A&Q about Lotus
Q:
Very sad. That Neil is one outstanding fella.
A:
WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!
I'm tempted to wake Neil up right now just to say "WTF?!"
A:
any reason why?
A:
Originally Posted by choi0706
any reason why?
Sure I'll hear more details in a day or so.
A:
That's terrible!
I remember that when I was calling all over the U.S., trying to find an Elise that matched what I wanted, that when I called up Neil at Autostrada he was particularly friendly and helpful.
I was looking forward to stopping in there the next time I'm in Austin.
But I guess there won't be any "there" by the time I next make it to Austin.
How can they go away, when one especially terrible dealer (who shall remain nameless) seems to still be in business?
A:
That sucks!!! Neil, Eric, & Patrick are some great guys to deal with ...their shop will be missed.
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Source?
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Just spoke with Dacia Rivers and it's not true. Autostrada is a major sponsor for LOG 26 next month!
Feff
A:
Actually, the full story is this:
The Autostrada Lotus franchise is for sale. We do not currently have a set date for closing the doors. We will be open until we have a closing date, and we'll make sure our customers know when the time is appropriate to announce it.
The reason for the franchise sale is this:
Bo and I now have unanimous approval from both the P&Z Commission and the City Council at the City of San Marcos to begin construction on a 1.8-mile road course on 150 acres there.
Bo's priorities have now shifted to that project, now that we are officially approved to build it, instead of Autostrada.
However, we will continue to operate as we always have here, until Bo sees fit to officially announce either a closing date, or a handing over of the reigns to the new owner.
Hope that helps clear any questions up, and if you have any more, please don't hesitate to ask.
Dacia was ensuring Mark that we will, in fact, be at LOG 26, and we will continue to operate in full capacity until Bo announces otherwise.
Cheers,
-Eric
A:
Eric,
Cool. So I can officially talk about the track now!? I've been under gag order since Bo and Neil told me a year ago.
I hope autostrada continues in Austin in one form or another, at least keeping a Lotus presence in town. There are a few Lotus' on the horizon that I like and one will eventually end up in the garage. I'm tempted at least once a week to come down and buy your Storm Ti Exige....
Tell Bo I'm definitely in for a membership at the track. I also vote for a "rally circuit" in the infield so I can run the Evo's too ;-)
-Dave
'05 Elise (BRP, Touring, Hardtop, etc)
'05 Evo
'03 Evo
A:
Originally Posted by delliott00
Eric,
Cool. So I can officially talk about the track now!? I've been under gag order since Bo and Neil told me a year ago.
I hope autostrada continues in Austin in one form or another, at least keeping a Lotus presence in town. There are a few Lotus' on the horizon that I like and one will eventually end up in the garage. I'm tempted at least once a week to come down and buy your Storm Ti Exige....
Tell Bo I'm definitely in for a membership at the track. I also vote for a "rally circuit" in the infield so I can run the Evo's too ;-)
-Dave
'05 Elise (BRP, Touring, Hardtop, etc)
'05 Evo
'03 Evo
Hi Dave,
Thanks for keeping mum about the track so far.
You can talk as much as you like about it. Bo and I are trying to keep it relatively low key until we actually have permission to go out there and scrape the course for core sampling.
We've seen more than one operation scream, "We're building a track!", and then fail to do so. We didn't want to get eaten by wolves before we had something concrete.
With the scrape, we'll be officially underway and have something to show for it. Makes folks much more at ease about giving you money.
We're close to having permission to begin, so we're feeling a little more confident. Especially since the majority of red tape stuff is now behind us.
-Eric
A:
Originally Posted by Eric Bee
The Autostrada Lotus franchise is for sale. We do not currently have a set date for closing the doors. We will be open until we have a closing date, and we'll make sure our customers know when the time is appropriate to announce it.
The same thing happened back in the mid-eighties. The Lotus franchise ended up being owned by some low-rent jokers who had their shop on Burnet by North Cross Mall.
Horrific.
Guess not as much cash to be made as originally envisioned.
Well....you pays your money and takes your chances the Ol' Professor once said.
A:
Originally Posted by Eric Bee
Hi Dave,
You can talk as much as you like about it. Bo and I are trying to keep it relatively low key until we actually have permission to go out there and scrape the course for core sampling.
Cool. I'll tell all my track buddies to keep an eye out. Maybe we should set up a MLM scheme so I can sell memberships to all my friends like Amway. Hahaha....
Once you get the track layout cut in, I'll be happy to come out there with my rally-bred Evo and help smooth out all that dirt. I'll even let you and Bo have a go at it.... I've been dying to try my hand in the dirt.
I'm getting close to my 15K service so I'll probably be in to see y'all soon. Please hide the Exige when I do.
-Dave
A:
Bo was the one who picked me up from the airport when I flew down to pickup my Cartoon Car from Autostrada. Neil and Eric have always been helpful too. Maybe now we'll see you guys at the track... The best to you guys ...
A:
I'd certainly hate to see Autostrada close or change hands--it's been wonderful to be able to stop by and talk to a knowledgeable team of professionals who are both competent and passionate about Lotus and other sports cars. Besides, I can walk to the dealership from my office. The plans for the new track are exciting, though, and it will fill a void for Central Texas drivers who otherwise have no place to play.
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What ever happened to that Lotus Forum that Autostrada (Dacia) had going?
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Originally Posted by Scott Bowman
I'd certainly hate to see Autostrada close or change hands--it's been wonderful to be able to stop by and talk to a knowledgeable team of professionals who are both competent and passionate about Lotus and other sports cars.
Maybe those Boys believe charging Rednecks $3000 / yr for track membership fees is the wiser way to go?
A:
Originally Posted by dickedup
The same thing happened back in the mid-eighties. The Lotus franchise ended up being owned by some low-rent jokers who had their shop on Burnet by North Cross Mall.
Horrific.
Guess not as much cash to be made as originally envisioned.
Well....you pays your money and takes your chances the Ol' Professor once said.
That "low-rent joker" was Roger Beasley and it was a Lotus/Alfa dealership. At the time, Beasley's core line was Mazda - also on Burnet, IIRC. They never gave me any grief, but what do I know - I was driving a Porker at the time.
Autostrada didn't get in business to cash in on the Elise phenom - they've been a Lotus shop since before Lotus thought about bringing the Elise in.
I consider Neil and Eric to be friends and still call down there every week or two to BS for a bit.
Here's to hoping that all the business aspects surrounding it (and the track venture) work out and that we still get to see the same folks regularly regardless.
A:
A couple of the jokers. (And now they know why the Chinaman took their picture)
Yo, wazzup! Word to yo motha!
A:
Originally Posted by YAUDI
A couple of the jokers. (And now they know why the Chinaman took their picture)
Yo, wazzup! Word to yo motha!
chinaman
ohh wait, I'm asian too..