Alpine Tobacco Company Cigar & Wine Bar, owned by Shawn Karjo, was the meeting place for the San Diego Lotus Club’s members and their cars on Nov. 10. A total of 16 Lotus owners or enthusiasts, according to club member and Alpine resident Emil Zuccaro met mid-day to socialize.
The colorful cars were lined up in front of the business on Alpine Boulevard that allowed anyone driving by to enjoy the look of the British sports car first introduced in 1952.
In the early days of the Lotus, the cars were sold as kits. The Lotus kit era ended in the late 1960s to early 1970s. The English company produces racing and sports cars.
Now, a 2018 Lotus Evora 400 can range in the $90,000s.
Two James Bond films saw appearances by the Lotus, “For Your Eyes Only” and “The Spy Who Loved Me.” Of recent the Lotus Evora appeared in the adaptation of “The Host” by Stephenie Meyer of “Twilight” fame.
Zuccaro cited the Lotus that fictional spy Emma Peel, played by actress Diana Rigg, drove in the British TV show “The Avengers” as spiking his lifelong interest in the car.
“I surfed the net for three years before I found my 1967 Lotus Elan,” said Zuccaro.
“It’s a bit of a pig, it only gets 25 miles per gallon,” he said, noting that had something to do with the carburetor.
“The cars are meant for winding roads,” he continued, “We’ll alternate with south, east, and north county trips.”
According to the San Diego Lotus Club’s website the club is dedicated to sharing the joyous driving experience of Lotus cars on the back roads of San Diego County. As well as enjoying driving on the twisty roads and learning more about the cars. For information on future drives or events visit their website: www.sandiegolotusclub.org SDLC is the home to the newest chapter – the Golden Gate Lotus Club (GGLC).