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The mkiv Supra Owners Club

Got my Elise this evening


JamesG

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Well I picked up my S1 Lotus Elise this evening! It's completely mental to drive. Most of the cars I've owned have been Japanese and this thing feels completely different.

 

The throttle response is amazing and you can feel every bump on the road. It has a high-flow exhaust and is much much louder inside the car than my supra (with NurSpec R). If I remove the cat it will be even louder but I'd prefer to retain some hearing :D

 

The brakes will take a lot of getting used to. They don't have any servo assistance, and you have to press them really hard for them to work (especially at low speed). I've just been out for a blast and locked them up appoaching a turn, so I definitely need to get the feel for them!

 

Here's a pic:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/images/75484-1.jpg

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Guest blueangel

ive got an fto v6 as a daily driver an its not much cop drinks like a chav b4 a court appearance

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The best features I remember from driving an Elise are the brakes and the steering response. They are great cars for the track and enthusiastic driving on roads.

You look as though you've got a nice example there.

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Very nice car mate.

 

ONE DAY a nice orange Lotus Sport Exige GT3 will be MINE!!

 

A few mates have had them and they seem very rapid and fun to drive, especially with the top off.

 

i thought the exige was a hard top? :blink:

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i would have got the exige, ive always wanted that.

 

but them rover engines are quite pants, ive heard a lot of things about engine rebuilds every 30k,

 

id have to opt for the new one, fitted with the toyota t sport engine,

 

ive also seen a number of elise owners fit civic type r engines in and supercharge them

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Its is. I've only been in the Elise, but I really want the Exige.

Both great cars

 

yeah, the exige is the one to have but i know what you mean about them both being great cars. a mate of mine had one and the handling is cracking.....faster you go round the twisties the more it feels like it's being sucked to the road.

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the exige, indeed is a hard top.

 

but the top middle section can be removed, ive asked about it, and no owners recomend doing it and its not designed for it?

 

 

Test drove one, it was awesome.

 

Bell and Colvill (where i did the test drive) offer the conversion option. About £900 (main cost is the cloth roof bit).

 

No major impacts according to them unless you crash, insurers will not cover it as its meant to be a hardtop. Though i'm sure if you pay enough theres a way round this.

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Thanks all. Yeah, I'm really pleased with it now. Drove up to Sheffield last night. It's not that great on the motorway. Deafeningly loud above 80mph and I had a numb bum after about 100 miles!

 

But had a blast around Derbyshire this morning and it is awesome fun. The grip is immense and I've never driven a car with such precise, delicate steering. It has to be driven with the roof off as well :)

 

The Rover K-series engine is great. Mine has a high-flow exhaust, gas-flowed and ported VVC head, fast road cams, 4-2-1 manifold, vernier pulleys, VVC inlet manifold, 52mm throttle body and hurricane induction kit. It's 165bhp.

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Lovely looking motors. I had a go in one that belongs to a guy at my last workplace. Awesome handling but I imagine it gets a bit tiring after a while. Like you say, you feel every little bump.

 

 

Rover K-series engine though. :shudder:

Has it had the head gasket done yet? I fitted the uprated HG from eliseparts.com to my Mrs' freelander and :touch wood: it's been fine so far.

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Rover K-series engine though. :shudder:

Has it had the head gasket done yet? I fitted the uprated HG from eliseparts.com to my Mrs' freelander and :touch wood: it's been fine so far.

 

I didn't think to ask actually, but I assume that would have been replaced when all the other engine work was done. That was only 2000 miles ago. It was a Lotus dealer that carried out the work.

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