30 replies to this topic

[Bernd]

The designers of the Lotus Elise must have had Beethovens enchanting piece in mind when they named this utterly fantastic motor car. But I'm getting ahead of myself, a couple of weeks ago a mate rang me up and asked whether I'd like to go on a road trip..... In a Lotus Elise well I can say my exact response was somewhere along the lines of "**** yeah!". So last Saturday we did it and what can I say I'm in love, this car was designed for driving pleasure.

I'm not a fan of modern cars even the new Porsche 996 Turbo did not overly impress me, nice I thought but so refined, detached even and shock horror it understeers! Not so the Elise, this car is alive! the handling is beyond belief so far beyond any road car I've ever driven with the possible exception of my old Europa. That is what the ELise seems to be a modern Europa not quite as powerful as my old one and perhaps a tad heavier but it sure is a lot more reliable. In regards to chassis damn is it stiff both in regards to springs and torsion there is virtually no body roll to speak of whatsoever, initual turn in in particular was hugely impressive as there is no hesitation it is delightfully direct. I can only think of it as a Formula Ford for the road and sometimes it even reminded me of the 125cc Shifter Karts I used to have the occasional fling at. Advisory speed limits on tight corners could safely be ignored taking 35KPH corners at 80KPH without any trouble and not even a tyre screech. As a lot of the corners we were taking were totally blind we couldn't risk going at the total limit because of incoming traffic which was a shame but damn it was impressive even at 8/10ths. I must say however that the wind noise at the ton (ie 161KPH) was totally mind blowing enough to make you block your ears (not a good idea at that speed) but the car was totally rock solid all the way up to 180KPH which was as high as we dared take it. Police didn't seem to like us we had a squad car follow us for 10 Miles or so out in the boonies we finally got rid of him by parking and pretending to take a leak. Which brings me to another thing the car is without a doubt he hardest thing to get in & out of I've ever seen, even harder than a tank when it had the roof on.
It is also the biggest head turner I've ever been in people were nearly screwing their heads off their shoulders trying to get a good look it seemed to appeal to everyone as well from kids to hot chicks all the way to elder people.

In summary to this rambling review of the Lotus Elise I highly recommend that anyone who is a fan of motoring in general beg, borrow, rent... hell even steal! Get your bum in the bucket seat you won't regret it. I'm still smiling as I type this and I am starting to work out the finance to buy my own. I'd also be very interested to get the impressions from others who have driven both the Europa and the Elise.


The Car!

Shades of Europa in the front end.

Into the breach dear friends. The Putty Road along the Great Dividing Range beckons

This biker was gawking so hard he nearly laid the bike down, we had to take to the tiny shoulder to avoid him and still nearly took his head off!

Believe it or not but comfortably taken at around 80KPH

In Action!

Here I am lazing in the car, my mate had to scale a cliff to take this shot

[Catalina Park]

[Bernd]

GASP, HACK

[Catalina Park]

Yes it is a Lotus Elise, a friend in the UK is an accident investigator and he sent me the pic.

[Catalina Park]

[Bernd]

Ah Michael enough these photos have caused me genuine pain. It is like seeing a moustache painted on the Mona Lise only worse.
How someone could do this to an Elise beggars belief. If it were a woman I would have made sweet love to it all night long and even made breakfast in bed!

[Catalina Park]

Those pics were of an Elise that was stolen and burnt but these ones are of a self igniting one!http://www.themedias....net/lotus.html

[BRG]

Originally posted by Bernd
The designers of the Lotus Elise must have had Beethovens enchanting piece in mind when they named this utterly fantastic motor car

I believe that it was named for one of the designers' young (4 or 5 year old) daughter. She was posed in the car when it was first launched. And of course it fitted the Lotus tradition of names beginning with "E".

Looks like you had a good time, Benrd! Those roads look ideal for a good blast! The Elise really is the business for a driver - forget your Ferraris, Lambos or Porsches, this little car is the quickest thing on the road as long as it isn't dead straight. But it is very basic and not really a practical every day car.

The burnt-out pictures are pretty horrifying, but that's GRP bodywork for you. And there ia a great Lotus tradition of inflammable cars - that's why there are hardly any Elan Plus 2s left - they caught fire far too easily.

