Flemke - Is this your McLaren?

[bindit]

-DeaDLocK- said:

Sorry - I made a mistake. The owner of the LM (LM03) was Frank Selldorff. He also has two other road cars in his stable. Rumour has it that this car is now in the hands of a certain Mr. Ralph Lauren, and that it got significantly damaged during a test session shortly post-purchase. McLaren may still be patching it up. Another LM is a garage queen of a private Japanese collector. Two are purported to be owned by the Sultan of Brunei, and of that it is said both are in the fancy livery you just saw posted. I don't know where the fifth one is. I'm gonna go out now and buy myself a new anorak.

My input is a little dated, but i remember 2-3 years ago my old boss had an Orange LM (Amogst other exotica), not much inside but lots of black paint, a single seat and fire extinguisher. He did go through the process of making it road legal, but would have cost a heap of money to get the other 2 seats in, so never bothered and subsequently sold it. Allegedly he got fed up with the attention. What i found amusing is when he turned up in the office car park with a 'tax in post' bit of paper under the front screen; classy!

[SpeedyDave]

flemke said:

cheers for remembering the Elise/Honda thing. I'm working on it, in a different way.

In case you're not aware, there are now a number of well proven turnkey options for Honda transplants into Elises. I've been thinking about it for my own car but will probably keep running the little rover mill for a while yet.

Most prominent is the Link-Up kit fitted by Maidstone Sportscars, Brooke Kensington & others. I guess they've done over 100 cars now. More recently appearing on the market Sinclaires, Edwards, and a DIY kit.

Typical basic fitment is approx 10k GBP, takes 1 week and yields approx 220BHP.

Various options appearing as part of the fitted kits include DTH TBs, and supercharging (300bhp)

Audi 1.8T install is available from Auto-Technix

Duratec was being done by Eliseparts.com but not currently.


If you're working on it in a different way does that mean an alternate engine for the elise or something else entirely?

Interested to hear what you're trying to achieve and why the elise appeals.

Dave

[F.M]

Everybody desires the big house and big supercar in the garage e.g..Mclaren F1...I`m just wondering if life returns to normal after these goals have been achieved..Bills still drop through the door,you, the wife or kids get ill or suffer accidents from time to time,grandparents get sick...the car breaks down/needs serviced and costs a small fortune to fix ( not the `F1` of course... ),the house needs tidied,the washing up needs done,Daytime TV is boring...life still remains the same with the same structure...there just happens to be 650 odd BHP as oposed to the usual 100-200 hp vehicles most people use...Which is great..but by no means the holy grail of life...What remains important in life to those who have solved the weekly financial balancing act..?

[NsxMatt]

First post on here,

Just a quick question to Flemke (there's a surprise). A member posted a quote from this thread on my usual haunt www.nsxcb.co.uk regarding your favourable comments on the handling of the NSX. I just wondered if you had ever run one and if not (assuming you have driven one to be able to comment) what are your overall impressions of the car? I suppose if you were into owning your cars for the sake of owning them (which after wading through 48 pages of posts over the last week I conclude you aren't) it would be nice to own an NSX to keep your F1 company - in fact greybloke (Nick) on our site has a Red / Black '91 3.0 car first registered by MacLaren.

I am extremely fortunate (in my eyes at 26) to run a 3.2 (2000) NSX which is a 6spd manual, and it is just such a rewarding car with a fantastic soundtrack and handling to match. I know this thread is about the F1, but some comparison would be great to relay back to the NSXCB members as and when. I also pick up that you are a fan of Honda engines, and the 3.2 V6 in the post 97 cars really is something to be cherished.

Anyway - as has been said before your posts are really very interesting, and you time much appreciated. I'm glad to have finally shaken off my lurking status on PH.

Best Regards, Matt.

[flemke]

SpeedyDave said:

If you're working on it in a different way does that mean an alternate engine for the elise or something else entirely? Interested to hear what you're trying to achieve and why the elise appeals.

Elise - simple, pure, light weight, handles pretty well.

At the moment I can't go into the alternative, but it involves a Honda engine. If it doesn't come to fruition, I'll think about the Elise/Honda conversion.
Do Sinclaires have a website?

