2 Eleven multi test vid
Discussion
Autocars group test
2 Eleven
R400
Atom
Brooke
Elfin
Thought you guys might enjoy this as much as I did!!
http://www.autocar.co.uk/VideosWallpapers/Videos.a...
2 Eleven
R400
Atom
Brooke
Elfin
Thought you guys might enjoy this as much as I did!!
http://www.autocar.co.uk/VideosWallpapers/Videos.a...
Phil-CH said:
A conclusion without any arguments? Meh. Why did the Lotus win? Looks? Handling? Price?
Sounds like an empty win.
Still good to watch the video though, thanks for linking. I think I'd still take the Caterham any day.
We'll they were comparing it to other model's and reached a conclusion driving them all back to back?Sounds like an empty win.
Still good to watch the video though, thanks for linking. I think I'd still take the Caterham any day.
Boggy
Phil-CH said:
A conclusion without any arguments? Meh. Why did the Lotus win? Looks? Handling? Price?
Sounds like an empty win.
Still good to watch the video though, thanks for linking. I think I'd still take the Caterham any day.
Video is admittedly a tad brief, but a full report is in this weeks Autocar. Well worth a read. Sounds like an empty win.
Still good to watch the video though, thanks for linking. I think I'd still take the Caterham any day.
I feel strangely drawn to the Brooke as a close third behind the R400 but with the 2- Eleven just pipping it for me personally.
I completed almost 20000 road and track miles in my trusty old R400 and loved every minute if it but the 2 Eleven, for me, moved the handling game on significantly but with still the fun and driftability of the lil' Caterham.
In an ideal world I would probably have a 2 Eleven sitting in my garage along with my old R400 just for old times sake but if I had to choose one then it would be the 2 Eleven. And that is my totally unbiased opinion.
Shhhhh.......Off the record a tough call but my heart has been well and truly won since my drive in the 2 Eleven.
Edited by L100NYY on Wednesday 22 August 12:07
Thanks Ben!
Your view already holds much more weight in my book than the Autocar video.
Having some experience with Caterhams Superlights, where does the 2-eleven excel in the handling area? I take it weight distribution (it being a MR car) is some difference, but then again, the Caterham could probably be considered one as well, though with a closer to 50:50 setup. From my (humble) experience the Caterham is fun and easy to drive - it's also easy to get the rear into a drift without causing too much of worry (at least compared to a Elise/Exige with the engine at the back).
Never driven a 2-eleven, so I can only really take a Elise/Exige as reference and imagine 150kg less, though with a similar weight distribution...
Your view already holds much more weight in my book than the Autocar video.
Having some experience with Caterhams Superlights, where does the 2-eleven excel in the handling area? I take it weight distribution (it being a MR car) is some difference, but then again, the Caterham could probably be considered one as well, though with a closer to 50:50 setup. From my (humble) experience the Caterham is fun and easy to drive - it's also easy to get the rear into a drift without causing too much of worry (at least compared to a Elise/Exige with the engine at the back).
Never driven a 2-eleven, so I can only really take a Elise/Exige as reference and imagine 150kg less, though with a similar weight distribution...
Hi Phil,
Thank you for the kind words and here is a brief summary on the two cars, albeit not quite as eloquently put as those journo chaps at Autocar!
R400
I absolutely adored my R400, in fact all five of my Caterham's were superb, but the R400 was the one that ticked all of my boxes for what I wanted in a 7.
It had the power and drivability to make it a very fast yet tractable car to use on the roads yet still retained that purity of feel that I got out of my 138bhp original Superlight. The R400 was such an easy car to not only get sideways but also to hold in the most beautifully controllable drifts due to the fact that you sit right over the driven wheels with the weight of the engine naturally trying to pull the car straight again. It was, and still remains, one of the purest yet adrenalin filled cars that I have driven whilst still retaining a slight nod to usability with a fairly watertight roof.
I have always been a huge fan of vintage racing cars of the Bugatti, ERA ilk and this goes some way to explain why I love the 7's so much, they have a purity and charm that very few modern sports cars can ever aspire to and unfortunately many car manufacturers seem to have forgotten ever existed. A crying shame.
However, the kit car image was always something that niggled away at me over the years of running the 7's. I know it sounds a tad snobbish and elitist but after having just spent £30000 on an R400 I really did not appreciate people coming up to me in petrol stations etc to exclaim at how there neighbour has "one of these things, based on a Cortina innit?" Believe me when I say that it gauls me to admit this but it does tarnish the ownership experience somewhat.
2 Eleven
The 2 Eleven is a car that I expected myself to like but never quite to the extent that I did the first time I got behind the wheel. Okay so first impressions were that the looks were very Elise/Exige-like but look beyond this and you can soak up the finer details that set this apart from a normal track special. This car has an appearance and stance that is both mini 2007 Le Mans yet with an oh so subtle hint of Targa Florio racer.
