JW Hubbers

Opinions differ

I know some people who've driven them a lot longer than 1 hour, and still love them They do most of their driving on a track, though.

Cheers,

JW

Arjan B.

I ment to say that the difference between the 964 and a Elise is too big. You can not compare those two car. The Elise is Toy or a fun car, whatever you like. The Elise drives fantastic, same as the Opel Speedster, but it's not a everyday car as a 964 is. Nothing wrong to the Elise concept, but it's not MY car.....

JW Hubbers

Yup, they are certainly two very different cars. A 964 may be much better from a creature comfort perspective, but I guess a Speedster would be a lot cheaper per driven kilometer.

A friend of mine crashed his 968CS recently, and he replaced it with a Speedster. It'll be interesting to see how he gets on with it. First reports (after a couple of dozen laps of the Ring) are very enthusiastic

Cheers,

JW

Arjan B.

I drove a lot in our 'DEMO' Speedster in the Company. Like a GO-Kart, really nice, but no comfort here. Car still not sold after 3 years, still licenced in the showroom with 13000 km's.......

I guess a Speedster Turbo would sell better.

Tell your friend JW, body parts are far more expensive the Porsche Body parts.....
We had one in for accident repair a few weeks ago, hit a lantern, 8000 Euro (9600 US$] damage......

warmfuzzies

Joey,

I think the tail out issue was in accordance with some lunatic wanting to make the newer Elise a safer car to drive, I remember Top Gear doing a track article on one, when the lotus boys were asked they stated a change in front tyre width would soon put the handling back to normal....

kevin

joey bagadonuts

I hate that!!! It's too bad you can't run a business without attorneys and accountants--they really sap all the soul out of these cars.

Here's another interesting point (IMHO ). If the Elise's specs were applied to a 3,000-lb car, maintaining the same power to weight ratio would require roughly: 285 bhp and 199.5 lb ft. Since Greg's TT EASILY exceeds these numbers, I doubt he'll be impressed.

I stand by my earlier recommendation: GT3 or bust!

tonytaylor

To be fair the Elise was never about big power but light weight. Which do you think will stop and corner faster?

The Elise makes anyone look like a driving god and great fun. Make more sense in the UK with it's twisty B roads than on the wide open roads of USA.

joey bagadonuts

I guess that's what makes the 964 so compelling ... a nice blend of handling AND power. I will concede that the Elise wins the cornering/braking competition but the overall victor is not as clear cut.

C4TT

Brilliant!
No I'm sure Stefanie would have been laughing at the Elise. There is something about a small car that strips away the masculine feel of it. The Porsche is clearly a "man's" car.

It's not about power either... If it were, I could only consider the Ferrari Enzo and a very few others, because there is nothing out there that makes the same power reliably.

I must say that I drover her again after 2 weeks of being away... The power is simply orgasmic in nature... 3rd gear makes you grit your teeth, just to keep the rest of your head off the headrest!!

Bottom line is... There really is no substitute!

I am willing to sacrifice power for some balance and reliability. I would like to drive across the US, and not be worried about this that and the other...

Maybe a 996 or 993 Carrera or even a newer M3... Slow but reliable!

Ruairidh

Is your concern that the mods to your car make it more likely to break down?

I've done 5 trips in my car of between 750-1250miles. It is one of the joys of owning a 964 for me.

C4TT

It's more about fearing the issues.
When you have a motor with twin plugs, twin fuel pumps, and twin turbos, you invite more potential issues. I am also a VERY paranoid owner.
The guys who built the car think I am a sissy about it.. They say it will last for a long while..

I would love to bring her to the canyons!!!

joey bagadonuts

Wow, Greg, it doesn't even sound like you were tempted. So what were your impressions? Too stiff? Too loud? Too small? Too windy? All of the above? How did you find the finish and workmanship? Any noteworthy attributes?

BTW, I think an Enzo might get you another look from Stef, so at least you've got a good back up plan.

C4TT

The dealer actually gets them in a few weeks. The fellow who sold me my car is a Lotus dealer. He actually made me take the chief designer for Lotus for a hell ride in my car!! So I did! The chap got out of my car after the ride a little dazed and said: "It certainly has some kick!"

As soon as I drive it, I will comment.

JoeW

Here's somebody who liked it, but I think he's not really comparing it to a 964 and he does imply that there's some understeer, but it doesn't seem to have kept him from sticking the tail out when he wanted .... perhaps nothing more then than the understeer we're all used to "adjusting" w/ our setups. Joe W.

C4TT

Great article! Thanks so much! I am quite excited at the notion of driving one now. I recall sitting in one saying to myself I "needed one".
The seating, the short shifter, the tiny steering wheel all felt perfect. It felt like a little McLaren!