[flemke]

F.M said:

Everybody desires the big house and big supercar in the garage e.g..Mclaren F1...I`m just wondering if life returns to normal after these goals have been achieved..Bills still drop through the door,you, the wife or kids get ill or suffer accidents from time to time,grandparents get sick...the car breaks down/needs serviced and costs a small fortune to fix ( not the `F1` of course... ),the house needs tidied,the washing up needs done,Daytime TV is boring...life still remains the same with the same structure...there just happens to be 650 odd BHP as oposed to the usual 100-200 hp vehicles most people use...Which is great..but by no means the holy grail of life...What remains important in life to those who have solved the weekly financial balancing act..?

Having lived on very modest funds, and having lived on less modest funds, all I can say is that money changes your life, but it does not make your life better.

[JEZGOD]

flemke said:

[quote=F.M] Having lived on very modest funds, and having lived on less modest funds, all I can say is that money changes your life, but it does not make your life better.

I suppose it depends on how someone comes to aquire thier wealth, and of course how bad thier life really was beforehand.

[Mrs Fish]

James here:

Flemke

Have you looked at Ariel Atoms, having owned TVRs etc and an Elise I must say the Atom is superb and thourgly enjoyable.

They also do one which will 0-60 in 2.8secs and 0-100 in 6.5secs 0-100-0 on 10.8

Although mine is slightly slower....

[flemke]

NsxMatt said:

...regarding your favourable comments on the handling of the NSX. I just wondered if you had ever run one and if not (assuming you have driven one to be able to comment) what are your overall impressions of the car?

Matt,

First, welcome to PH.

Second, as regards the NSX:
I don't know much about cars; I'm just another guy who enjoys driving whilst lacking any special insight into what's going on as I do so.
In the last few months I've driven a recent-model NSX maybe 2,000 kms, including a number of laps of the 'ring.
The NSX chassis is very poised, and is the best thing about the car. From my position of ignorance I would say that its handling all-round is as good as that of any car I have driven.
You always know where you are with the car. It follows instructions nicely and allows you to control it. Its transitions are gradual and predictable. I've done a lot of laps of the'ring, and at Schwedenkreuz, which is perhaps the circuit's trickiest high-speed bend, I came closer to the car's limits whilst retaining control over it (or at least it seemed!) than I've done in any other car.
I would say that the NSX's primary ride for some people is too harsh, although the secondary ride seems fine.

It could do with a quicker steering rack. (The F1's rack is about equally slow, although that can be justified, I suppose, because the F1 lacks PAS and needs enhanced stability in light of its high max speed. These things do not apply to the NSX, so I don't know why its rack isn't quicker.)
Because of the PAS, you don't get the most surface feedback from the steering, but for an assisted car it's not bad. At the same time, the weighting is nice and the quality of rotational feedback I found to be quite good.

The NSX's brakes aren't the best - they began to fade on my first lap at the 'ring - but they're okay for a road car. They are over-servo'ed, however.

As you say, the engine has a lot of character. It produces something like 85 bhp/litre, whereas current high-performance engines easily generate more than 100/litre. It's not a problem in the upper 2000 rpms, where it's lovely - again, for a road car. It must be said, however, that the NSX really would benefit from more low-to-mid-range torque.
As you say, the engine note is musical. It's entirely different from the F1's but perhaps equally appealing.

The gearbox and shift action is superb - as good as any out there. Unfortunately the clutch pedal bite point is too high, and the bite itself is surprisingly vague (in my experience, that is).

People will have their opinions on the aesthetics; I find them appealingly quirky and in many cases handsome. There are some really nice details such as the external door handles and the interior door handles and leather-trimmed spaces behind them.
One frequently hears the objection that the NSX interior is dated. What an inane comment. Monet's Waterlilies series is dated too - but it's good enough for me!

The interior functions well - excelllent visibility in all directions except rear quarter. The ergonomics of the steering wheel and gearshift are quite good. The instruments are all legible, although one regrets the lack of an external temperature indication.

I think you could make the argument that the NSX is the most satisfying all-round sports car. If you combined the best of it and the best of the McLaren, you would have an incredible machine.

Cheers.

[SpeedyDave]

flemke said:

SpeedyDave said: If you're working on it in a different way does that mean an alternate engine for the elise or something else entirely? Interested to hear what you're trying to achieve and why the elise appeals. Elise - simple, pure, light weight, handles pretty well. At the moment I can't go into the alternative, but it involves a Honda engine. If it doesn't come to fruition, I'll think about the Elise/Honda conversion. Do Sinclaires have a website?

www.sinclairemotorsport.com/

No mention of the Honda conversion on the site that I can see, phone 'em.
I believe they were also working on fitting the RST V8
www.rst-v8.com/
I don't think there has been a runner in an elise yet and project may be on hold. If it does become available it will likley cost as much as a new elise to have fitted.