[2F-001]

Wasn't 'Elise' was the daughter of the Bugatti CEO during the period they owned Lotus?

I had cause to extinguish an Elise that had caught alight after being rolled at a track-day on the Nordschleife. Fortunately, it never reached the stage of the one shown above! (But the road-spec alloy roll-over hoop didn't perform very well).

If you though the Elise was involving, you should try a Caterham!

Looks like you had a great time with the Elise - and great scenery too. Any chance your friend would let you take it on track?

[Bernd]

Originally posted by 2F-001
Looks like you had a great time with the Elise - and great scenery too. Any chance your friend would let you take it on track?

Unfortunately no way in hell, removed of chains I would have a nasty shunt the cars limits are beyond mine.
I've taken note of the Caterham before but I think it looks terrible and for me a car needs to be a complete 'package' so to speak. Just like that really mutilated Elise type monstrosity that Catalina Park posted in one of his links, though it might outperform a regular Elise I say yuck!


Quarry Country (Some serious speed along here )

This one was snapped at our terminal velocity hence the slight blur to it (damn digital cameras)

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by BRG
The burnt-out pictures are pretty horrifying, but that's GRP bodywork for you. And there ia a great Lotus tradition of inflammable cars - that's why there are hardly any Elan Plus 2s left - they caught fire far too easily.

Never heard of that... and my mate Norm still has his...

Of course, the fact that it's rarely been driven might be a contributing factor.

[BRG]

Ray

Fires were usually due to the Weber/Dellorto carbs spitting back - the Lotus twin-cam engine was always a bit temperamental, especially at low revs. Generally there would be some oil or something in the airbox or air filters (depending on what was fitted to the car) which would then ignite, and off you went. Once a fire got hold on a GRP car, it was pretty much game over.

This tended to happen most when the car was still cold - maybe the more benign Australian climate lessens the risk!!

The Plus 2 seemed anecdotally to be more prone to fire - maybe there was a different layout under the bonnet - a different fuel pipe run for instance? I will check with my mate Brian who is a dyed-in-the-wool Lotus nut and an Elan Sprint owner*. The trick with carb fires is not to turn the engine off and flap around panicking, but to quickly rev it up (or turn it over on the key) so it sucks the flames and fire back into the engine. Unfortunately, most Elan owners didn't realise that...


* well, an Elan Sprint pile-of-bits owner actually as he still hasn't rebuilt it since rolling it at Goodwood - I told him that the Michelin racing tyres had gone off when I drove it a few minutes earlier, but he didn't listen (typical car-mechanic - never take any notice of a civilian!!)

[Ray Bell]

I think Norm's sufficiently astute to realise that, actually...

His has, from memory, a 1600 block in it, bought the car with a blown up 1558 engine and then worked out the best way to economically rebuild it. I don't think he'd let it burn to the ground too readily.

What about the twin Solex versions in the Europa twin cam?

[schuy]

I had driven the new Lotus Elise in London, last year.
It looks quite astonishing, it has a real occasion feeling to it.
Getting into it is real fun.
You can feel it's lightness, you really needn't think about a lot of stuff you would think about with other cars.
Unfortunately, having the car at London then, there wasn't that much space to go.
So, I drove it in Hyde-Park, let the traffic get a bit away from me, and pressed the Gas pedal, and the feel of the light body is ever present.

Bernd, did you buy the car?
They have an exaggerated waiting list, but Lotus know what they're doing.
The car has a real supercar feel.

I tried to import the Elise into Israel, but it didn't work out due to a reason, I will keep private.
I am, however, now making big connections with the transport ministry and Caterham to import them into Israel.
A real potential there.
Caterham offer most probably the purest driving sensation.
You should probably keep in mind, the Caterham Super-Seven design has been in life since 1956.

Best Wishes,

Liran Biderman.

[BRG]

Originally posted by Ray Bell
I don't think he'd let it burn to the ground too readily.

What about the twin Solex versions in the Europa twin cam?

