Esprit vs Noble
Evo magazine compares the Noble M12 with the Esprit - the result may surprise you!
Many people might consider the Esprit a bit long inthe tooth now. It's fashionable amongst journos to knock the interior andcriticise the gearbox limitations etc, so it comes as a breath of fresh air forthe respected Evo magazine come out in favour of the Esprit when testing itagainst the the popular Noble M12 GTO.
The M12 is a modern masterpiece and Evo make thevalid point that the Esprit may have a few shortcomings due to its vintage, butit is also a highly developed car. It was a close call and both cars are awarded4 stars but it's confirmation that the Esprit is still a benchmark car.
Link: www.evo.co.uk
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/pikeynet/stuff/typer.htm
Regards, Tim
I've certainly not heard of hundreds or elises losing it on track days, in fact quite the opposite. The Elise can be tricky in the wet due to mid-engine configuration BUT ALL mid-engine cars have the same characteristic eg Mclaren F1 can be tail happy.
The fact the Esprit has lasted so long is testiment to how good the car is. Having seen the Noble (but not had chance to drive it
![](http://www.pistonheads.com/include/images/frown.gif)
Looking at all your other posts, Tim I suspect you just have something against Lotus.
By the way I think you will find the racing Esprit to which you refer was rather far removed from the product the punters can buy.
I do own a Lotus, and I will go to the grave with it, but I use it sparingly, when the weather is nice !
regards, Tim
I agree with your comments about dealerships. The first one I had were so cr@p that I wrote to Lotus got a letter of appology and a day at Hethel and their track. (which was nice, but the dealership service didn't do Lotus any favours). The one I have now to do the service is a different kettle of fish though, expensive but excellent. I can quite readily understand people complaining about Lotus if they had a dealer and service like my first one though.
One interesting point is I haven't liked the 340r an the new Elise (M2) and they've done the same to the Esprit, in that they have made the rear end too ferrari esk for me.
Certainly my next car will be either a set-up and improved engine Elise or Exige.
Cheers
quote:
I spend a great deal of time at track days, and have never ever seen an Esprit of any description perform well.
In Autocar's anual 'Best Drivers Car' track test 1998 an Esprit V8 GT lapped Silverstone 3rd fastest out of 14 performance cars, beating the 996 Porsche, Mitsubishi Evo 5 and the Elise Sport(190bhp/Track biased Ltd edition). Only being beaten by a Caterham Superlight R and the Ferrari 550M. Can't be that bad.
quote:
I find this comment a bit odd. All the scoop bits have been unchanged since '96 haven't they?
Mike,
Absolutely correct, the front scoop is that of the Sport 350, the rear spoiler is the same as that fitted to the V8-SE for the last 3-4 years
The only external difference on the new Esprit is the rear lights which, in reality, *are* a stuck on afterthought if you think about it!
John
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