Matt Serwacki has a passion for Lotus sports cars, the flashy vehicles built by hand in England and influenced by a championship racing heritage.
But Serwacki is no mere fan. He has brought a Lotus dealership to Western New York, tucked in a small shop behind Mike Barney Nissan on Sheridan Drive near Millersport Highway in Amherst. The grand opening is this weekend, with top Lotus USA officials expected to attend.
“I thought Buffalo was ready for an exotic car like this now,” Serwacki said. “You see a lot of (BMWs), Mercedes, Porsches on the street, but you don’t see Lotuses. So I said, if I can service them, I’ll sell them. That was agreed to, and here we are.”
Serwacki is a principal in Mike Barney Nissan, but Lotus Western New York is his own venture. He spent about two and a half years working on securing a Lotus dealership and visited the automaker’s factory four times.
Serwacki has the only Lotus dealership in upstate New York; the closest other U.S. locations are around New York City, as well as west of Cleveland and in the Pittsburgh area.
The luxury cars are produced in small quantities and have a sticker price of between $80,000 and $97,000, which places them squarely in the niche sales category. But Serwacki has already sold two of them, and he is eager to see what kind of response his new dealership gets. He has five new Lotuses for sale, as well as five used Lotus vehicles.
“People who know the cars really are enthusiasts,” he said. “They fall in love with them, because looks are one thing, but handling, braking, the ride is what really wins you over.”
Brian Casselberry has owned a Lotus for about five years and belongs to an owners group that travels to the NASCAR track in Watkins Glen. “Really, that’s where it shines,” he said.
As Casselberry has learned, Lotuses get noticed. “There’s not a time that you drive this and you don’t have someone sticking their camera out the window taking a picture,” he said.
Serwacki said even young fans are excited to spot a Lotus in a supermarket parking lot: They know the cars from selecting them in racing video games.
Serwacki took a visitor on to the area highway to demonstrate a green Lotus Evora’s power and handling. He easily navigated the on-ramp of the Youngmann Highway, then, with the help of the supercharged car’s 345-horsepower engine, zipped past cars and trucks in the neighboring lane.
“Mario Andretti was quoted as saying this is the closest vehicle on the road today that represents Formula One,” he said. “That made me feel good.”
Lotus was founded in 1952 and has a racing heritage that includes famous Formula One drivers such as Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi.
Serwacki is dressing up his modest Lotus showroom. He is awaiting delivery from England of a nose cone from one of Andretti’s Formula One cars, as well as an autographed steering wheel. Serwacki will display both of them. “Hopefully we can get Mario up here one day for an event,” he said.
The Lotus dealership’s grand opening is from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
email: mglynn@buffnews.com
But Serwacki is no mere fan. He has brought a Lotus dealership to Western New York, tucked in a small shop behind Mike Barney Nissan on Sheridan Drive near Millersport Highway in Amherst. The grand opening is this weekend, with top Lotus USA officials expected to attend.
“I thought Buffalo was ready for an exotic car like this now,” Serwacki said. “You see a lot of (BMWs), Mercedes, Porsches on the street, but you don’t see Lotuses. So I said, if I can service them, I’ll sell them. That was agreed to, and here we are.”
Serwacki is a principal in Mike Barney Nissan, but Lotus Western New York is his own venture. He spent about two and a half years working on securing a Lotus dealership and visited the automaker’s factory four times.
Serwacki has the only Lotus dealership in upstate New York; the closest other U.S. locations are around New York City, as well as west of Cleveland and in the Pittsburgh area.
The luxury cars are produced in small quantities and have a sticker price of between $80,000 and $97,000, which places them squarely in the niche sales category. But Serwacki has already sold two of them, and he is eager to see what kind of response his new dealership gets. He has five new Lotuses for sale, as well as five used Lotus vehicles.
“People who know the cars really are enthusiasts,” he said. “They fall in love with them, because looks are one thing, but handling, braking, the ride is what really wins you over.”
Brian Casselberry has owned a Lotus for about five years and belongs to an owners group that travels to the NASCAR track in Watkins Glen. “Really, that’s where it shines,” he said.
As Casselberry has learned, Lotuses get noticed. “There’s not a time that you drive this and you don’t have someone sticking their camera out the window taking a picture,” he said.
Serwacki said even young fans are excited to spot a Lotus in a supermarket parking lot: They know the cars from selecting them in racing video games.
Serwacki took a visitor on to the area highway to demonstrate a green Lotus Evora’s power and handling. He easily navigated the on-ramp of the Youngmann Highway, then, with the help of the supercharged car’s 345-horsepower engine, zipped past cars and trucks in the neighboring lane.
“Mario Andretti was quoted as saying this is the closest vehicle on the road today that represents Formula One,” he said. “That made me feel good.”
Lotus was founded in 1952 and has a racing heritage that includes famous Formula One drivers such as Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi.
Serwacki is dressing up his modest Lotus showroom. He is awaiting delivery from England of a nose cone from one of Andretti’s Formula One cars, as well as an autographed steering wheel. Serwacki will display both of them. “Hopefully we can get Mario up here one day for an event,” he said.
The Lotus dealership’s grand opening is from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
email: mglynn@buffnews.com