I am sure he wouldn't - if he has managed to avoid setting fire to it this long! Back when they were current models, lots of Elans were sold to "Hooray Henry" types who used them to pose around Chelsea or the tennis club or wherever and hadn't a clue about anything mechanical. I guess they were the ones who suffered this fate! My aforementioned friend Brian who, despite being a professional auto engineer all his life, has always been rather prone to igniting cars (although not usually his own!) fitted a decent fire extinguisher to his Elan Sprint because of this, but he never bothered for any of his other cars.

I never heard of the Europa having the same problem, so maybe the different carbs &/or the engine bay layout was less fire-provoking - also there were far fewer Europa TCs around, and most of them were immobilised most of the time by gearbox faults, IIRC!

[Bernd]

Originally posted by schuy
Bernd, did you buy the car?

Sadly no, I am sans licence at the moment due to my previous fast two-seater.
I'll get one eventually.

Happy memories resurface seeing this thread again.

[Ray Bell]

I'm told, by the way, that the memories would not be so happy had it rained...

Owen tells me that the Elise is just plain dangerous in the rain. Put it away, take the Peugeot.

[schuy]

Originally posted by Bernd


Sadly no, I am sans licence at the moment due to my previous fast two-seater.
I'll get one eventually.

Happy memories resurface seeing this thread again.

Ah, sad to hear that, but glad your'e back in this thread!

[dretceterini]

I think the Audi TT Quatro spider is a more pleasant "daily driver"...even the non-Quattro version...

now just when is the new Alga Giulietta spider coming out? :

[Eric McLoughlin]

Caterham ugly???

I have to rush to the defence of this little car (as I own one). Virtually everyone who has driven both Sevens and Elises will tell you, handling wise, the Seven beets the Elise into a cocked hat. With the same engine (Rover K 1800cc), the seven will leave an Elise standing. I attended a track day a few weeks ago at RAF Hullavington. There were six Elises there along with a number of Sevens (and Westfields). I can tell you, the Elises were spinning out all over the place. I did not see one Seven or Westfield seriously out of shape, even though they were consitently quicker.

When the Elise was being designed, Lotus actually bought a couple of Sevens from Caterham to establish some bench-mark handling guidelines. In my opinion, they have yet to match Caterham's little stonker.

[shabby]

Hi,

i also like the Elise very much and have driven it 2 or 3 times. However i would prefer a Porsche anytime because i can drive a Porsche daily, the Elise is a real sportscar, good for a sunday trip but not for daily business.

[Uwe]

Originally posted by Eric McLoughlin
Caterham ugly???

I have to rush to the defence of this little car (as I own one). Virtually everyone who has driven both Sevens and Elises will tell you, handling wise, the Seven beets the Elise into a cocked hat.

Eric,

I agree 100%. If I had to choose between an Elise and one of those Seven replicas (be it Caterham, be it Donkervoort etc.) I definitely would take the replica.

And personally I would take this one: www.hkt-7.de/gts.html
There is also a version with 300 hp (Audi 1.8L turbocharged). Must be pretty near to my beloved Ferrari 312 in GPL.

Uwe

[Eric McLoughlin]

Well said Uwe, although technically the Caterham is not a replica but "The Original" - just further developed. Don't forget, Caterham Cars took over production of the Lotus 7 in 1973 with full authorisation and signing of licences etc from Colin Chapman. In fact, my Seven is almost exactly to the same specification as a 1968 Lotus Seven Series 3 (1600 cc Ford Crosssflow - 100bhp Twin Weber DCOE 40 carbs, 0 to 60 6.5 secs).

Other Seven type cars are often referred to (in the UK at least) as "Sevenesque". Examples are the Westfield, Sylva Stryker, Tiger, Robin Hood and Dax Rush. Caterham Cars watch what these other manufacturer's are doing and if any stray too close to the Caterham/Lotus product, then the full weight of the law will be brought to bear. This actually happened in the 1980's when Caterham took Westfield to court and forced Westfield to change their design so that it was sufficiently different from a Caterham in order that the two makes couldn't be confused.

[schuy]

Originally posted by Uwe

Eric,

I agree 100%. If I had to choose between an Elise and one of those Seven replicas (be it Caterham, be it Donkervoort etc.) I definitely would take the replica.

