[/QUOTE]
2002 Corvette vs . 2006 Lotus
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
Thanks for the nice words guys 
Would I recommend a Lotus over a Z06? Of course not, I'd miss the torque too much and if I had to keep one I'd keep the Z. However, I can't think of anything better than an Elise/Exige to have in addition to a Vette. Both are extremely different, but just as fun.
If you live in an area that's hilly with a lot of curvy roads, nothing's more of a blast than taking the top off of the Elise and blasting the car around corners. The comfort and practicality are much better than most think and mine has been perfectly reliable for 17k miles. Much of the reliability and low (relative) maintenance cost is due to sourcing the 1.8L motor from Toyota.
Here's another pic I took:
Would I recommend a Lotus over a Z06? Of course not, I'd miss the torque too much and if I had to keep one I'd keep the Z. However, I can't think of anything better than an Elise/Exige to have in addition to a Vette. Both are extremely different, but just as fun.
If you live in an area that's hilly with a lot of curvy roads, nothing's more of a blast than taking the top off of the Elise and blasting the car around corners. The comfort and practicality are much better than most think and mine has been perfectly reliable for 17k miles. Much of the reliability and low (relative) maintenance cost is due to sourcing the 1.8L motor from Toyota.
Here's another pic I took:
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,243
Likes: 5
From: Loveland CO
Lol a stunningly HUGE pain in the *** to get in and out of 
friend of mine had a '05 Elise. Fun car but not easy for a lenthy person to get in and out of.. I will say the elise does handle VERY well but, will have trouble hanging with a C5 or Z.
Fun car, he sold it after 13 days to get another vette.....
friend of mine had a '05 Elise. Fun car but not easy for a lenthy person to get in and out of.. I will say the elise does handle VERY well but, will have trouble hanging with a C5 or Z.Fun car, he sold it after 13 days to get another vette.....
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 992
Likes: 3
From: Chesterfield Michigan
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 755
Likes: 3
From: Houston Texas
I'm sure I would find some pleasure in driving that Lotus, but it is definitely not a car I covet and I don't ever want to own one. Lease for a weekend, sure.
Last edited by Texan1Z06; Jun 24, 2010 at 09:59 PM.
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
Doesn't quite feel like a real car, doesn't feel like a motorcycle...feels like something in between. That's exactly why I like it That's funny about the Exige owner. Certain Lotus owners don't understand how fast a Corvette is, he should have known better
. If he tries to drag race any '97+ Vette he's going to beat, and badly on the top end.Lol a stunningly HUGE pain in the *** to get in and out of friend of mine had a '05 Elise. Fun car but not easy for a lenthy person to get in and out of.. I will say the elise does handle VERY well but, will have trouble hanging with a C5 or Z.
Fun car, he sold it after 13 days to get another vette.....
friend of mine had a '05 Elise. Fun car but not easy for a lenthy person to get in and out of.. I will say the elise does handle VERY well but, will have trouble hanging with a C5 or Z.Fun car, he sold it after 13 days to get another vette.....
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2,583
Likes: 415
From: Erwin, NC
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 11,060
Likes: 291
From: Pasco WA
Maybe it's just me, but the later model Loti look like kit cars. Every time I see one on the street it's that color orange, too. You are very right when you say that Lotus owners don't know about the performance difference between their cars, and C5s. When I talked to a Exige owner at a car show, he truly believed his car was faster than my Z06. I let him hold on to his delusion, because he got all his information from Car and Driver magazine. The only Lotus I really liked to look at was that wedge-shaped one they made a few years ago (Esprit?) that had a small V8, I think. Very cool car, but alot of $$ for the performance level. The analogy of the WW2 fighter plane; a Mitsubishi Zero was spot on. It took a much heavier, and much more powerful opponent to defeat it. (F6 Hellcat)
The only Lotus I really liked to look at was that wedge-shaped one they made a few years ago (Esprit?) that had a small V8, I think. Very cool car, but alot of $$ for the performance level. The analogy of the WW2 fighter plane; a Mitsubishi Zero was spot on. It took a much heavier, and much more powerful opponent to defeat it. (F6 Hellcat)
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 19,304
Likes: 85
From: San Diego CA
The bottom line when it comes to which "tool" is best is the type of road you are driving on. On tight, curvy roads, power doesn't mean much. I got blown away on such a road by an MX5, so when someone says their car is "faster", I ask "on what type of road/track?".
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
Maybe it's just me, but the later model Loti look like kit cars. Every time I see one on the street it's that color orange, too. You are very right when you say that Lotus owners don't know about the performance difference between their cars, and C5s. When I talked to a Exige owner at a car show, he truly believed his car was faster than my Z06. I let him hold on to his delusion, because he got all his information from Car and Driver magazine. The only Lotus I really liked to look at was that wedge-shaped one they made a few years ago (Esprit?) that had a small V8, I think. Very cool car, but alot of $$ for the performance level. The analogy of the WW2 fighter plane; a Mitsubishi Zero was spot on. It took a much heavier, and much more powerful opponent to defeat it. (F6 Hellcat)
The only Lotus I really liked to look at was that wedge-shaped one they made a few years ago (Esprit?) that had a small V8, I think. Very cool car, but alot of $$ for the performance level. The analogy of the WW2 fighter plane; a Mitsubishi Zero was spot on. It took a much heavier, and much more powerful opponent to defeat it. (F6 Hellcat)The modern day Lotus models feel different (in a good way) and look much different than any other car. That's a big part of what makes these cars extremely appealing to their market.
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
Excellent point. On a straight highway my Z06 is going to run away from my Lotus. However, there's a tight curvy road by the river near me where my Elise Sport is faster than my Z. It all depends where you are.
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,437
Likes: 5
just saw the new Lotus Evora on Motorweek. 75k for a car that has a Toyota V6, 0-60 in 5 sec, useless backseat and trunk??? Really 
When you consider the kind of cars you can choose from at that price point it's really mind boggling that anyone would buy one of these.
When you consider the kind of cars you can choose from at that price point it's really mind boggling that anyone would buy one of these.
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
A much faster SC version is already in the works.
