Ferrari 328/348 vs. Lotus Elise

I think I have that video too. Nevermind, cheers.

 

I have a Lotus Elan (M100 - newer Elan) and love it. It is very drivable every day - much more so than I can say for my F355. I considered the Elise. I've driven it on the track. Awesome car - once you get into it. But there's the rub. It is a pain in the butt with the top on and not exactly a piece of cake to get into with the top on. Its much more spartan than my M100. It is much faster too (well 14 years will do that). I like both cars - M100 and F355. What I'd really like to see is the next replacement for the Esprit and then their midrange model.

The main difference between Lotus and Ferrari is resale. Next is recognition. But both have exotic-ness - the Lotus even more so. So few are available in the U.S. that most people don't know what it is. That is kind of cool. Mine is one of about 500 in the U.S. I like that as even after 14 years it doesn't feel old. The Elise will still have that kind of appeal 14 years for now - whether prices fall like a rock or not.

Scott

 

It will be out next year; it's called a Europa. Yup, the name is being recycled. It will cost more than the Elise but not be an Esprit replacement as they are also bringing out a new Esprit in another year or so.

Unless VW buys the company from Proton; then all bets are off.

Ken

 

Go to:

http://www.lotusespritworld.co.uk/news.html

and scroll down to "New Esprit". Should be a nice car!

 

I can't understand why a few people are getting all defensive about their Ferraris?

At the end of the day a Ferrari is a Ferrari, and a Lotus is a Lotus. Very different cars, for different things.

A Lotus will generally be a better handling, nippier car even comparing equal age cars, as that's what Lotus is all about. It's a track biased car after all.

The Ferrari will always be the premium brand and image car. Put it this way, most people seeing my garage are drawn to the Ferrari, not the Lotus.

Having said that, all factory Elises can do with more power and that's why so many of us mod them here. New Ferraris don't really need more power.

 

Ive driven all 3, the 328, 348, and Elise. They are all absolutely fantastic cars to drive but they are pretty different beasts. The 328 and 348 are tough to drive in comparison to the Elise, which is remarkably easy and trouble free to drive...nothing is too heavy, the gear box isnt too clunky, and the AC actually works That said, the "tough to drive" qualities are what make the 328 and 348 that much more fun to drive...I felt like a pissed off Italian playboy rocketing around town with my left hand on the wheel and my right on the horn. In the Elise I felt like a more clean cut boy racer in a barely street legal race car. The Elise seems like a more perfected automobile (in engineering at least) while the 328/348 use their imperfections in quality to improve the fun

If I were in the market for a car in this price range I would probably have to go with the Elise...Being so young, no matter how much I love Ferrari I could use something more practical, reliable, and tossable until I can REALLY afford to use and maintain a Ferrari.

 

I like my Europa for the same reasons you say about the 328/348. It's an effort, but a very rewarding effort! (Could use a few more horses but don't we ALL say that?)

Ken

 

I was cosidering a new sports car while looking for the 328. In the end, we went for the 328. Because in a few years, the 328 will still be worth what I paid for it, and the new cars would be worthless obsolete junk.

 

My next car is going to be an Elise because I enjoy track time. Would I buy one for a daily driver? Probably not. But they are a blast on the track. Different cars are made for different things. I took my 308GTS to the track and wished I had my Porsche, But around town, the Porsche collects a lot of dust in the garage because there is nothing like the sound and feel of a Ferrari.

My $0.02

 

The thing about a Ferrari is that it never becomes worthless junk (obsolete definitely) unless the owner allows it. Whereas everything else seems to trend to worthless junk status in about 5 years.

 

Sorry my friend but get a life reality check. I can't say what you were smoking back at the Lotus showroom but pal, you might as well go out and buy a mazda, same kinda resale value CRAP. Ferrari is the ultimate race bred car, it has pedigree & history that 100% of all other car makers would kill for. Dont rip your sell off , if you can afford it go the 328 or 348 its a lifestyle choice.
Andrew

 

I bought an Elise in Feb after a pretty long wait. I have had my 89 328 GTB for 3+ years. When my 430 coupe arrived recently, I decided to trade the Elise on it and keep the 328. Here's why:

My Elise had all the options BTW. For about 20 minutes of driving, the car feels great. The steering is race car like, handling flat, blah, blah. After 20 minutes, the hard seats start to hurt, your teeth chatter from bumps, and I was ready to go home. The radio is useless which does not really bother me, I never turn it on in the Ferraris! The stage 2 exhaust is cool, but really drones with the hardtop on. I did track it once and found it very easy to drive and find good lines, etc. It likes tight cormers, but, hell any car this stiff should like tight corners! The motor, while quick, does not feel strong, no torque to speak of. I would have loved to do timed laps in succession with my Subaru STI. My gut is the Subie would have been a little quicker even though the steering is not as sharp. The torque it has to get off turns would make the difference. I have read the acceleration numbers for the Elise, and have my doubts. They must have dropped clutched it at 8K to get those numbers. I'm pretty limber, even at 6 feet, so getting in and out not too big a deal, but it could get pretty tiresome in everyday driving.

I had 0 problems with the car, but only 1300 miles. After a run, it always made my garage smell like glue!

Value wise, for 50K, I would consider a Vette, or save 17K and get an S2000 which was only slightly slower around a track in a C&D comparo or a Subie STI. Porsche boxters come to mind plus a variety of used cars. On paper, it seems like a lot of car for the money, but after owning one, I think 29,995. might be a better price.

Obviously, it outperforms my 328 in every way as do many newer cars, including my Subaru, which laps 308/328's quickly at local tracks. However, the 328 is slipping into classic territory now and it offers a look and driving experience that no new car will ever again be like. I simply enjoy it in every way and, unlike the Elise, I always wish my rides were longer, not shorter.

I just did not bond with the Lotus like the Ferrari. The Lotus is a really cool package, but it doesn't work for me. It also confirmed I am not an open car guy.

Dave

 

Ken -- you should put some pictures of your car in the showroom section

 

dead thread revival:

Spent my morning drinking coffee and reading this set of threads. Interesting and fair discussion.

My thoughts 7 years later: My Elise is still a fun, head-turning car. Certainly less mystique than my brother's 348, ... However, I always liked the underdog!

Lotus caught my attention with the Esprit and what they could do with four cylinders.

As far as styling inspiration: no doubt in my mind there are some Dino-inspired-curves!
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Great cars! I just picked up a 348 - what kind of aftermarket exhaust does he have on his car?

 

Nouvalari. Installed by the previous owner.
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My first sports car - many years ago, in 1966- was a new Lotus Elan, which literally thrilled me nearly to bits. At the time sports cars and racing cars were not as far apart in specification as they are today, so I wound up going thru the SCCA race driver's school at Cotati, Ca. I then got my Regional SCCA license and went racing, doing reasonably well considering the opposition (C Production had the main factory British, German & Japanese teams vying for Monday sales thru track wins... Triumph, Porsche & Datsun). All those cars were fast, faster than mine. All were heavily "prepared", as well...I didn't have the factory sponsorship or money to compete, really; I did OK in overall seasonal points mainly because they tried so hard to beat each other that they either won or broke! I came in second or whatever consistently enough that I did well at season's end, never less than 3rd overall, sometimes better! However, after making all the mods to go racing, the car was truly unsuitable for the road, whether legal or not...so many compromises with comfort had to be made, removal of all non-essential equipment like windows, the heater, radio, upholstery, and on & on was necessary, and so on!

So- is "tightening up" the suspension for better performance, changing wheels & tires, and so on, what you want? If so...why? Will the car be faster? Yes, most likely, if the work is done properly. Is it a car you'll want to keep, once the immediate thrill has passed... probably not. Then what? Generally, you'll sell the car. Is that what you really want?

Why am I relaying my experience, here? Just this: if you want to go really, really fast, get a racing license and go for it, because a truly fast car on the track is close to unusable on the street! Either that, or if you think you have a really fast car but it isn't truly race-prepared you're only kidding yourself!

What design choices have the makers of the cars you're interested in made? A thrilling, no-compromise stiff ride to sell you on the product, or something that maybe isn't quite so performance oriented, but still is fast & can be lived with, over the long haul. Give that some thought, too.

What matters is this, IMO: check out a nice car you can wring out safely on normal roads, while feeling relatively comfortable doing so, and look for the best example of whichever one fits the bill for how you use it. What does it matter if someone else has a "faster" car or one with higher top end, or whatever? Do you really want to race someone at top speeds on public roads? If so you need a shrink, or at least something to calm you down! Also a very, very good hospitalization plan...

So here it is: road, or race? No car can do both equally well, so choose wisely.

Cheers, Rich

 

If you don´t like English breakfast, you can go Italian in style!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnuNv77rB0Q]Alfa Romeo 4C First Drive, Road and Track. -- /CHRIS HARRIS ON CARS - YouTube[/ame]
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I loved my Elise - it was an amazing car. I did long road trips in it and had an absolute blast. Never missed a beat, totally reliable and dependable.

The reality is that I bought it because I couldn't afford the 348 at the time. Actually that's not true, I could afford to buy the 348, but I knew at the time that I would be walking a fine line between properly maintaining it and worrying about having a repair bill that I couldn't afford. It was a great car, deceptively fast and had a great ability to hold speed through all types of corners. I had the basic mods - exhaust, induction etc.

I am now extremely fortunate to be able afford to buy and properly run a 348 and it is a feeling and experience like nothing else (the Elise cannot get close despite being a wonderful car). There is no doubt that this a subjective thing as there will be people who quote facts and figures of an Elise vs 348. If facts and figures were important to me, I would have bought a Radical or Arial Atom. They aren't important to me - so I bought a 348 and it is a dream come true.

Me in my Elise on the Isle of Arran and my 348 at a hillclimb event.
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I believe Julian owned a Dino. I am confident it impacted some of the styling of the Elise.

(got my Elise from Ferrari of Denver; here are some shots in Boulder next to a Dino)
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The Elise, whilst an incredible performance car, completely lacks the class and elegance of the 246 Dino!

And if you're going to claim that the Elise design was inspired by the 246, then you might as well say that the 246 design was inspired by the Porsche 904!