h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It is said by many to be the best driver's car you can buy today and although I've not driven every other car in the world, I have no difficulty believing it of my fabulous Elise.

With the Elise, Lotus returned to their roots (after a decade or so in the wilderness) with a pure and simple sports car which remains true to Colin Chapman's (Lotus's founder) principals of performance through lightness, achieved with ingenious and frugal design (he often said that there isn't any component in a Lotus which isn't doing at least 2 jobs). This mid-engined, two-seater convertible is unanimously acknowledged to be pure Lotus at its best.

The Elise doesn't boast the raw power some people expect from a performance car - in fact its relatively unexciting engine (the same 1.8 litre Rover engine featured in the slower of the two MGFs) provides a mere 120bhp. But weighing significantly less than a mini, this car can outaccelerate many more cumbersome supercars at any road-legal speed. (Massive great big engines get you impressive top speeds, but at a road-legal pace, they just make you overweight.) More importantly though it has a nimbleness that leaves Ferraris for dead, and a level of driver involvement that can make the average go-kart feel a bit remote.

What enabled Lotus to leapfrog the likes of Porsche and Ferrari in handling and practical speed (even if those might beat the basic Elise on a race track through brute force and ignorance) was their bold decision to design the first ever commercial car to be constructed by glueing together lightweight aluminium extrusions (which is how modern aircraft are built). The result is a chassis which is exceptionally light and yet ludicrously rigid. This, along with Lotus's exquisitely balanced engineering, and their legendary attention to detail on ride, handling and driver satisfaction combine to produce a car of phenomenal capability and yet relative affordability. (For the price of a Ferrari F355 you can get 4 or 5 Elises, and yet take both up any Alpine pass, and the Ferrari will end up looking like a sluggard.)

If you merely like the idea of the idea [sic] of a sports car (as opposed to *actually* liking the idea of a sports car), the Elise is not for you. If you think that the Mercedes SLK's motorised roof is great, then the Elise is not for you - its roof is undoubtedly light, but the fact that you need an allen key to put it up or down (and about 2 minutes to spare, or 45 seconds if there are 2 well-practiced people) may well put you off. If you think that omitting carpets because they're so darn heavy is obsessive, then this car is not for you. If you want to bring a suitcase, this car is probably not for you - the boot is not much larger than a crash helmet. (Actually I have occasionally travelled with a suitcase, but it occupies the whole passenger side of the car. I can also attest that it is possible for 2 people to go on a 2 week holiday in this car, with enough clothes for clean underwear and shirts every day. Packing the boot is something of an art...) If you think that not fitting a stereo (my Elise has no stereo) leaves you devoid of in-car entertainment, then this is not the car for you. (Or at the very least you have no idea what you're missing!)

But if you want a car that can turn even the dullest drive into a symphony for the senses, that can inspire you in a way that so much metal and plastic has no rightful business to, then might I suggest a trip to your local Lotus dealer?

Can I join in on the Lotus praise here?
Okay, so I haven't driven a Lotus myself, and I probably never will, but still. We all, sometimes, start thinking about what cars you would like to have if you had unlimited funds and could buy any car in the world. Most people I know almost always goes for Ferarris, Lamborghinis or Porsches when speaking of a sports car. Some even bring in the BMW in the equation. However, I have always fancied the Lotus Esprit. I don't know why, it's just always appealed to me in some strange way, even back when it was shaped like a wedge with sharp angles everywhere (like the one James Bond drives around in The Spy Who Loved Me).
'The design changes into a more smoothly edged Esprit has just enhanced its appeal to me.
A while back, Jeremy Clarkson made his return to the motor shows on television, and in the first program of the series, he talked about sports cars and mentioned the Esprit as a total sports car, which had one purpose, and one purpose only: To go fast. Well, what's the problem with that, Jeremy?

I sstill maintain my position of a Lotus Esprit to be the car I'd buy if I could buy any car in the world, no matter the cost. Maybe I'll change my mind after I actually drive one, but that is of lesser importance.

The Esprit brings you all the minimum-weight design, exceptional handling and utterly engaging driver experience one expects from Lotus (so I'm told be various people who drive them) and *also* gives you the huge great wadges of power, if that's your kind of thing. (You need something *seriously* fast to keep up with an Esprit driven round a race track by a good driver.)

Was Clarkson actually complaining, or just commenting? The single-minded focus on driveability (as opposed to practicality, reliability and other fripperies) is the unique appeal of a Lotus. (And in fact they're easier to live with than you might think - people always comment about how thin the seats are in the Elise (I understand that one's backside is about 2cm away from the *underside* of the car), but after a few minutes in the car then comment about how surprisingly comfortable it is.)

Incidentally the expensive with an Esprit is not just the asking price - the running costs are pretty frightening. It's one of the downsides of minimising weight - it does wonders for the handling and performance, but means that keeping the car in one piece is a constant battle. In fact it was Lotus who started off the whole F1 thing of cars falling to pieces during the race - Colin Chapman was often heard to say that if the car doesn't disintegrate on the victory lap of honour then it was clearly overengineered and there was scope for making it lighter still... Before then some of these cars were actually good for more than one race! An Esprit will last somewhat longer than an F1 car, but a Toyota Corolla it ain't.

You are correct that the Esprit can run away from a whole host of other cars, if driven well. I once read somewhere that an Esprit would kick a Porsche 911's butt in an acceleration contest from 0-110 kph, but only cost about half or two thirds of the Porsche.

I think that Clarkson was more commenting on the fact that it was all driveability and no practicality, and that it was just that that made the Esprit a sports car. Or was he talking super car? I can't really remember, but it really doesn't matter. What he did complain a little bit about was that it was very prone on stalling when you were at an intersection. And that is something you don't really feel like happening if you've got a super car wrapped around you, is it?

The durability of the Esprit, I can't comment on, but I can agree that it's not a Corolla or a SAAB 99.

Argh, all this talk about this car has made me want to go to Knockhill to actually get to drive an Esprit (along with a Viper, a 911 and some Ferarri).

I soooooooooooooooooooooo badly want to drive a Lotus Elise.

They are just the most gorgeous car I've ever seen, and look as if they are the ultimate fun to drive.

Green with envy!

I second that! If I could choose *any* modern production car without having to worry about practicality, running costs, etc. then the Elise would be the one.

I say "modern production car" because I'm also into kit-cars and older classics... My dad owns a Royale Sabre which we built (see the conversation entitled "Royale Sabre - a quality kit-car"), and I almost bought a beautiful 1962 Ford Classic a while back, but it turned out to be too expensive to run, maintain and insure...

Anyway, I too am very envious of any Lotus Elise drivers out there! One day....

I'm loathe to contribute a 'me too' posting to a bulletin board. But the Lotus Elise justifies it I think. I WANT ONE!

I am not fortunate enough to own an Elise but I am fortunate enough to have a friend who works for Lotus and owns an Elise.

Unfortunate he let me have a go in it and now the desire to own one hangs heavy on my shoulders. It is an amazing car and although I have never been privileged enough to drive what Clarkson would describe as a super-car. I have driven and owned an awful lot of cars and I would have to say the Elise is the most involving and enjoyable car I have driven. The steering and handling are in a class of their own.

For sure it is impractical and uncomfortable, but as sports cars go it has its good points. The 1.8 Rover engine at least lends it cheap mechanical running costs and good fuel consumption figures, it should also provide a degree of reliability. More than can be said for a TVR (although I would also be quite happy with one of those, especially the pit-bull, sorry, Tuscan)