And personally I would take this one: www.hkt-7.de/gts.html
There is also a version with 300 hp (Audi 1.8L turbocharged). Must be pretty near to my beloved Ferrari 312 in GPL.

Uwe

Hehe, sorry Uwe, the Caterham isn't a replica.
Like Eric pointed out...

By the way, Eric, you coming for the Caterham festival on October 4-6 in Brands-Hatch?

Best Wishes,

Liran Biderman.

[BRG]

Well, this is the Nostalgia Forum, so I suppose it is only natural to find enthusiasm for the 7 - basically a 40+ year old design. Whereas the Elise is very much a cutting edge modern car, employing some fairly radical production techniqueswith its bonded aluminium chassis.

I guess with cars of this sort, you pays your money and you takes your choice. Both the 7 and the Elise are fun-cars, designed purely for the pleasure of driving. If you prefer the more classic handling characteristics of a front engine RWD car (ie. rampant oversteer!) then choose the 7. If you prefer the more delicate and edgy precision of a mid-engine car, then it s the Elise. I am sure that, around a more twisty track, the Elise will eat the a 7 with a similar power to weight ratio (there is such a choice of powerplants for the 7 that it is hard to know which to judge against!) - but in general the lighter 7 will out-run the Elise, which has always had less power than its chassis could handle. But out of slow corners, the Elise's better traction will give it the edge.

In the end, it is whichever turns you on - but I prefer the Elsie (not least because my height and leg length make the 7 a real bu**er to get into and very cramped to drive!)

[Eric McLoughlin]

I haven't sorted out any plans for the Brands Hatch event - yet. My next Seven related event is a sprint at Llandow in Wales on 13 July

[Buford]

That is a very cool car Bernd. I an happy with the new BMW Mini Cooper S I have on order. But that is definately cooler. Some people have more money than me. I will have to fix that.

[Eric McLoughlin]

Most Sevens these days have Rover K 1600 or 1800 engines therefore these versions are directly comparable to Elises. On the whole, Sevens have a tendency to UNDERSTEER into corners unless the driver deliberately provokes power on oversteer ( ahuge hoot if you can control the ensuing slide - especially negotiating rondabouts in the wet) . Even though Sevens are technically front engined, all the weight is concentrated between the wheels so they are not compromised when it comes to getting the power down. They also can be over 200kg lighter than the lightest Elise, which goes a long way to explaining their superior performance. The only area where they are inferior is top speed, purely due to the brick-like aerodynamics.

Caterham recently introduced the SVA which is a larger version of the Seven designed to accomodate the bigger driver.

Although the Seven is based on a 44 year old design, so much development has gone into the power train and chassis in the intervening period that the performance has been improved beyond recognition. A 1957 Lotus 7 Series 1 had a 40 bhp Ford Side Valve engine, top speed of about 80 mph and 0-60 of 14 seconds. The Caterham 7 Superlight R500 has a 230 bhp Rover K engine, top speed of around 140 mph and a 0-60 of 3.5 seconds. It just shows what a fantastic chassis Colin Chapman designed all those years ago.

[schuy]

Hehe, make sure you do dear Buford!
The Lotus Elise is coming to the USA very soon.

Liran Biderman.

[Uwe]

Originally posted by Eric McLoughlin
Well said Uwe, although technically the Caterham is not a replica but "The Original" - just further developed. Don't forget, Caterham Cars took over production of the Lotus 7 in 1973 with full authorisation and signing of licences etc from Colin Chapman.

I didn't know this, thank you for the information.

I always liked the Elise, was also interested in the Opel Speedster (which is partly built by Lotus, IIRC). But then I was hooked with the 7, when I read a report in the german "sport auto" magazine. They are testing nearly all their cars on the short Hockenheimring and the HKT GTS did a much better lap time than all the kings of the Autobahn (Porsche 911, BMW M3 etc.). As you put it already, it doesn't have the top speed (though 235 kph isn't that bad), but in corners - oh boy...

BTW, a Caterham made something like 13th position at the Nurburgring 24 hour race this year.

[Eric McLoughlin]

Yes, Caterham did brilliantly at the Nurburgring this year. They came 11th overall and 1st in class. See www.se7en-up.co.uk for more details.