Lotus Elise vs 3x8 Ferrari | FerrariChat

Lotus Elise vs 3x8 Ferrari

Discussion in 'Other Off Topic Forum' started by rai, Feb 15, 2004.

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  1. rai

    rai Rookie

    Feb 10, 2004
    17
    OK, for the sake of debate. What factors would you say make the 328/348 and even 355 superior to a new Lotus Elise.

    The Lotus starting at $39K is in the same price range or less. While it will have depreciation this may be offset against maintance with the Ferrari.

    I believe that on the street or track the Elise would have it's way. The specs show a power to weight of 10 lb/hp. And 0-60 will be under 5 seconds. In case you don't know the US Elise will have a Toyota 1.8L I4 with 190hp and 138 TQ. Mid engine pushing 1900 lb curb weight.
     
  2. andrewg

    andrewg F1 Rookie
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    Sep 10, 2002
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    AndrewG
    not sure on the spec the USA elise is going to be (heard it's got air bags and ABS, not sure why you'd want them in a drivers car that was designed to be lightweight and fun, but theres nowt as queer as folk)
    The main difference is that the Euro and original elise didnt come with any of the "luxury" items most people have in a daily or even fun cruiser type car ie. carpets, windows, roof that doesnt leak etc.
    The plus point is that on a twisty road or track even the base euro car will kick any 10+ year old Ferrari (F40 + 288 excluded) you probabley wouldnt want one to use all day everyday especially if your a little on the large size (in height or girth)
     
  3. F SPIDER

    F SPIDER F1 Rookie
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    Jan 30, 2002
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    rijk rietveld
    The difference is in the sound. My Lotus sounds "terrible", even with the sports exhaust.

    And then there is the design, of course.......

    In the mean time, the driving experience is hard to duplicate. Driving the Lotus is a hoot.

    Rijk
     
  4. tvrfreak

    tvrfreak F1 Rookie
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    Mar 31, 2003
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    The Mark II and the US version of the Lotus Elise are luxurious enough, and compared to the original Elise, are very easy to get in and out of.

    We don't know about the reliability of the US model, but the Toyota motor has not had any issues.

    Airbags are required here if you want to sell a car as a volume manufacturer. NHTSA will not grant you any airbag-related exemptions.

    As for the ABS system on the Elise, it is a custom system that works really well. Here is what the development engineer for the US Elise project told me. "We hired some famous F1 driver to do the development and he took it around the Nurburgring. On his first lap, he was within 3 seconds of the fastest lap posted by an Elise. He came in raving about how the ABS system is so great and has such a high threshold that his style of braking never caused it to kick in. When we checked the telemetry, it had kicked in sixteen times."

    For pure driving experience, this car will be hard to beat. Maintenance-wise, it will probably be cheaper. But for catchet and looks and sound, a 3x8 is far superior.
     

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