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I owned a 2005 Elise when they first came out (and had a supercharged S2000 at the time as well) My Elise was the base model - no power windows, cloth insert seats. It was fantastic car. The Toyota power plant was stout and with a "Stage 2" exhaust from lotus it burbled and popped and sounded great. The drawbacks are well documented on lotus forums if you want to dig deeper but the AC was... under powered, the clamshell was easily cracked on a curb or steep driveway, and the stock sound system was awful, if not easily and inexpensively upgraded (i did a full replacement in an afternoon.)
The driving dynamics are a few levels better than the s2000 and it never felt slow but I recall thinking it could use another 50+ hp. I think you're right to want a SC Elise. Would also look at the Exige. The 2006s came with the same engine as the Elise but stiffer everything and can be easily upgraded with turbo/supercharger and be dead reliable. 2007+ came supercharged from Lotus and command a bit more of a premium. They also look incredible IMHO. They do attract a good deal more attention than the S2K. When I had the car in college, that was ok, but may or may not be something you're into now.
I owned a 2005 Elise when they first came out (and had a supercharged S2000 at the time as well) My Elise was the base model - no power windows, cloth insert seats. It was fantastic car. The Toyota power plant was stout and with a "Stage 2" exhaust from lotus it burbled and popped and sounded great. The drawbacks are well documented on lotus forums if you want to dig deeper but the AC was... under powered, the clamshell was easily cracked on a curb or steep driveway, and the stock sound system was awful, if not easily and inexpensively upgraded (i did a full replacement in an afternoon.)
The driving dynamics are a few levels better than the s2000 and it never felt slow but I recall thinking it could use another 50+ hp. I think you're right to want a SC Elise. Would also look at the Exige. The 2006s came with the same engine as the Elise but stiffer everything and can be easily upgraded with turbo/supercharger and be dead reliable. 2007+ came supercharged from Lotus and command a bit more of a premium. They also look incredible IMHO. They do attract a good deal more attention than the S2K. When I had the car in college, that was ok, but may or may not be something you're into now.
Tracked an Exige S for awhile. Currently looking to get back into one.
Can't beat it for short or small momentum tracks. Lacking on top speed at big tracks like CoTA. But otherwise lots of fun and cheap consumables. Just don't damage the clam and it'll be pretty cheap to run.
I had an 06 with w/aftermarket S/C kit. Fun car, but expensive if you have an off and damage some body panels. Even with the blower it doesn't have much power above 80 mph. Car doesn't turn very well without more negative camber, lots of push. The shifter is awful, very sloppy. If you have a GT3, you won't be amused with an Elise/Exige.
Just sold my 2019 Elise Cup 250. Is a shame you can’t get the more recent cars in the US as the gearbox is now a masterpiece and the extra power/aero make the car very capable. Tried to bring mine back from the UK but Uncle Sam hates fun.
I currently have an s2000 as my dedicated track car, and I'm pondering an Elise supercharged or NA.
Has anyone owned one?
I had a 2005 Elise and a 2008 Exige S240. For cruising, that 2005 Elise was more than enough for fun with the top down.
The 2008 Exige S240 was fun and zippy, but not sure how they got to their claimed 4.0 seconds 0-60 number when testing it unless they were abusing the hell out of the gears. The car never seemed to get close to the Lotus claims...
Next car after the Exige was a 2011 Nissan GT-R, which was like driving a giant tank in comparison.
Very much happy now with my current stable (997.2 GT3 RS; 2018 Jeep Trackhawk;2020 BMW Z4 M40i).
Speaking of which, maybe check out the Z4 M40i while you're looking at Roadster type vehicles.
It seemed like a super bargain to me considering the price of a comparable Boxster S and above ($25K+ for similar options, and the Boxster is still slower!). Likewise, a lot of overhead on the Z4 M40i for mods (not much overhead on the Boxster at all--They pretty much maxed out the 4-cylinder), and most of the Supra parts fit it since the cars share so much DNA. BUT, if you must have manual, then you're out of luck. The paddle shifters on the Z4 M40i do work exceptionally well, enough so that it slaked my thirst for the 458 spider I had previously and was missing, but it isn't traditional stick manual.
I had a Exige S a few years back. Really fun, drives like few other cars out there. You feel the lightness, the manual rack is incredibly direct while steering is light, quick (above parking speeds obviously). The chassis feedback is one of the few modern cars you can accurately liken to a go kart -- very different than a GT3 or any 911. There isn't this overt sensation of cornering traction but its still very confidence inspiring and satisfying in a different way. Agree with the others the car is quick not fast and runs out of beans up top. But for canyon runs its a unique, special drive. I do miss mine.
Shifter is out of a celica IIRC and quite sloppy with little feel but shifts easily and companies like sector 111 have simple fixes to tighten up the action. Clutch pedal is very light typical of a japanese manual but easy to modulate.
Annoyances are a) zero rearward visibility (in the exige at least; there is an intercooler fully blocking the rear window -- laughably there is still a rear view mirror); b) its a british car made in a shed and accordingly needs fixes out of the box (radiator plastic end caps are a common failure point and at the track oil starvation issues -- both have fairly robust aftermarket fixes) and c) there are literally no bumpers so the cost / of a proper fix even in a 10mph collision can be literally over 50% of the value of the car (ask me how I know). Assuming you can even find the parts. Frankly, the last one would probably dissuade me from considering it as a car that will see anything more than the occasional track day.
Well .. I bought an Elise with an aftermarket m62 supercharger. First track day was amazing. I have an RX7 race car, a SC Miata race car, and neither feels as light or nimble.
With the exhaust, tune, and supercharger this Elise pulls solid to 120mph. I haven't pushed it passed that. I'm betting it's a 4s 0-60 and 13s qtr. I'm taking it out today to run some numbers using VBOX. I'll post if I can get a launch with a crazy clutch dump.
I'm happy with the decision. The only "however" is this is really a one trick pony car. Track and energetic drives. My Porsche's are definitely an easy daily or track car. For me...Nothing is as comfortable as a Porsche seat for long drives.
I chose the Elise, bc I wanted a lightweight, reliable (cheap) engine, and plenty of upgrades with a reasonable cost.
Thanks for your input. Oh.. yes... I worry about clam damage.
06-24-2020, 06:39 PM
