AN AUTOMATIC ELISE???
AN AUTOMATIC ELISE???
Author
Discussion

tnjj

Original Poster:

66 posts

229 months

Thursday 7th February 2008
quotequote all
CAN IT BE DONE - my mum wants a elise S1 / S2 for the summer but CANT feel her feet / legs ! she loves my car and drove nothing but sports cars wen younger and now possibly wants another!

Are there any auto gearboxes available? Anyone know of anything like this been done - it realy is so that she can just have 2 big pedals which will her to happy and control the car in town as she cant use a clutch!

Thanks, ps this is a serious post, i know the manual is more fun to drive - but better driving an elise which is auto than a bmw convertible or sabb!

rfoster

1,482 posts

285 months

Thursday 7th February 2008
quotequote all
Quaife do a sequential gearbox for the elise but I've never heard of anyone doing an auto for it I'm afraid! How about an MX5 (seriously!)?

tnjj

Original Poster:

66 posts

229 months

Thursday 7th February 2008
quotequote all
rfoster said:
How about an MX5 (seriously!)?
am afraid its either the lotus or a car which is comfortable! Complete opposites but she already has a bmw and would hate a mx5! looking in to sequential gearboxs tho!

Strangely Brown

16,192 posts

262 months

Thursday 7th February 2008
quotequote all
In addition to the difficulties of the auto box, have you investigated how the hand controls would be fitted? I have to admit that I don't know too much about it but wouldn't a hand operated brake be a bit heavy on a non-servo system? Then there is the issue of getting in and out?

Plenty of auto MX-5s about and a damned sight more convenient than an Elise would be by the sounds of it.

tnjj

Original Poster:

66 posts

229 months

Thursday 7th February 2008
quotequote all
na, she dnt need handcontrol or anything like that! just her spinal cord was cut in a operation resulting in the nevers been cut so she cant feel her feet. She can still push the pedals tho, just not sensitively! she can get in a out of my s2 and drive it ok ........on open roads, just the clutch is the problem! also the lack of servo doesnt realy mattr

Strangely Brown

16,192 posts

262 months

Thursday 7th February 2008
quotequote all
Ok, sorry... I clearly read too much into the "can't feel her legs and feet".

In that case a sequential box might well be just the ticket. I'm sure there was one advertised in the classifieds (whole car, not just the box) a while ago. Looked pretty good.

Good luck with the search.

SpeedYellow

2,533 posts

258 months

Thursday 7th February 2008
quotequote all
sequential box still requires you to use the clutch to pull away though, so not going to really help is it?

tnjj

Original Poster:

66 posts

229 months

Thursday 7th February 2008
quotequote all
just read that on http://auto.howstuffworks.com/sequential-gearbox1....

anyone got anymore ideas?

SpeedYellow

2,533 posts

258 months

Thursday 7th February 2008
quotequote all
Rover did an auto for the K series in one of the cars I'm sure, bet it wouldn't be too tough for someone who knows what they are doing to retro fit, not sure how much fun it would be to drive though!

jamiebae

6,245 posts

242 months

Thursday 7th February 2008
quotequote all
I'm pretty sure there was an auto (Steprtonic) MGF which could be used as a donor vehicle if she really really wants an automatic Elise.

GravelBen

16,540 posts

261 months

Thursday 7th February 2008
quotequote all
Would it be a good idea to drive a car as sensitive as an Elise without being able to feel things with you feet?

tnjj

Original Poster:

66 posts

229 months

Thursday 7th February 2008
quotequote all
GravelBen said:
Would it be a good idea to drive a car as sensitive as an Elise without being able to feel things with you feet?
the fact that shes driven every thing from austin frogeye's to tvr sagaris, aston martins etc . . . . . she has as good experience as any one! lol

Ultrasound

358 posts

230 months

Thursday 7th February 2008
quotequote all
Not being clever but at the rate Lotus are going there should be one out in a year or so.

tnjj

Original Poster:

66 posts

229 months

Thursday 7th February 2008
quotequote all
Ultrasound said:
Not being clever but at the rate Lotus are going there should be one out in a year or so.
great craic, lol! totally agree tho, a would hate a auto, just HATE IT, but just it would make a S1 S2 actually feasible for my mum, better driving them than not lol

GTRene

22,750 posts

255 months

Thursday 7th February 2008
quotequote all
maybe you can install something like this to make it easyer?

http://www.sector111.com/handler.cfm?cat_id=20216&...

and someone said this:

[quote] It would not take a lot of engineering to put a Celica GTS auto trans in an Elise.
[/quote]

but I don't know.
good luck.

Edited by GTRene on Thursday 7th February 22:10

Jez49

234 posts

242 months

Thursday 7th February 2008
quotequote all
As has been said, a rover auto box ought to be possible.

Fitting a remote servo wouldnt be difficult for the brakes either, plenty of choice there.

LuK (the German clutch company) also produce a small servo for clutches to make cars easier to drive for people with disabilities, they are commonly available in Europe but are only available to registered mobility vehicle manufacturers in the UK. A friend of mine fitted one to an old car with a heavy clutch and it did a great job, if you want to source one e-mail me & I'll try to get some details.

Regards

Jez

clanger

1,087 posts

289 months

Thursday 7th February 2008
quotequote all
Is this a serious thread???? - I think not - nearly as strange as USA lot asking how you drive stickshift car (when 111r introduced there) smile - if indeed it is serious thread advise your mum that a Merc SLK will be a more appropriate purchase wink

Saied

1,575 posts

250 months

Friday 8th February 2008
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What about the recently phased out Toyota MR2? Mid-engined, compact and light. Available with a semi automatic 'box

kambites

71,660 posts

252 months

Friday 8th February 2008
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I see no reason you shouldn't fit a standard K-series auto box to an Elise.

Arno

349 posts

309 months

Friday 8th February 2008
quotequote all
jamiebae said:
I'm pretty sure there was an auto (Steprtonic) MGF which could be used as a donor vehicle if she really really wants an automatic Elise.
Several of those were done in Germany by the same company who later made the Esthi.

CVT box from the MGF and fit it to the Elise. Can be drive in full automatic or emulating a sequential/flappy-paddle gearbox.

Bye, Arno.