GTP Cool Wall: 2006-2008 Elfin MS8 Streamliner

[Snikle]

Poll 1254: 2006-2010 Elfin MS8 Streamliner nominated by @Murcie_LP640

Body Style: 2-door, 2-seat roadster
Engine: LS1/Gen III 5.7L V8
Power: 330hp
Torque: 343lb-ft
Weight: 1090kg
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Drivetrain: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Country: Australia
Additional Information: Debuting at the 2004 Melbourne International Motor Show, the Elfin MS8 Streamliner and its stripper brethren the MS8 Clubman were hotly anticipated sports cars backed by the legendary Tom Walkinshaw, and designed in collaboration with Holden's Mike Simcoe. They took the "big engine, little car" brief to the extreme - the Streamliner was only 3.5 metres long, only slightly longer than a Daihatsu Copen.

18 months after their debut Elfin had finally managed to make these vehicles a reality by gaining Australian Design Rules legislation, but between the Global Financial Crisis and Walkinshaw tragically passing away in 2010 not much came of them, and no one even knows how many were made in the time period.

Spoiler: Additional Pictures

 

[Snikle]

The looks were kinda making me lean towards a "meh" vote, but it sounds like too much fun to drive for that. Cool from me.

 

[TheCracker]

From some angles it looks pretty good, but those looks are mostly spoiled by those off-the-shelf kitcar details (lights specifically).

if i recall correctly the period road tests were not kind to it. The on-paper spec of a Caterham/Lotus 7 style chassis with a big V8 and a fully enclosed body sounds perfect but the early cars (was there ever anything other than early cars?) had a slow steering rack that meant that catching the tail when it lost traction - which with that much power and a very short wheelbase is going to be frequently - it was very hard to catch. A fun idea in concept that's let down by reality. Uncool.

 

[TexRex]

Meh.

Styling is awkward enough, let alone compared to that of early Elfin Streamliners. I prefer the MS8 Clubman, but I like the T5 Clubman even more than that.

I was surprised to see this under New Posts.

 

[Centroid]

Not a very well resolved design, uncool.

 

[ZGBox]

I love the idea, but the styling is a bit too kit car-ish.
Meh

 

[Adamgp]

Probably fun to drive, shame about the looks.

Meh.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

LS the universe

 

[EngieDiesel]

Like others have said, it's a fine idea that unfortunately didn't have the chance to get the refinements it needed to really come together. I'd like to say Cool just for the concept, but it's just too unfinished looking. So Meh it is.