Track alternative: Lotus 2-Eleven
 

As much as I love the 6Gt3 and the 2011 RS, my slippery slope is now toward a dedicated track car. I would most of all like to get back to a true lightweight sports racer and I am most focused on the Lotus 2-eleven. In the 1400-1600 lb range, with 250 HP. So, essentially half the weight and power of the GT3 RS, with a purer driving experience made for the track, and consummables that are probably 1/3 the cost.

On shorter tracks it will probably eat GT3's.

So depending on what happens, my RS might be for sale soon. It has 3200 miles and a fresh set of MPSC's. Stay tuned.

Center seat conversion ftw
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...3/9d3f6c18.jpg

Take a look at this one. Hayes has several others also.

http://www.wirewheel.com/2001-LOTUS-...RT-Silver.html

Peter

are these legal in the US?

I have seen them at the Ring (impressive) I did not know they were available here ...

Sweet! But I would leave in both seats for now in case I wanted a coach along.

Nice site, thanks for that.

Larry they are not street legal here in the US, but were sold new if buyer signed waiver stating they would only be track-driven.

The consumables are much lower than a Porsche which is a very big appeal of the Loti.

The 211's are extremely quick around the track and certainly worth considering for a dedicated track car.

good, fun track car. not as quick as radical, but much cheaper to run.
new-ish gt4 version has seq gearbox and beefier cage.

There's a guy here that runs one, I chase him around a lot when I'm slumming it in the participant run groups. It's a bit gutless past 120mph so I eat him up at the fast tracks, but it's hell to match his speeds through the tight corners. One thing's for sure, he can barely fit his grin into the car. It's a tempting track toy, for sure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr6EUyeA2A0#t=4m8s

Did you check out the Exige 260 Cup?

i've driven the exige cup 260. a lot of hype there in that the spec sheet reads well...
didn't like it at all; too much dive, pitch and roll, in other words, very soft.
unstable at high speeds, gearbox/clutch soft and mushy. cabin claustrophobic and zero vision out to the rear. the 2 eleven was MUCH more focussed. great visibility and very easy to modulate/rotate. great under brakes and very visceral. radical is almost 10 seconds faster on a 4km circuit.
exige/elise are pointless to me. the porsche alternatives are infinitely better.
the 2 eleven is a good, simple, uncomplicated fun machine that does it's single (track fun) purpose very well, without the serious commitment needed for a cup or radical.

The 211 was only 1 second faster around Big Willow vs. the 260 Cup. See here: http://www.lotuscupusa.us/images/upl...D1_Results.pdf

You can adjust the suspension/sways, etc. on the 260 Cup. So I suspect the car can be setup to handle tighter. But I do agree with your assessment of the cabin... very claustrophobic. I can see the appeal of the Elise as a street car (not track), as it is very fun to drive. I was going to be get one, but ended up with the Boxster Spyder for various and obvious reasons.

you made the right choice. the 'fun-ness' of an elise is a novelty that would fade pretty quick i reckon.
i was totally in love with the cup 260 until i drove it on the track. i walked away and never looked at it again.
maybe it was set-up wrong, or something, but the worst thing was not being able to see out of it when you on track with radicals and scuds. as you know, they 'arrive' outta thin air.

I agree about Elise....I had one a few years back...very tight and not good enough for track. Boxster Spyder a much better choice!

Thank you guys!

Ron. I say do it. The 211 sounds like a fun track toy with minimal operating and running costs. I personally have never driven one on a a track. Have you looked into GT3 Cups?

lighter and no windshield is ALWAYS more fun. they're like a Spec Racer Ford on meth. I'd love to drive a 2-11