takahashi

Get the 111R dude... they are just $100K.

I will not be able to live with that - and 2 seater!

For something similar you can drive on the road - go for a S2K.

RotorManiac

The S2K is a great car but it cannot compete the Elise... ANY Elise (around the track, don't know about drag race). I've seen it in a mag test, both wet and dry, the S2K got murdered

Oh, and Taka -off topic- I just got my MS sways, MS brake pads and MS flywheel!! You were right, they look great!! I can't wait to put them on...

takahashi

RM, glad you like the pieces... I'd like to have a MS flywheel/clutch combo eventually.

Yes S2K will get killed by Elise (stock to stock), although it is not by much. It is stock S2K we are talking about. With mods - S2K rocks. Plus with Tein that can set damper with a touch of a button, I would like some car that I can drive to a restaurant and back, not just on the track. Although I don't mind a designated track car!

RotorManiac

Yep I was talking stock for stock. Still I like the honda.
You have the Tein coilover on your 8?
Two friends of mine have the flex series with the edfc, and they say the whole system is amazing. I wanted the MS suspension, but after I saw them using that little gadget and stiffening the car with "a touch of a button" I had second thoughts...:o
Unique and... ultimately desirable... oh boy:o

Hellbreed

I don't know all the codes for these cars, didn't realize the 2ZZ-GE was the Toyota engine. The Lotus UK site refers it as the 2ZZ-GE and the US site refers to it as the Toyota engine unless I missed something which is possible. It seemed to me that they swapped the Lotus engine for a Toyota engine for the US version, but my mistake .

I take it back, very impressive! :D

That's what's great about you guys and this forum, you learn something new everyday!

takahashi

RM,

No not yet :o In fact I wanted it very badly.
The only obsticle is not my wife :D but my stupid garage that in an acute angle that if I drop the car by 1cm - it will scrap the bottom....

I will investigate a lot more and see it is feasible to drop 10mm but I will drop 20mm with Tein Flex + EDFC (that is the one I want for street/track use)

quack_p

The U.S. version has the 189 hp engine, which is the Toyota engine. Speaking of mileage, the Elise 111R (U.S. version) gets 23.3 mpg "urban," 41.5 mpg "extra urban" whatever that means, 32.1 mpg combined. Check out the stats here. Now that makes me feel pathetic.

dragula53

the 2ZZ-GE engine in the lotus only weighs 115 kg (253 lbs) that isn't anything to sneeze at.

mysql101

the 156 hp version gets 50 mpg according to that page.

rotarenvy

our rotary is a very similar weight and I bet would have a lower CG and produce more power.
maybe lotus is buying technology from the wrong jap manufacturer

quack_p

52.3 mpg "extra urban" to be exact (I assume that means highway). Pretty incredible. I was trying not to make us feel TOTALLY pathetic.

Edit:
You know, the more I think about it, the more those numbers smell like yesterday's fish. Maybe I'm reading them wrong.

Anyone from the U.K. who can tell us if those numbers are saying what I think they're saying? A Lotus Elise 111S gets 52.3 miles per gallon on the highway, yet it goes 0 to 60 in 5.1 seconds? That's better than a Toyota Prius (50 mpg), Honda Civic Hybrid (45 mpg), and Mini Cooper (38 mpg). In fact, that's better than 9 out of 10 of Consumer Reports' most fuel-efficient cars.

I realize you get what you pay for, but holy gas sippers, how is that possible?!

dragula53

...and get far worse mileage and very little more horsepower.

Also, I have seen conflicting reports on lotus mileage.. I've seen everything from 26 to 51. But no matter how you look at it... 'vette like performance, better-than-vette handling, great looks, an excellent price point, and GREAT mileage..

the lotus is an excellent car, no matter how you look at it.

Mickeyblue

If you want a Lotus Turbo its called a vauxhall (GMC or Opel) ZX220 turbo bit cheaper sam chassis but packed with a jap turboed engine! Lotus and vauxhall work very closely!

RXE16T

Yeah but there's something more exotic about the Lotus badge....

