Super charged Elise

[RonnieMack]

Parked the Maser next to a white super charged Elise today whilst picking up some bits and bobs in town. Always best to park next to an enthusiast vehicle I think, lessens the chance of any "Dings" and all the hassle of the subsequent murder trial! As I was admiring the Elise ,the owner came back and after a few minutes of car talk he offered to go for a blast in the Lotus. The cars grip was staggering and the acceleration was seamless right up to ###mph! The Maser felt like an artic after being in theLotus.
Great car and a top bloke.
Cheers
Ronnie

 

[GransportFan1]

Did it have a Civic Type R engine in it with a supercharger??

 

[RonnieMack]

You know your cars Adam! Yes it was that one and it was much more civilised than I expected. It had the uprated sports exhaust on it which only really made itself known in the higher revs and boy did it go ! Travelling at a steady 70mph was not a problem and with no droning or booming at all.
Great fun!
Regards
Ronnie

 

[GransportFan1]

A few owners have put the Supercharged Honda engines in them, the conversion is very expensive though but bloody mentally fast, like you say they rev very high, 9k rpm red line i believe.

 

[Andyk]

Ronnie was it an early car or a Toyota engined car...Lotus make a Toyota supercharged Elise.......Called the SC......Sounds like it was one of those....But Adam is right some Rover engined cars have been Hondafied and if it was one of those it is also as mad as a box of frogs.........................The Toyota supercharged engine is amazing in the little Elise......you're right it would show a 4200 a clean set of heals..........

 

[GransportFan1]

I think on a fast road, an Exige/Elise is capable of beating quite a few cars which cost quite a bit more.

 

[Andyk]

Yep, they sure are Adam.......Great cars, cheap to run and not that much to buy....for the performance you get...

 

[RonnieMack]

Sorry chaps, it's been a manic day and I've just got back to this thread.
It was indeed a Toyota engined SC Elise and through the corners it's just untouchable. I reckon from 100mph upwards though we'd have him. I was just really surprised at how good the ride was at normal speeds.
Cheers
Ronnie

 

[Parisien]

I think on a fast road, an Exige/Elise is capable of beating quite a few cars which cost quite a bit more.

Yeah...but...yeah but.......hardly comparing like with like.............


P

 

[RonnieMack]

For sure P.... both brilliant cars just in different ways. A surprisingly large boot in the Elise... but I'm not trying to make the case for it being practical, honest!!

 

[GransportFan1]

They are totally different cars and i would never compare a Lotus to a Maserati. Thats like comparing the C63 with M3, the C63 is the far superior car.


Had to slip that one in

 

[Dan!]

My Elise was my daily driver for the first couple of years, surprisingly practical.

IMHO super charging and Honda'ing an S1 Elise ruins it. Yes, it's a phenomenally quick car, but the weird thing is that it's no longer as enjoyable day-to-day.
Of the many things I love about mine is that you can redline it in every gear to third and still be pretty much under the speed limit, whack a SC Honda in it and you're breaking the speed limit at 8,000 rpm in 2nd and in less than 4 seconds.

 

[Dan!]

I think on a fast road, an Exige/Elise is capable of beating quite a few cars which cost quite a bit more.

All depends on the squishy bit behind the steering wheel.
I don't really like pushing too ******* the public road (losing your license by totting up and being in a head on crash as a child does that to you) and have been unable to lose a Mini Cooper S before now, yet on an airfield track I've lapped 2 secs quicker than SC Exiges. Often faster road driving can be put down to the driver taking bigger risks rather than car ability or talent.

 

[GransportFan1]

very valid point there Dan, driving quick on a by pass does not require any skill just stupidity, it is being able to brake late and exit a corner at a fast speed which requires the skill and also knowing the cars limits.

 

[Andyk]

Sorry chaps, it's been a manic day and I've just got back to this thread.
It was indeed a Toyota engined SC Elise and through the corners it's just untouchable. I reckon from 100mph upwards though we'd have him. I was just really surprised at how good the ride was at normal speeds.
Cheers
Ronnie

Ronnie, you're dead right....In normal driving conditions on the road the Elise SC is breath taking......Once you get into double figures and nive V8 would start reeling it in...

 

[Andyk]

Yeah...but...yeah but.......hardly comparing like with like.............


P

Yep, def not a like for like car Frank...But inevitably we will compare cars from different classes....It's what we do......Saying that I went from a Mrk2 Exige to a 3200........

 

[Andyk]

My Elise was my daily driver for the first couple of years, surprisingly practical.

IMHO super charging and Honda'ing an S1 Elise ruins it. Yes, it's a phenomenally quick car, but the weird thing is that it's no longer as enjoyable day-to-day.
Of the many things I love about mine is that you can redline it in every gear to third and still be pretty much under the speed limit, whack a SC Honda in it and you're breaking the speed limit at 8,000 rpm in 2nd and in less than 4 seconds.

Dan agree....most of the time its the person at the wheel not the car itself.....You can have the fastest car on the planet but if you are a ham fisted oath then it doesn't matter you will always be aham fisted oath...

 

[RonnieMack]

My Elise was my daily driver for the first couple of years, surprisingly practical.

Respect due to you Dan, what was the biggest hassle using it as a daily driver? I'm guessing that it's probably the acrobatic prowess required to get in and out of it each time!
If we did go for one it would be a 3rd car so I could most likely live with the contortions when I went to use it.
Cheers
Ronnie

 

[Dan!]

Respect due to you Dan, what was the biggest hassle using it as a daily driver? I'm guessing that it's probably the acrobatic prowess required to get in and out of it each time!
If we did go for one it would be a 3rd car so I could most likely live with the contortions when I went to use it.
Cheers
Ronnie

To be honest, the biggest hassle wasn't the getting in and out, that's quite easy after doing it a few hundred times...
The reason it became a second car was because we got our dogs and they kept falling off the back so I had to buy an estate car

Once the other car was on the scene it was just out of ease that I'd jump in the beemer instead of the Lotus. However, I did fall out of love with it a couple of times during the daily driver phase. This was largely due to it living outside though, as it was a regular occurrence to have to drive to work sat in a puddle after a stormy night, ice on the inside of the windscreen, a heater fan with as much blow as an asthmatic ant, etc. It's now much more of an event to drive it and I enjoy it more as a result. I'm looking forward to the drive to Llandow tomorrow night almost as much has the track day itself. Horses for courses nowadays though.