Joust - Lotus Elise
Discussion
I think Joust sold his Elise, but there's loads of info and buying advice over in the Elise forum.
Short answer to your question is that yes, the Elise is great for track days, pretty reliable even when tracked regularly (but obviously track use will push maintenance costs up).
It handles like a dream, but coming from a Noble you might find the 118bhp version underpowered so consider spending a couple of K extra for a 111S or modified model.
Short answer to your question is that yes, the Elise is great for track days, pretty reliable even when tracked regularly (but obviously track use will push maintenance costs up).
It handles like a dream, but coming from a Noble you might find the 118bhp version underpowered so consider spending a couple of K extra for a 111S or modified model.
I don't have it any more I'm afraid - I gave it to my Dad.
As for performance / handling - think "baby Noble".
The Noble is the grown up Elise that Lotus should have made for people like me that wanted something bigger and faster.
As said above, the 118bhp gets a bit lethargic on large tracks (like the Bedford GT Circuit), but on short twisty track (or B road
) it's a blast.
J
As for performance / handling - think "baby Noble".
The Noble is the grown up Elise that Lotus should have made for people like me that wanted something bigger and faster.
As said above, the 118bhp gets a bit lethargic on large tracks (like the Bedford GT Circuit), but on short twisty track (or B road
) it's a blast. J
jeremyc said:It's less than 10k, and I reckon you'd have no problem passing Noble's on most UK circuits!
It handles like a dream, but coming from a Noble you might find the 118bhp version underpowered so consider spending a couple of K extra for a 111S or modified model.
Or £10K to get a 200bhp Honda-powered eRise from Blink Motorsport.
Maybe not quite the same outrageous acceleration above 100, but plenty to go sideways whenever you like.Danny, I think you'll find if you put the same driver in both cars the Noble would come out on top. Recently, at a sprint at North Weald, with a wet,slippery and very tight twisty track that supposedly suits the Elise, A 111R (with ABS remember)was beaten to top honours by a standard M12 GTO (not even an R). Never under estimate the Noble. Once driven, forever smitten! Martin.
A 111R is a nasty heavy thing - 100kg over the original? Certainly well over 11s to 100mph from what I recall, vs 9s for the eRise. Perhaps the Noble driver was better in that case - anyway, who knows. Certainly I haven't seen a quick Noble on a track day yet. Still - can't wait to have a go in one!
Back to the original point, yes, a 2nd hand Elise makes a fantastic value reliable combined road/track car, but a little extra power certainly doesn't go amiss.
danny
Back to the original point, yes, a 2nd hand Elise makes a fantastic value reliable combined road/track car, but a little extra power certainly doesn't go amiss.
danny
The guy driving the 111R was the motorsport elise champion, the Noble driver was Andrew Walsh, I'd guess they'd be of a similar standard.
There were several Honda K20a powered elises there as well, not sure if there was a blink one there, one was certainly a PTR conversion, didn't get a chance to have a look at the others.
The blink conversion is £10k and that is using a second hand engine, you then have to uprate suspension & brakes to cope, no way is it going to cost less than 10k as you suggest.
As for not seeing any quick Nobles on track days - I'd suggest not much will seem quick if you're in a Radical
There were several Honda K20a powered elises there as well, not sure if there was a blink one there, one was certainly a PTR conversion, didn't get a chance to have a look at the others.
The blink conversion is £10k and that is using a second hand engine, you then have to uprate suspension & brakes to cope, no way is it going to cost less than 10k as you suggest.
As for not seeing any quick Nobles on track days - I'd suggest not much will seem quick if you're in a Radical
You're right about the brakes, but the suspension is personal preference rather than required - though certainly will make quicker, not necessarily more fun.
And I didn't mean compared to the Radical! Maybe their owners are just very cautious generally - after all, a lot more expensive!
And I didn't mean compared to the Radical! Maybe their owners are just very cautious generally - after all, a lot more expensive!
KINETIC said:
Joust
I see you have a MK 1 Lotus Elise.I'm thinking of buying one for track days.
Do you like it? How does it perform? how does it handle? Is it reliable? Any advice on buiying thiese things would be helpful
Kinetic
I have a dearly beloved Elise Sport 160 with TT230bhp engine rebuild - supposed to be selling it with the recent purchase of a 3R. But can I bring myself to part company with it...? They are so much fun on the track and can embarass far more exotic machinery. On the shorter, twistier circuits, a well driven standard Elise(118bhp)will hold it's own against almost anything and is a real hoot.
Elises were built for track use - just check all the usual bits around steering and suspension for wear as well as discs and pads (especially if Pagid RS14s used)
Go for it - you won't regret it..
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