Zorro

Basically, nice cars (Love em all) But i cant get over how much you guys are all crying over the Elise... There are SOOOO many of them over here in the Uk... i see about 4 million of them on the way to work. The RX8 is FAR FAR rarer here, as is the 350Z. I was given an elise to use from work for a week a while back (first release version, purple), and it handles like its on rails, real nice. But that it. The car has nothing.. i mean NOTHING inside it.. to get a girl to try n step in or out with a dress is impossible, and rev it hard (the engine being by your ears) you cant hear NADA!! See now on a track.. or on the sunday morning drive.. yum... but in the UK, driving it round everyday, with so many about doesnt go down too well!

Laslty ima try get some pics of my workmates Elise, the guys gone all out on the bad boy, does 0-60 (mph) in 3.3 and ive seen it keep up with superbikes with my own eyes... (mainly due to drifting round corners).

Peace

Zorro

Oh and the HOOD of the Elise is about as easy to put on as make a Kinder Egg toy wearing mittens.

SlashMatrix

Please do. i would love to see the mods he has done to it. But here the 350Z and Rx-8 are more common every day. Like every time i turn around now i see a Z. As for the RX-8 it is a little more rare but not by a whole lot. I know atleast 2 people where i live have one within a 40 mile radius and mark from atlanta is always comming around. But mine is the loudest of them all. Just ask MarkD he has heard he system. But there will probably be more soon. I have only seen 2 other Elises in all of Georgia. A silver one and a red one and both were in the Atlanta area driving next to each other. As far as getting girls in the car with dresses/skirts. I can't complane. Just i have to be in the car first because you are almost guaranted a nice view :D

RotorManiac

Taka,
my garage sucks too LOL :D it is already scrathing the cover of the cat Hope you can get them soon

p.s. with the flex series you can keep the car to almost stock height. thats what one of my friends did cuz HIS garage sucks too:p haha...

Zorro

Lol - You know bro, i couldnt agree more about the view... i give the elise 5 stars for that one.. lol

Will post pics soon, until then.. enjoy your ride... or the other... or the other...

Peace

Dragonfruit

If you don't mind me asking, what is your dad's occupation? Nice cars and house dude.

dragula53

oh, just for comparison, the 2zz-ge engine weighs 115kg, the renesis weighs 138kg.

not a lot of weight difference, but mazda is prone to exaggerating the weight of the renesis to make it sound more remarkable than it is.

it's light, but not THAT light.

edit:

I found 2 other references, one states the renesis as being 124 kg http://newsmotoring.news.com.au/hera...E21825,00.html , and the other states it as being 142 kg.

all of which are higher than the toyota offerning.

SlashMatrix

He is a well known landscape architect in Athens and Oconee county. He does other jobs on the side as well though. And i don't mean anything like drugs or hes in the mob or something. School has me busy right now so i will post some more pics later if anyone wants me to.

markd

Yes, Grey's got a good system. It only further reminds me how pitiful the stock Bose system really sounds.

As far as the girls in the skirts go, wouldn't it be better if you got in the car AFTER them? The car is pretty low to the ground and, ahem, you have to maneuver yourself to get into the back seats

Still looking forward to cruising around Athens this weekend in our 8's and the Elise (which, by the way, isn't as common in the US as it apparently is in Europe--I've never actually seen one in person before)!

vegeta

beautiful cars... but dude, with $120,000+ in the 3 cars, surely you can afford a new digital camera... haha don't worry I am not hating.

The Lotus is so beautiful, called the dealership in SF back in July and they had a 6 month waiting list.

SlashMatrix

Its a little closer to $100,000 But the money isn't mine. I am broke and the digial camera i have came with my computer. So its total crap but atleast it works.

As for the waiting list we know all about that.
The fact that we got this Lotus is nothing but luck. He was actually on the waiting list and was not going to get it untill probably late Feb or early March. He was on the Lotus forum or something when someone posted at like 3:00 am that they had a Blue lotus at some dealer in PA exatly like he had ordered. So he bought it the next day and had them ship it down here to Athens.