The Lotus Elise..? Yep, its Toyota powered.

 

what a beautiful car..

lotuscars.comlotuscars.com

 

It is in a totally different class then the MINI...

 

Not in road handling. Both are pretty much go-kart comparable. Plus, prices start (reportedly) in the $30k---a well spec'd JCW Coop S.

_________________
-goin440 IB/IB MC

 

>>Plus, prices start (reportedly) in the $30k---a well spec'd JCW Coop S.

The Elise starts at $39K, and that's without any of the likely mark up due to demand. A Cooper S starts at $19K. Apples and oranges.

 

Both make about 160hp.

--From Lotus site:

Maximum output: 156bhp @7,500r/min
Maximum torque: 129lb.ft 3,500-4,650rpm

Performance:
Max speed 132mph
0-60 mph 5.1 secs
0-100 mph 14.0 secs

_________________
-goin440 IB/IB MC

 

Trust me 440..they are not in the same class...period.

 

There will be no competition. The Lotus Elise will eat the MINI's lunch. It is a race car, not a street car.

 

Well, yeah... but with similar figures its more fun to speculate.

 

ANYWAYS.....

Lotus hacked the K-series engine and replaced it with a Toyota. Its not the europeon Elise previously seen. That is what makes the comparo even more interesting.

BTW, this toyota engine is basically remapped from a Corolla.
_________________
-goin440 IB/IB MC

 

If any of you happen to have an interest in the Elise a good friend of mine has started a site that I'm hosting on our server. Click here to visit http://www.puresportscar.com

Mark

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North American Motoring

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I welcome the British Invasion. I think the car rocks. Besides, it's lonely at the top.

Hopefully it will be affordable, but if Lotus is going to hand build the cars, I think it will be more expensive than the MINI.

It should have a great engine though–it's based on the one found in the Celica GT-S which will translate into 190hp to drive a car less than 2000 lbs. (Wish the Mini weighed that much) It's a power to weight ratio that will be comparable to super car territory. I can't wait. Bring it on!

 

Car and Driver has a nice article in this month's addition. A remapped Celica engine and all, I really like the looks. Very tempting.... but it doesn't look to me a a good "daily driver".

 

>> Very tempting.... but it doesn't look to me a a good "daily driver".

Unless of course, you're Danny Sullivan or Bobby Rahal.

I've driven the Elise. It is many things wonderful, but daily driver it most assuredly is not. It had NO creature comforts, ie sound deadening, carpeting, a/c, radio, waterproof hood (notice I didn't say no hood, only that it doesn't keep the wet stuff out). It was great on the track, but I wouldn't want to drive it to work every day on city streets. I'll keep my MCS, although an Elise would make a great, what is that now??? ........ Fourth Car.

 

Thanks for the info, you just made me relize I saved $20K and drive a car that performs near the level of the Elise AND will haul two greyhounds (dogs) around.

The Honda S2000 or a severly over-boosted Miata are actually much better comparisons to the Elise than the Cooper S.

 

>>>>
>>Well, yeah... but with similar figures its more fun to speculate.
______________________
Keep speculating.

 

I'm in love with the new Elise! I loved the Elan back in 1990, and wished of the
new Elise in the US for some years now.
This past May, I contacted my dealer and put my name on a waiting list.

The US version will be better than the current UK version....
IE: Side markers, Guages, Rear end, and More power!

In the Road & Tracks evaluation of the world's best handling cars, "the previous
160 bhp model ranked second behind the Ferrari 360 Modena, and won the objective performance category (june 2002 issue). Lotus guarantees that the U.S. spec Elise will outshine it's predecessor." (Road & Track Nov. 2003)

The US version will have 190 bhp @ 7800 rpm and 133 lb.- ft. of tourque at 6800 rpm.

The Elise will run 0 - 60 in a mere 4.8 seconds with a quarter mile about 12 seconds.
Top speed will be at 141 mph.

Base price is $38,500.
About 3000 cars will be built per year
My MINI will stay my everyday driver. The LOTUS will be for fun.

The MINI & Lotus are different cars. Even more different than the MINI v. WRX arguement.

 

So on a autocross, would a stock elise be running against a stock MCS?

God speed.

 

No, the Elise will be faster than GS, I'm thinking more like C-A stock.

 

I saw the Lotus Elise for the first time in London back in 2001. Very sweet car. Last year I saw a yellow Elise here in Florida. Had UK tags and was right hand drive (Probably warm weather tester?).

Opel offers a variant of the Elise. It is called the Opel Speedster. Go to http://www.opel.com. Opel is a German division of GM.


The Elise/Speedster are very nice track cars. But I agree that they are not very well suited daily drivers. I agree with Orbnot. I am glad to find out that I have a car with similar performance numbers as the Elise, with real world practicality for $20K+ less.

The MINI is still a bargain by comparison, no matter how you cut it or slice it.

 

Also to consider is that the Elise might be classed into a Street Prepared class if the powers that be at SCCA feel that it might be too much of threat to Super Stock (SS) or A Stock. Remember the Viper...when it came out it was placed in A Street Prepared and stay there until only recently.

Mark

 

It must be a guy thing. I think it's kinda ugly myself - reminds me of that scrawny body builder who's always advertising exercise equipment on TV. You know, the big, bulgy muscles and the little skinny waist and itty bitty head. Yuck!

Some of the colors are nice, though.



Laurie

 

>>The Elise starts at $39K, and that's without any of the likely mark up due to demand. A Cooper S starts at $19K. Apples and oranges.<<

Come now. No need to exaggerate. $19975 is not $19000. We're not talking gas prices here.

 

>>It must be a guy thing. I think it's kinda ugly myself - reminds me of that scrawny body builder who's always advertising exercise equipment on TV. You know, the big, bulgy muscles and the little skinny waist and itty bitty head. Yuck!
>>
>>Some of the colors are nice, though.
>>
>>

Cheers!
Clover

 

Our next door neighbor at work is a lotus service shop and they had a brand new one there last week. My co-workers and I went over to look at it, damn is it nice. It's alot smaller than I thought, but it looks like it should cost over $100,000. I couldn't believe the price when someone told me they are going to sell for $40,000