Today I spent a fabulous day in Torrance shooting a video on buffing out a Lotus Elise. Here are some quick pix I took from the shoot. Shot with my little Nikon P&S Coolpix 4300.

Interesting Facts.
The Elise is longer end to end than the MINI, yet the MINI wheelbase is longer!
The Elise weighs around 1900 pounds and is made from fiberglass and plastic while the Cooper is around 2600 pounds and made from steel.
The Elise can do 0 - 60 in 4.3 seconds with its 190 hp Toyota engine, well you can guess what our Coopers do!
Storage in the Elise is minute compared to our spacious MINI's
Getting in and out of the Elise is tricky-it's more of a hop in, jump out than step in!
The Elise utilizes lots of that textured plastic trim like on our MINI's (all the fins in the front bumper, on the hood, and rear engine panel are all made from this flimsy plastic)
There are only 2,000 Elises available per year and after next year, the Elise is going to suffer the same treatment that our MINI's will to comply with European safety standards.

 

did you get to drive it by chance??!

 

I wish! I just got to sit in it and that was a trip. But having spent almost 12 hours with it on a very "intimate" level, shooting and detailing every nook and cranny, I got a pretty decent intro to this little car!

 

Hey, that Elise looks a little familiar!

 

That's a beautiful car, and really nice pix!

For anyone who thinks they might be interested in driving an Elise, I can highly recommend Rent-A-Vette in Las Vegas. Judy rented me one for my [censored] birthday, and it was a truly enjoyable experience.

I bought the MINI because it's 90% of the fun of the Elise, and 400% more practical.

OctaneGuy's impressions are spot-on. It's a shame you didn't get an offer to drive!

_Dave_

 

And about half the price... which could be why the Lotus dealer in NJ that I pass by everyday has at least nine of them on display...

 

That car is definately one of my dream cars.

 

Very nice. I love the stripes.

It looks like you guys worked up quite a shine on it too.

 

1st and 3rd pics are very nicely composed! the interior shot is just fab

 

Here is one that competed with us :

 

Yeah, I love those stripes too, awesome pics R!

 

Hey, look at the bonnet stripes - that's a counterfeit MINI!

As much as I love the Elise - and was considering buying one - Boris let me sit in this little jewel and it took me five minutes to get in and out of it. They are not good cars for tall big belly people like me!

 

I hear ya! I'd say they are not good cars for ANYONE that doesn't enjoy climbing into and out of their cars, no matter their size.

 

i'm lucky enough to work at the only authorized Lotus dealership in the state of Michigan, and i have to admit, one of those things would drive circles around a MINI. they are a lot of fun to drive, but i couldn't own one as a daily driver.

 

there is a dealer on my way to work....I am going to stop by this morning and check it out.

 

I love that installer's leg. Does he have full mobility with it? Is he the owner of the car?

 

He's actually my friend, Mike Phillips at Meguiars. He's the one detailing this Elise, and I just assisted and videotaped it. Not exactly sure what "full mobility" means but he walks and works with this leg. An earlier version of this "terminator" leg had steel braided lines which did nothing, but looked really cool.

 

Wow... If you don't mind me asking, how'd he loose the leg? ...Motorcycle?

- - m

 

The Getrag 6-speed in the MINI S is way more fun than the broom-handle in the Elise.


On the other hand, you rarely need to use the Elise's shifter on the street...

_Dave_

 

YUP! That Elise is a Counterfeit MINI

 

Really? I consider the Mini to have one of the worst feeling transmissions I've ever driven.

 

Talkin' bout the '05 6-spd!

_Dave_

 

went to the lotus dealer and getting in and out as well as overall build quality is are negative issues for me. when they get the demo in they will let me drive. I'm sure that will have a huge positive impact

 

Sorry for the late reply, just got back from our Monterey trip--wow that was fun. Mike lost his leg in a boating accident. His friend who wasn't experienced was piloting Mike's boat, caused the boat to jerk wildly, sending Mike off the bow, and the boat came back over him severing his leg off.