HELP! Please post pics of Autoexpress spyphotos
Discussion
HI,
Would someone please take pity on a poor yank in the wilds of Georgia to post the rear end pics which came out in the AUTOEXPRESS this week. It apparently shows the Elise with exhaust configurations out the bottom of the diffuser.
If you'd rather email them directly my addy is:
zvezdah1@knology.net
Thanks
Chris
Would someone please take pity on a poor yank in the wilds of Georgia to post the rear end pics which came out in the AUTOEXPRESS this week. It apparently shows the Elise with exhaust configurations out the bottom of the diffuser.
If you'd rather email them directly my addy is:
zvezdah1@knology.net
Thanks
Chris
You are not missing much, just shows a diffuser and a slightly different exhaust configuration (can't even remember what it was so it could'nt have been that great). As usual a car manufacturer is being swayed by the people who hold the purse strings, just build what the bloody people want and it will sell like hot cakes. 250bhp, no turbos or superchargers, just grunt and plenty of it.
Toyota Power For New Elise
Some say that all the best stuff comes from America, but we've never had to thank the USA for a Lotus before. Exclusive spy shots in the current issue of Auto Expresss magazine confirm what we suggested back in issue 733 - the firm has shoe-horned a 190bhp Toyota engine into the Elise.
Tell-tale signs on this development car are mostly at the back, where blanking plates cover the standard model's pipe outlets, and a centre-mounted exhaust has appeared. The wheels also give the game away, with five-stud rear alloys borrowed from the VX220 Turbo, suggesting that the Vauxhall's beefier suspension has been adopted. The eight-spoke fronts are taken from the 111S, which forms this prototype's underpinnings.
So what's the American link? The Elise is to use a 2.2-litre VVTi Toyota engine and gearbox so it can be exported to the States without the need for expensive emissions tests. The powerplant is already on sale in America in the Camry. Lotus bosses are keen to return to the US market as soon as possible, since their only export - the Esprit - has been discontinued.
Of course, the Japanese-engined Elise will also go on sale in the UK, alongside the existing K-Series unit. However, it is likely to replace the track day-inspired Sport 190, which is peaky and impractical in daily motoring. The new model will also let Lotus catch up with Vauxhall's VX220 Turbo, which has raised the standard for stripped-out high-performance roadsters.
The engine was one of a number considered for the Elise. It was chosen over a larger 2.5-litre V6 Rover unit and Honda's 2.0 VTEC from the S2000, because these were seen as too expensive, big and heavy for the job. If the new Toyota-derived model is a success, the running gear is likely to be adopted across the range when a new Elise is launched in 2005. A concept which will reveal the replacement's styling is expected at next year's Geneva Motor Show.
Chris Thorp / Auto Express 27.05.2003
Some say that all the best stuff comes from America, but we've never had to thank the USA for a Lotus before. Exclusive spy shots in the current issue of Auto Expresss magazine confirm what we suggested back in issue 733 - the firm has shoe-horned a 190bhp Toyota engine into the Elise.
Tell-tale signs on this development car are mostly at the back, where blanking plates cover the standard model's pipe outlets, and a centre-mounted exhaust has appeared. The wheels also give the game away, with five-stud rear alloys borrowed from the VX220 Turbo, suggesting that the Vauxhall's beefier suspension has been adopted. The eight-spoke fronts are taken from the 111S, which forms this prototype's underpinnings.
So what's the American link? The Elise is to use a 2.2-litre VVTi Toyota engine and gearbox so it can be exported to the States without the need for expensive emissions tests. The powerplant is already on sale in America in the Camry. Lotus bosses are keen to return to the US market as soon as possible, since their only export - the Esprit - has been discontinued.
Of course, the Japanese-engined Elise will also go on sale in the UK, alongside the existing K-Series unit. However, it is likely to replace the track day-inspired Sport 190, which is peaky and impractical in daily motoring. The new model will also let Lotus catch up with Vauxhall's VX220 Turbo, which has raised the standard for stripped-out high-performance roadsters.
The engine was one of a number considered for the Elise. It was chosen over a larger 2.5-litre V6 Rover unit and Honda's 2.0 VTEC from the S2000, because these were seen as too expensive, big and heavy for the job. If the new Toyota-derived model is a success, the running gear is likely to be adopted across the range when a new Elise is launched in 2005. A concept which will reveal the replacement's styling is expected at next year's Geneva Motor Show.
Chris Thorp / Auto Express 27.05.2003
Gassing Station | Elise/Exige/Europa/340R | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff