The traffic is thinning out and with it the roads are getting twistier. Now the Spyder Elans trump card is played. With all this speed, the first series of S-bends north of Hunstanton would turn most knuckles white; not mine. The suspension set-up and wider wheels virtually eliminate the Elans tendency to bump steer, and a limited slip diff' means there's no loss of traction. Stopping near Wells we try to find a beach. Andy asks me why I have been taking it so easy - I can't find an answer. I can when we finish our sandwiches and And takes me for a spin, almost literally. The answer is ahhhhhhh!' Ten minutes and my sandwiches are ready to return. Time to try the other Spyder car. I leave the silver Elan and its grinning occupant and jump into Peter's claret and silver car. This Elan has a slightly more relaxed exhaust system and softer damper settings. Cruising the coast road makes me realise that this is a sports car to do distance in as well as track days. There are no rattles, quiet conversation is possible, and being stuck in traffic on the jetty at Wells is no problem for a modern engine that knows how to keep itself cool. We just sit there being looked at with envious eyes, not worrying that our smug reverie will be interrupted by steam billowing from under the bonnet.
The road between Wells and Blakeney is a joy apart from the slow-moving day-trippers. The road contorts itself, switching back and forth following the contours of the coastal hills. Yes Norfolk has got hills, and i'm as surprised as anybody. Contorting roads are great, but every mile or so we meet the rear end of a Rover 25 doing 25mph (hence the name). These drivers are out for a gentle day by the sea, and here sits conflict. When confronted by the gentle meanderings of others it is easy to get a bit miffed. Stupid really. A better solution is to find another road. Which is what we do. Time to go inland.
Lotus are expecting us at 3.30pm and we've got to negotiate Norwich. The small town of Holt is first. It's got a proper shopping street with cars in it and shops that abut the pavement. It's like driving down a commercial canyon and the noise of the two cars bounces off the glass. Tills click open on their own accord, shopping is dropped and wardens stop giving out tickets as the engine music hits their ears.
Now we're on a really good fast road with nobody in the way. The B1149 goes all the way from Holt to Norwich airport and is virtually empty. Twenty miles of wide road with plenty of sweeping curves. The Elans stretch their legs and in-car conversation diminishes. It's time to enjoy the sensation.
Like all great drives, there is a moment that sticks in your mind. It's the one you can still remember years later when you let your concentration wander. My moment comes at an unexpectedly tight corner near Corpusty. I take two sweeping bends at 60mph and come face to face with a tight third. I resist the temptation to brake and power the Elan through. It all works.
PRACTICAL CLASSICS AUGUST 2003