), or go here if the ad disappears.
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