The Elise has carved a niche in most petrolheads' hearts as a well engineered
enthusiast product providing unique looks and a reputation for fine handling.
Performance through light weight was the Chapmanesque principle applied during
the design resulting in a spritely car at its elements in the twisties.
Putting your foot down in an Elise doesn't exactly unleash the dogs of hell
though. For that you need to seek help from one of the many aftermarket tuners
catering to the market. It's a busy market, with the owners of many K Series
engined cars eager to wreak more
power from the workhorse four pot..
The options range from the usual exhaust swaps and induction kits right up to
the supercharger conversions provided by Turbo Technics with all manner of kits in between.
The tuning
industry surrounding the Rover unit is a reasonably mature one resulting in
conversions that can stretch the little engine to its upper limits.
Surprisingly few European tuners have turned to transplants to give obtain
more power. Import restrictions and greater familiarity with Japanese engines
has prompted American tuners
to use the Honda VTEC powerplant though. A more modern and sophisticated unit it
has phenomenal potential. Slotted into the Elise it turns the nippy, lightweight
roadster into a car capable of delivering supercar levels of excitement.
Remember that the Elise remains one of the few genuinely lightweight cars on the
market weighing in at around 750kg. Slot in a VTEC unit from a recently
trashed Honda and you have a rather exciting power to weight ratio and
just as importantly it doesn't adversely affect the weight distribution.
And that's exactly what Blink Motorsport have done. They've taken a kit
developed in the USA and converted their first Elise using the two litre engine
from a totalled Civic Type R. I had the opportunity to
try it around Donington Park last week at a Bookatrack track day.
Accelerating out of the pit lane it's immediately obvious that you're driving
something a bit out of the ordinary. A more sonorous exhaust note accompanies the
strong acceleration (0-60 in 4.0 seconds). This converted Elise was badly in need of some fresh suspension
and smarter brakes, but to be fair it was the extra power that was highlighting
the shortcomings.
Easing my foot down it was a joy not to feel the Elise wheezing but instead
gliding up the rev range without a hint of hesitation. The needle swept up and down
the tacho as I
concentrated on my track position. Balancing the car on the throttle and I eased
myself around for a couple of laps to familiarise myself with the setup.
What stopped me hooning
it round from the off? Apart from the respect needed when getting into someone
else's car it was the six speed Honda gearbox. It's a
delicate little item which my lumbering hands struggled with. Both hands on the wheel, urging the
tough little Elise around the fast circuit I had real trouble when trying to
select a gear with the pansy-like box. No doubt it can be cured with a bit of
tweaking and tightening up it certainly marred my laps in places as I
fumbled for the right slot like a virgin with Parkinson's.
For a large part of the circuit I didn't need to change gear though. With
such a wide rev range available it's possible to keep the car balanced on the
throttle and piling on the speed in a joyous powerfest. VTEC magic winds in from
just under 6,000rpm and gives an healthy shove in the back and a distinctive
exhaust note as all hell breaks loose in the valve train.
I'm no fan of the VTEC engine for road use as keeping the engine
spinning in that magic zone isn't something that's possible very often in normal
driving. On track however it's a different story - it's
fantastic! The extra kick is very noticable as the boundary is crossed and can even get things a bit out
of shape if you edge into the zone mid bend. On the straights it was capable of
holding its own against some quite serious track day machinery too, a real testament
to the package of car and engine.
It endows the Elise with the power it so deserves - and that's just the
standard 2.0 litre 200bhp unit. The high tech motor is capable of a great deal
more power. There are many race cars around the world making use of the Honda
engine with extreme power. 250bhp is easily achievable without over stressing things. Blink
Motorsport themselves are planning to experiment with alternative cams which
should bring things up to around 220bhp. There's also talk of a 340R
installation.
All good news so far. The bad news is that the conversion costs around
£10,000 - leaving it as an option only to those who are deadly serious about
needing more power. It's a confusing option at that price. Find an older Elise
and you have the potential to create a 750kg, 200+ bhp car for less than £25K -
great value. But for the existing Elise owner, it's quite an expensive upgrade
and one that will only be taken up by those seeking to create a sensational road
and track car.
That said, whilst it may also seem expensive in relation to other
conversions, there's no doubt it will win hands down in the reliability stakes.
The standard Honda unit should be good for many tens of thousands of miles even
on track, whilst very highly tuned K series engines won't boast such longevity.
It's a wonderful marriage - you'll just need deep pockets to enjoy it.