Lotus Elise in the left lane

[tlong]

I got a real good 15 minute look at an Elise today on the expressway. The fellow looked happy to see I wasn't there to race, just fly formation. The front fender line from rear 3/4 view was pure C3. The targa was off and smacked of our generation with a combination of '68 coupe roof sculpture. We were at 80 with no effort on my behalf however the revs seemed high on the Lotus. It's a 2000 pound 190 horse 150 mph sprint car. It looks like an old Opel GT.

The rear is euro with teeny little exhaust pipes tucked together in the bottom middle. The tires seemed slim but were way out on the edge if that makes sense. It was a pretty GS purpleish, so there were three ripoffs of my model car.

I felt no envy and pondered no domination as we cruised side by side on a beautiful day down the expressway. 2 guys diggin' their rides very different but similar too. The C4 remains relevant.

 

[67HEAVEN]

The C4 remains relevant.

Nice story.

I hope my old C2 remains relevant too.

 

[tlong]

I dare say your car will remain relevant FOREVER.

 

[XLR8]

Nice story and good description of the car. Great to fly formation and enjoy the cars and the vibes without the need for challenges or domination!

 

[koolaid117]

We have a guy in town that drives his Elise everyday. I must admit, I like the little car. But would not trade my Z for one.

Jim

 

[JJS]

I've actually had a couple of them come up on me while in my vette. I thought the first was coming up to race, but he just smiled and gave me a wave. Looked to be about the same age as me, and he looked like he was actually happy to see my car. I saw the second while we were in heavy traffic. He wasn't looking to do anything either.
I couldn't hear either of these cars over mine!

 

[Aurora40]

A friend at work has a '91 Elan that I'd like to check out. There's also a guy with a nice Esprit TT V8.

The Elan seems neat because it's like the photo negative of the ZR-1. It's a Lotus-designed car with a GM motor, vs a GM-designed car with a Lotus motor. It's FWD vs RWD, and it has a small turbo I-4 vs a somewhat large NA V8. Um, and it's a convertible-only vs a coupe-only... I can't think of any other ways it's the opposite. They were from the same time frame, both had special Goodyears designed for them, both actually had the dual-runner per cylinder thing, both were fairly pricey.

 

[bossvette]

Lotus has always made impressive cars,the Europa being one of my favorites;

but before you plop your cash down for one make sure you can fit in it

BTW they were only about 42 inches tall

 

[DRTH VTR]

The Elise is a nice little car. It would not be very suitable as a daily driver, just because they are pretty stripped down and minimal. One guy I know autocrosses his and beats my Z06 pretty handily. Of course he does have softer tires than I do. I would hand him his head at the strip, however. Different than a Corvette, but a very nice car.

 

[Samauriwarrior]

Lotus has always made impressive cars,the Europa being one of my favorites;

but before you plop your cash down for one make sure you can fit in it

BTW they were only about 42 inches tall

Looks like mini in clown makeup to me!

 

[Kid_Again]

I love the Europa. Good to see a picture of it again.

We have a Lotus dealer in town. Those cars are everywhere around me. :crazy

One hell of a car from what I hear.

 

[tlong]

Wasn't the car in Pretty Woman a Lotus Esprit? Seen a few of those around town. And didn't Lotus design the front suspension for the C4? At least 'borrowed' from Lotus design? I thought I read a connection to the LT5 engine also.

I had a few British cars and they were great fun to drive when the electrical system worked. That was rare. I will be interested in the reliability of the Elise vs. my MGs and Sunbeam Alpine Dr. No car. Since they were ZERO it has to be better!

The Elise embodies what we already have to some degree.

 

[JJS]

Looks like mini in clown makeup to me!

The two that came up on me didn't look like this. They were small, and kinda "bubblish," at least in my rear view. One of them ended up going by me, and I clearly saw the words "Lotus" on it. The other was the exact same car, different color. I remember thinking it must be tough getting in and out of 'em.

 

[bossvette]

The two that came up on me didn't look like this. They were small, and kinda "bubblish," at least in my rear view. One of them ended up going by me, and I clearly saw the words "Lotus" on it. The other was the exact same car, different color. I remember thinking it must be tough getting in and out of 'em.

The picture I posted was of a Europa which has not been produced for over 30 years