A&Q about Lotus
Q:
this is what happens when an elise (probably modified, but it is not the newer one) and a decent driver meets up with a Ferrari F40 and a Porsche GT2!
A:
Not an Elise but a BMW M3 CSL (supposedly supercharged as well):
I'm not a fan of how the SMG sounds when it shifts...sound rather harsh on the drivetrain. I was also thinking why they don't offer clutch by wire in addition to throttle by wire. So you could have a full SMG paddle type shifting as well as a third pedal for when you want to finesse the shifting. It would work, no?
A:
I think that CSL was in BMW Performance magazine. It's a gorgeous M3. Too bad they never sold it here. But that just reflects the views from Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson about the Mustang GT.
A:
Originally Posted by iwantanelise
this is what happens when an elise (probably modified, but it is not the newer one) and a decent driver meets up with a Ferrari F40 and a Porsche GT2!
YES! Thanks so much for that video- that was hot.
You can really see the strengths of the F40 vs. the Elise. The F40 blows by him on every straight, but the Little Liz That Could out-brakes him in every corner, and eventually loses him. Some excellent driving of some awesome cars there.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to be alone for a while.
Sandy.
A:
Originally Posted by Randy Chase
I have it, give me some time to upload it.
Awesome! Thanks so much! I look forward to it.
Sandy
A:
Originally Posted by iwantanelise
this is what happens when an elise (probably modified, but it is not the newer one) and a decent driver meets up with a Ferrari F40 and a Porsche GT2!
AWESOME VID!!! one of my favorites
A:
CHIKMOW..
Great VID thanks
Peace Troy
A:
Linked from SELOC:
A:
Originally Posted by _JD_
Linked from SELOC:
thanks!!!!!!!!
A:
Originally Posted by Randy Chase
I have it, give me some time to upload it.
Randy, any luck with this yet? I'm running that track in a couple of weeks, for the first time (in the Elise), and I'd love to see that video.
Thanks!
Sandy
A:
I don't get this car anymore. I am dissappointed. WTF, how can the Porsche be faster than the 240R?! I thought the Exige was supposed to have more grip (adjustable suspension even & AO48s!), pull more Gs, more downforce, about the same acceleration. Why am I buying this car if it will get beat by a 911 S or even a Boxster S for the Elise maybe even the Exige. I can buy the Porsche and drive that sh*t everyday, rain or shine and not worry; drive in comfort; have trunk space. WTF is going on here? Either that chick can't drive consistently like the Stig or the Exige sucks. They show the overlay on that tight turn and the 911 pulled ahead! WTF, I thought Lotus' were supposed to whoop ass in tight turns. And with the Exige's downforce it's likely to whoop ass in long sweeping turns. I don't get it. Am I just going to buy this car because it looks awesome and it's rare? Maybe, but I thought this car was better than all except for the big HP exotics.
I want to see Stiggy drive the 240R around Top Gear's track.
A:
I hear ya, it doesnt make sense. Taking the driver into consideration, from what Ive read the Elise is a difficult car to drive very fast, and when I see it lose to a car that I dont think it normally would I assume the driver doesnt know the car. In fairness of these tests the driver doesnt know the other car either. But if there was a test where the driver is someone who knows the car well, I would like to see how it measures up against some of these other cars like you were saying. Like the lucky few who have gone for a ride around the Lotus test track with some of their in house drivers who say it is scary how fast they go. To put it in perspective, that 997 only beat it by .18 seconds, but still. I know what you are saying because a big reason I got this car was it wasnt all bark and no bite, and was faster around a track than a car twice the price, but a few of these reviews lately are stating otherwise. Let Tiff drive!
A:
Hear hear! I totally agree - let the men drive! Apples to apples, Tiff's to Stigs.
A:
From the 2004 Autocar test, the Exige was pulling higher apex speeds than a 911 GT3 RS. So I suspect the Exige is cornering well, but still doesn't have enough low end grunt to keep up. Addtionally, some of the comments made by Autocar about the 240R make me suspect that the car is more difficult to drive than a standard Exige and Elise, and that the suspension needs a bit more tuning. Perhaps it needs an LSD? The 911S certainly has more power and better traction coming out of the turns. Plus they are very good at making their cars go around the track well.
On the other hand Ara, the Federal Elise and Exige have never been super fast on the track. Could have told you a year ago not to buy these cars if you want fast lap times. It IS somewhat surprising that the 240R is slower, but I guess you really have to enjoy the driving experience and the whole package to buy one over a Boxster/Cayman. Even if it is slower, I'd take a 240R over a Cayman S any day. I wonder if the fastest variant isn't the Elise with Ohlins and a supercharger, and not the Exige.
On the other hand, Lotus really hasn't evolved the speed of these cars much in the last five years have they? Seems like most of the evolution has come in the form of refinement and build quality (which still isn't that great). The bread and butter Elises may be faster, but not the ultimate street legal ones. For example, the S1 Exige on older A038s is probably as fast as an S2 Exige on A048s around most tracks. The extra weight is a killer. Maybe I'm getting carried away. I prefer some the controls and brakes on the earlier S2 than the Fed Elise as well.
- J
A:
I didn't get a chance to watch it yet, but there is a video out with a Exige 240R vs. 997S!
Go to the bottom of the page. You need a log-in, but it's easy and only takes a minute.
One downfall is that the bandwidth is bad, so expect the download to take a couple hours with a DSL or Cable.
A:
Originally Posted by LITEW8CRAZY
I didn't get a chance to watch it yet, but there is a video out with a Exige 240R vs. 997S!
Go to the bottom of the page. You need a log-in, but it's easy and only takes a minute.
One downfall is that the bandwidth is bad, so expect the download to take a couple hours with a DSL or Cable.
it's the same video.
Hey how do you resize the picture to flatten it out? The damn video clip is compressed horizontally, I mean you need to widescreen it out to get the correct image.
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Linked to a faster server-
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Is it only me that gets a little sick watching a video of high speed track work made to show to the public with no driver safety equipment? OK, show us her "pretty" face then put a helmet on her and cover up her skin (preferably a driving suit) for the real testing.
IMHO, its the driver that determined the ranking of these two cars. She should be able to brake later in the Exige and have a higher entry speed. That doesn't appear in the film. Hope she didn't get "tail happy" with either of them in the actual test.
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This video (24MB) simply rocks...
The relative topic (with lots of funny comments) can be found here (SELOC)
A:
Here is a lap around Bathurst (Australia) in an Elise during the Lotus Trophy.