I won't harp on about the ins and outs of how the 2 Eleven does what it does as I'm sure you've read about this already but my brief impressions of how it drives goes something like this;
The 2 Eleven has near perfect weight distribution (48/62)that makes for a superbly benign and easy to handle car and yet is oh so predictable at the limit that makes for both a hugely quick and neat weapon to set those lap times. However, it is also is more than happy to drift and slide when the mood takes (and believe me, the mood will) in no way is the car twitchy at the limit or intimidating as so many mid engine set ups can be and a lot of this is down to the centre of gravity being lower than the Exige S as there is no intercooler sitting atop the engine.
In my eyes, the 2 Eleven has all the fun, flair and character of the R400 but with the benefit of a more finished feel and without that home built persona. Okay, so the 2 Eleven has no roof but then I hardly ever used the roof on my Caterhams either, in fact I actually ran the Caterhams for the majority of the time with the aeroscreen fitted so this would not sway me anyway.
To sum up then -
The 2 Eleven has all the performance I would ever need both on and off the track and yet retains the character and charm that I seek from a 'toy' such as this. Oh and if it's not practical for some then surely an Exige S is the ideal solution.
Thank you for the kind words and here is a brief summary on the two cars, albeit not quite as eloquently put as those journo chaps at Autocar!
R400
I absolutely adored my R400, in fact all five of my Caterham's were superb, but the R400 was the one that ticked all of my boxes for what I wanted in a 7.
It had the power and drivability to make it a very fast yet tractable car to use on the roads yet still retained that purity of feel that I got out of my 138bhp original Superlight. The R400 was such an easy car to not only get sideways but also to hold in the most beautifully controllable drifts due to the fact that you sit right over the driven wheels with the weight of the engine naturally trying to pull the car straight again. It was, and still remains, one of the purest yet adrenalin filled cars that I have driven whilst still retaining a slight nod to usability with a fairly watertight roof.
I have always been a huge fan of vintage racing cars of the Bugatti, ERA ilk and this goes some way to explain why I love the 7's so much, they have a purity and charm that very few modern sports cars can ever aspire to and unfortunately many car manufacturers seem to have forgotten ever existed. A crying shame.
However, the kit car image was always something that niggled away at me over the years of running the 7's. I know it sounds a tad snobbish and elitist but after having just spent £30000 on an R400 I really did not appreciate people coming up to me in petrol stations etc to exclaim at how there neighbour has "one of these things, based on a Cortina innit?" Believe me when I say that it gauls me to admit this but it does tarnish the ownership experience somewhat.
2 Eleven
The 2 Eleven is a car that I expected myself to like but never quite to the extent that I did the first time I got behind the wheel. Okay so first impressions were that the looks were very Elise/Exige-like but look beyond this and you can soak up the finer details that set this apart from a normal track special. This car has an appearance and stance that is both mini 2007 Le Mans yet with an oh so subtle hint of Targa Florio racer.
I won't harp on about the ins and outs of how the 2 Eleven does what it does as I'm sure you've read about this already but my brief impressions of how it drives goes something like this;
The 2 Eleven has near perfect weight distribution (48/62)that makes for a superbly benign and easy to handle car and yet is oh so predictable at the limit that makes for both a hugely quick and neat weapon to set those lap times. However, it is also is more than happy to drift and slide when the mood takes (and believe me, the mood will) in no way is the car twitchy at the limit or intimidating as so many mid engine set ups can be and a lot of this is down to the centre of gravity being lower than the Exige S as there is no intercooler sitting atop the engine.
In my eyes, the 2 Eleven has all the fun, flair and character of the R400 but with the benefit of a more finished feel and without that home built persona. Okay, so the 2 Eleven has no roof but then I hardly ever used the roof on my Caterhams either, in fact I actually ran the Caterhams for the majority of the time with the aeroscreen fitted so this would not sway me anyway.
To sum up then -
The 2 Eleven has all the performance I would ever need both on and off the track and yet retains the character and charm that I seek from a 'toy' such as this. Oh and if it's not practical for some then surely an Exige S is the ideal solution.
Edited by L100NYY on Wednesday 22 August 15:13
Edited by L100NYY on Thursday 23 August 10:31
The 2 Eleven has near perfect weight distribution (48/62)that makes for a superbly benign and easy to handle car and yet is oh so predictable at the limit that makes for both a hugely quick and neat weapon to set those lap times.
Fantastic insight ben and nice for me as i doubt i'll get opportunity to try one. Interesting weight distribution though manages to get plenty over the front wheels while still maintaining traction at the rear! Amazing how Lotus bends the laws of physics once again.
One a different note there has been a proposition to the NZ motorsport council to run a single make series for the 2-11 next year as a support race for the V8's.
Fantastic insight ben and nice for me as i doubt i'll get opportunity to try one. Interesting weight distribution though manages to get plenty over the front wheels while still maintaining traction at the rear! Amazing how Lotus bends the laws of physics once again.
One a different note there has been a proposition to the NZ motorsport council to run a single make series for the 2-11 next year as a support race for the V8's.
crackthatoff said:
still wiping up drool from the floor, absolutely loved the atom but the 2-11 is 
ing awesome, wait till they become second hand.... oh yes indeedy !!!!
You'll be waiting a long time........ not that many have been sold to private buyers in the UK, and those of us that have bought them have very little intention of selling ing awesome, wait till they become second hand.... oh yes indeedy !!!!Gassing Station | Elise/Exige/Europa/340R | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff