What is the Purest Sports Car Available Today
All right! So, I am fired up to get some good car dialog going. What is the purest sports car available today? Let's say money is an object in this debate and therefore the Ferrari 430 Scuderia or Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera are out of the question for the moment. Would the Porsche 911, built for 40+ years, be the purest? Maybe the new Porsche Cayman S or even the revised Porsche Boxster S? The light weight and rev happy Honda S2000? The new and incredible Audi R8 or maybe a "regular" F430 or Gallardo? 
All those are great cars but...the Lotus Elise takes the prize. I've driven almost every sports car out there with few exceptions and the Elise packs punch...and I don't mean torque. I mean smiles per mile and bang for buck. One other thing I love about the Elise is that it certainly is not designed for everyone - minivan drivers slogging along in the fast lane need not slide in behind the wheel. It is raw, light, agile, loud, jarring, fast and rarely spotted on the road. That is a great combo of adjectives for $50k new at a dealer or even less when pre-owned.
Club Sportiva bought its Elise with the hard top, stage 2 sport exhaust and chrome orange at South Bay Lotus near Los Angeles in fall 2005 and it has held up solidly for 20,000 miles and looks and runs as it did the day it was new. Sure, we've had our share of warranty issues, but no worse than any other high-end sports car. I drove it from L.A. to San Francisco straight through and arrived at the Clubhouse surprisingly ready to continue rolling north for another day if needed. I wish we had a Club location in Seattle, or I would have kept driving!
It also looks great in orange, which frankly, only Lotus and Lamborghini can get away with where it actually helps resale value. Try an orange BMW or Ferrari at trade-in. You'll be seeing red - both in depreciation and frustration.The Elise truly embodies Collin Chapman's philosophy that to make a car quicker you add lightness. Think about that statement for a moment. Some people say the Elise is too insect-like in design. To those people I say drive it and then tell me if you really care that the radiator grill looks vaguely like a praying mantis. Blip the throttle, heel-toe on a down shift, take an apex hard, lay on the brakes, take a few s curves fast and then say "I don't like the Elise because it looks different from all the aerodynamic drones out there" and I'll know you're not a car enthusiast. Seat time is the solution for those who debate the Elise.
Is it a torque-monster? No, it is not. If it had a big torquey engine, then the chassis would be heavier to support the engine, the transmission would be heavier to manage the power, the brakes would be bigger to handle the weight, and suddenly, you've just blown the beautiful simplicity and balance the Elise exhibits. I say, torque not needed on this car. For the power mongers, get the Exige or get something else, but don't be surprised when the Elise leaves you behind on a mountain road.
Ultimately, the question really is, are you a torque-head who needs brutal acceleration on the straights who cares less about finesse, or are you a person who wants to carve up a long, twisty mountain road? In California, we have mountain roads galore, so give me a light, nimble, high revving sports car any day!My thoughts for the day! Comments desired...
Labels: Club Sportiva, exotic car share club, Lotus Elise, sports car
posted by Torbin at
5:13 PM
4 Comments:
Just discovered this blog Torbin, great idea. While I agree in spirit with your rating of the Elise, a few "affordable" machines out there push the purity envelope a bit further: the Ariel Atom and Lotus/Caterham 7 for instance. Have you seen the Top Gear video of Jeremy Clarkson driving an Atom? www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaWoo82zNUA . This redefines facelift! Neither of these cars are likely safe enough for club use though. My biggest issue with the Elise is the same problem I have with the Miata (the undisputed king of affordable sports car fun) -- sound. A huge part of the purity of the sports car driving experience is the sound of the engine/exhaust. Even with its sports exhaust, the Elise sounds like a hopped up vacuum cleaner or a bee on steriods. For me, the Cayman/Boxster S provide 90% of the Elise's track-bred purity with a Wagnerian soundtrack and seats that won't dent your arse. Truly a flight of the Valkyries.
Brendan, glad to hear you are enjoying the blog. I post every Monday and try to keep the topics interesting, relevant and somewhat controversial!
The Ariel Atom and Caterham 7 are as extreme as we enthusiasts can hope for, along with mentioning a Cobra replica, which is as brutal as they come. These three are so extreme, however, that getting groceries or going to dinner takes a distant second to their real inspiration, as track warriors and mountain road carvers.
The Cayman/Boxster S is certainly a top selection as well for this blog post. So many Members at Club Sportiva have raved about the Cayman S after a few days driving it. Glad to hear you voice your opinion. I thought we'd hear from others as well!
I am having fun going through these blog entries...
Having being fortunate enough to drive both the Mark 1 and Mark 2 Elise, it really is an amazing car. As one Jeremy Clarkson so wonderfully put it, its like driving a housefly.
The Atom is a total riot too, but the most exhilarating car I have ever driven while I was in the UK was the Noble M12. That thing is unbelievable. The handling is monumental, and the noise of those turbo wastegates is totally unique.
Keep posting. Next time I'm out in San Fran, I am going to make a point to call in to Club Sportiva and check it out.
Tim, thanks for the kind words on the blog and for the insightful comments. Glad you are enjoying the blog. I post about twice a week, so there is always new content being added.
Some of the lower production cars like the Noble and Atom are an absolute blast because the companies producing them aren't trying to please the general public. Instead, they are simply aiming to build the most exciting driving experience without the complexity of cupholders, bells and whistles and other amenities.
The U.K. has more activity in this cottage industry of building low production extreme sports cars than does they U.S. Here, custom one-offs are popular, but they aren't designed for production with the intent to sell volume. Interesting difference.
This is a blog topic by itself...
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