The Ultimate Lotus

[mPWRD]

Lotus Exige S 260

 

[JCE]

that car has only one flaw.. the gearbox. You know what I'm talking about, right?

No, actually I don't. I don't know anything specific about them since I've only seen ONE in person ever.

 

[Tornado]

No, actually I don't.

Think shrapnel. The Esprit V8 was originally rumored to have 500 horsepower, and they had to lower it down to 350 because of gearbox issues.
Also, if it had a PRV engine in it, it likely was connected to the UN1 (or some variation of it) tranny at one point. Of course, this essentially means that it was hooked up to many of the most awesome cars ever made.
Wanna know why Esprit V8 swaps are so common in DeLoreans? That's why.

 

[Leonidae]

And then there's the Renault gearbox that stabs you in the back as soon as possible..

 

[CamryFan]

Didn't 5th gear ages and ages and ages ago try to get an Esprit up to 200 mph and kept being defeated by a gearbox?

anyway the Esprit has my vote then probably the Exige S.

 

[C-ZETA]

Lotus XI Le Mans

Ah, yes, the Lotus XI Le Mans. Simply THE definition of fast. Don't mean to break it to ya, but it looks too ugly to be the ultimate for me though...

 

[exigeracer]

Oh, I wish I could partake in this thread, but I'm away from home and don't have time to write anything thoughtful.

And BTW, I'm seriously happy to see at least one person nominate the XI. I would've.

 

[CyborgGT]

The standard, no-nonsense road Elise, of course! Great looks (in any color, might I add), even greater performance, and it's relatively cheap. The Elise defines Lotus, in my opinion.

 

[911~Lad]

5. Looks good in any color...check.

Its really an easy decision for me.

What about a dark green or a dark yellow?

Also, CyborgGT is right.

 

[Clark]

After the Seven, this is the ultimate Lotus. The Elite.

And the ultimate F1 Lotus? The 49.

 

[Clark]

Lotus 77. It was near unbeatable.

Lotus 72. It was unbeatable.

 

[mPWRD]

Or did I mention the Elise GT1?

Edit: Repost. My bad. Look at the second post.

 

[slowman]

^^^ Nope, I did in the second post.

And I used that picture as well. It will eventually load too many times and it'll stop hotlinking like it did to me.

 

[exigeracer]

I've gotta finally drop in here and put up some support for my preferred Lotus, and road car in general, the Lotus Exige S1.

It really embodies so much of the company that I couldn't go with much else. It's light as heck, looks the part, has considerable racing potential, has none of the frills, roadability, trackability etc. It also speaks to Chapman's motorsport progression, how they're taking an existing proven technique and tweaking it to make it something that much more unique. The base S1 Elise, and even the S2 Elise, are both very pure forms of motoring enjoyment, but the S1 Exige is just wrapped in a package of pure badass.

 

[Leonidae]

^amen.

 

[a112]

I always liked them all,but the seven and

 

[homeforsummer]

Where did you find that photo?

I ask because I took it

EDIT: My photobucket, that's where you found it I must have posted it somewhere else in this forum...

 

[EA11R]

The standard, no-nonsense road Elise, of course! Great looks (in any color, might I add), even greater performance, and it's relatively cheap. The Elise defines Lotus, in my opinion.

Yes, that's the one I keep coming back to. The fact that it manages to remain so lightweight in modern times is just amazing, and the Toyota engine is relible as hell, assuming the oil-pump issue is solved. The Lotus Seven is just too scary for my tastes, the Esprit is way too big, and the mk1 Elise just lacks the sexy factor. I'd put the Lotus Elan in second, followed by that other Lotus Elan in third. I don't think the actual speed is the point of a Lotus, it's just how fun and eclectic the car is that matters. And frankly, the FF Elan has so little reason to exist, it absolutely must be awesome. I mean, an overweight Lotus without a V8?

By the way: I know you could've found a better picture than that. That definitely understates the Elise's insect-esque style.

 

[RedTransAm]

What about this one?

 

[Hyst]

'ZOMG'.

 

[a112]

Where did you find that photo?

I ask because I took it

EDIT: My photobucket, that's where you found it I must have posted it somewhere else in this forum...

Found it somewhere on gtp,the photo is pure awesomeness,next to yellow ginetta!