rcollum

The roads were wet, and it was gently sprinkling when I arrived at Katie's at 5:30AM. While that generally means low turnout, and much fewer exotics, there are still interesting vehicles & people there. --Bob Collum A reminder - we have a couple of big events coming up... Britain on the Green is just over a week away, and Get Your Lotus Out is two weeks away! Check the links below for details: http://www.usa7s.net/vb/showthread.php?11549-Britain-on-the-Green-British-Car-Show-Sunday-4-30-17 http://www.usa7s.net/vb/showthread.php?11557-GYLO-13-Sunday-May-7-2017-9-00AM-11-00AM-Great-Falls-VA

GYLO - Get Your Lotus Out! Sunday, May 7th, 9:00am - 11:00am at the Katie's lower parking lot in Great Falls, VA**. We have held this twice-yearly event since 2011, and have had over 30 Lotus show up to one of these get-togethers. It's quite a sight, and a great event to meet other Lotus people. (Last year, one couple drove in from Michigan for GYLO!) Not a concours, but more of a single-marque cars & coffee, this is a good opportunity to see a lot of Lotus, and talk with others who share your passion. We will have a popular-vote 'favorite Lotus' contest with prizes. We will announce an optional after-GYLO drive to lunch destination soon. Please respond to this post if you plan on attending GYLO. ** Katie's is in Great Falls Village, at 760 Walker Rd, Great Falls, VA 22066. Enter Great Falls Village from 193 (Georgetown Pike) via the entrance between the US Post Office and the BB & T Bank. The fire department, across the street, faces this entry road. Great Falls Village is a circle. Drive around, and you will surely see us! --Bob Collum

A beautiful morning - in the mid-fifties before 6:00AM. As you'd expect, a very big turnout at Katie's this Easter weekend. Here are some interesting vehicles we had not seen before. --Bob Collum

Good luck with the sale, Michael! Your car was instrumental in getting me to buy my Seven. --Bob Collum

Sunday, April 30, 9:30am - 3:30pm Britain on the Green British Car Show. Gunston Hall - 10709 Gunston Road Mason Neck, VA. The first big British car show of the year! We had 13 Lotus there last year - we'd like top beat that number this year! Followed by a cookout at Caleb & Jessica Yow's new house. If you are coming to the cookout, please RSVP to - cjyow5@gmail.com, so they know how many burgers and dogs to buy. Please bring a side or a dessert. More details at - http://novalotusclub.freeforums.net/thread/188/britain-green-british-show-gunston --Bob Collum

This past week was filled with strange weather; nice & temperate early in the week, with violent thunderstorms Thursday, and high winds (including some tornadoes in the area) on Friday. Saturday was cold, clear & GREAT! --Bob Collum

Thanks- I can't take credit for the shine - much of that is how well the car was cared for by the previous owners. It was in pretty good nick when I got it in August of 2015, but I had my detailing guy do a really quick, basic polish, as soon as I received the car. All I have done since is to use Adam's spray-on waterless car wash. Since the Seven is so tiny (even compared to my Elise), it's the easiest vehicle I've ever owned to keep clean! --Bob Collum

My wife and I just bought a new 'adult car', to replace our Acura. We got a Subaru Legacy. I figured it was a car best used on April Fools' Day at Katie's, since it's not what I'd usually bring. The local Corvair club came out this morning. (My first-ever car purchase was a '65 Corvair Corsa Turbo.) --Bob Collum

OK, but I will bore you with a picture of me in my Caterham, taken by a friend this morning...

I didn't go to Katie's last week, because it was sleeting when I woke up last Saturday. What a difference a week makes! It was 55 degrees when I drove to Katie's this morning. Predictably, the warm weather brought EVERYBODY out! Some great cars there today - I won't bore you with pics of my Caterham.. --Bob Collum

How about Birmingham, AL on May 19th-22nd? All part of the annual Lotus Owners Gathering. Since this is the 37th Annual LOG, the Seven will be the featured model. http://www.usa7s.net/vb/showthread.php?11270-LOG37-Birmingham-AL-(May-19-22) --Bob Collum

Katie's had a smaller turnout this morning - it was cold today, and lots of regulars are at Amelia Island for the concours. One nice side-effect was, we had several groupings of cars by marques; not something that can usually happen when we are crowded. --Bob Collum

He's here for at least 3 years. Nice guy. The Cat has a Rover engine - I'm assuming the same one that the original Elises had.

We had someone new show up for our annual planning meeting today, and look what he drove! --Bob Collum

Right you are! The Omega was, as I recall, the fastest 4-door in the world for about 10 years. Really nice - I know of three in the US. The Olympic bike was, I think, the 108. The 110 was the streetable equivalent. It was eventually outlawed as configured, because it was determined that the disc rear wheel could function as a sail, helping accelerate the rider. The Seven is a "Steele Brothers Seven", a separate licensing of the S4 to a small firm in New Zealand. The VIN plaque actually said Lotus and Steele Brothers on it. The engine is a Lotus 908. From what I've read, Steele Brothers only ever did 95 of the Sevens, and only a couple with the 908 engine.

Every year, PALS, the Philadelphia Area Lotus Society hosts a get-together at Kyle Kaulback's place. It's always a big gathering of Lotus. Here are a few cars I think you'll like. Who recognizes these models? --Bob Collum

I did a quick visit to Katie's this morning. I had to an event in Pennsylvania, so I was only around for a bit over 2 hours. It was still time well spent. --Bob Collum

What a beautiful morning! Not at all typical of a late February morning - I saw 57F at 5:00AM today. Last Saturday, same time, was 29F. People came out and enjoyed the morning... Michael D's Caterham, with its clamshell fenders, is a nice counterpoint to my Caterham's cycle fenders. --Bob Collum

We are enjoying a warm spell for February, though it was only 29F on my way to Katie's this morning. Later this morning, I took a nice drive in the 64F weather...) The start of a three-day weekend meant a really well-attended cars & coffee today. There were two Elises, an Evora (which I never saw), and two Caterhams there today. You can probably guess from the pictures who had Sevens there today. --Bob Collum

Some really interesting cars at Katie's today... --Bob Collum

A cold but clear morning at Katie's. I talked to Kevin (LotusMan1951) at Katie's today. His newly-acquired midget racer sounds interesting - can't wait to see it! --Bob Collum

I will be going. I'm still trying to work out logistics to get the Seven there; we will definitely drive the Elise. The event sounds great. We've been to Barber twice before for LOGs, and the museum will be much bigger this time. ...and, the laps of Talladega (pictured below) were great! --Bob Collum

Looks great!

I'm a regular at Katie's. I pretty much always park my car facing the front door of Katie's. Below are pictures of my two cars - the Caterham and the Elise. Come say hi if you see me. I'm usually wearing a Lotus cap. --Bob Collum

A pretty good Saturday at Katie's... (That's not just another Mustang, it's the 526hp GT 350R, complete with carbon fiber wheels.) --Bob Collum