Link-Up Dealers
www.maidstonesportscars.co.uk/home.asp

www.brooke-kensington.co.uk/phond1.htm

www.vansten.nl/Werkplaats/index_Lotus_werkpl.htm



Blink
www.blinkmotorsport.com/cgi-bin/site.pl?honda

[flemke]

Mrs Fish said:

James here: Flemke Have you looked at Ariel Atoms, having owned TVRs etc and an Elise I must say the Atom is superb and thourgly enjoyable. They also do one which will 0-60 in 2.8secs and 0-100 in 6.5secs 0-100-0 on 10.8 Although mine is slightly slower....

I've no experience with Atoms, which I gather are extremely capable.
I can't stand owning a car but not driving it enough. Cars such as Atoms have limited useability. I already have some cars with limited useability, and I struggle to give them the driving time that they deserve. Having an Ariel would compound the matter.

[flemke]

SpeedyDave said:

www.sinclairemotorsport.com/ No mention of the Honda conversion on the site that I can see, phone 'em. I believe they were also working on fitting the RST V8 www.rst-v8.com/ I don't think there has been a runner in an elise yet and project may be on hold. If it does become available it will likley cost as much as a new elise to have fitted. Link-Up Dealers www.maidstonesportscars.co.uk/home.asp www.brooke-kensington.co.uk/phond1.htm www.vansten.nl/Werkplaats/index_Lotus_werkpl.htm Blink www.blinkmotorsport.com/cgi-bin/site.pl?honda

Thanks a lot. I have heard unencouraging things about some of the better-known E-H converters that you mentioned, so I have been hoping for an alternative.
Had, however, heard praise for Sinclaire.

Cheers.

[iguana]

flemke said:

I think you could make the argument that the NSX is the most satisfying all-round sports car.

Interesting & perhaps suprising given your appreciation of porkers.


Anyway seeing as this tread is still alive & kicking, I asked something about 14million pages ago that im still wondering on- Dauer 962, ever had one, fancied one, driven one?

Cheers

[clubsport]

I drove an Atom and a caterham on the same day....I was really disappointed with the Atom, it didn't feel any more tactile or any lighter than an Elise without any of the benefits of practicality....
Flemke it sounds like you are once again pushing the envelope with the Elise/Honda conversion.....
p.s. As a wild guess I think 3 of your cars were shown in the Manthey link pics?

[flemke]

iguana said:

Anyway seeing as this tread is still alive & kicking, I asked something about 14million pages ago that im still wondering on- Dauer 962, ever had one, fancied one, driven one? Cheers

Sorry if I missed that question 14 million pages ago!
No, I've no experience with them and have not been seriously tempted.
For one thing, they seem quite overpriced; what are they - a million Euros? For that money you can get a Rothmans 962, or three or four lesser 962s.
For another thing, I'm not keen on turbos. Some people get a buzz from a car's struggling for pace until with a BANG the boost kicks in. I'll take continuous power delivery - both pressing down and lifting off - any day of the week.

Porsches are great, but I spend a lot of time in them, and one grows a bit bored with something that's less than perfect (as unfortunately every car is). Also, at this point there are so many Porkers floating around that whatever quirkiness might once have come with having an engine in the wrong place has long since become part of the furniture.

[flemke]

clubsport said:

p.s. As a wild guess I think 3...

That is incorrect, but I'd like to leave it at that.

[F.M]

Awesome porsches!!...They are fantastic..

[gunner]

Flemke,I know it's a rare beast here in Europe,but ever driven the NSX type R?

[iguana]

Ah fair point, I do imagine its quite a bigger bang in a 962! , but I did mean as a road & occasional 'ring car, rather than v expensive track only toy, sure you can buy a regular 956/962 easy enough (Rothmans livery just like my old VFR Honda please ) but hardly road usable. Anyway cheers for answering.




>> Edited by iguana on Wednesday 26th April 22:29

[flemke]

gunner said:

Flemke,I know it's a rare beast here in Europe,but ever driven the NSX type R?

No. So far as I know there are only two in Europe.
I was specifically advised by Honda UK that it is insane to do a personal import of a Type-R. Their words were, "We implore you not to try it!"
It seems that it took them six months and a mass of hassles (such as having to install a different gearbox!) to get the one SVA'd.
Over the winter I had a good look at that UK one when it was offered for sale. With no disrespect to the owner, it looked very tired.