RE: Pic Of The Week: Lotus Elan

RE: Pic Of The Week: Lotus Elan

Author
Discussion

simonrockman

6,843 posts

254 months

Friday 15th October 2010
quotequote all
When the original Elan and the M100 are so different you have free rein to do whatever you like.

The classic car club has both types I love the original - perhaps my favourite car in teh club. Was disappointed by the M100. Not pointy enough for a Lotus.

B10

1,226 posts

266 months

Friday 15th October 2010
quotequote all
Milks said:
B10 said:
All these new Loti are too expensive, especially the Elise and Elan.
'cept that the elise is reported to be £34k so in line with current prices
The current Elise is too expensive!

Gadgeroonie

5,362 posts

235 months

Friday 15th October 2010
quotequote all
what engine are they fitting to it ?

soad

32,829 posts

175 months

Friday 15th October 2010
quotequote all
It's not bad - still some way to go to stir my soul in the looks department though.

Previous models do look ace. I feel old now...damn

Witchfinder

6,250 posts

251 months

Friday 15th October 2010
quotequote all
soad said:
It's not bad - still some way to go to stir my soul in the looks department though.
This is the kind of man who'd kick Uma Thurmann out of bed because her nose looks a bit funny.

Kazlet

278 posts

170 months

Friday 15th October 2010
quotequote all
Mark-C said:
+2S for me

You are not seriously suggesting you prefer that turd over the latest version?

A Scotsman

1,000 posts

198 months

Friday 15th October 2010
quotequote all
The original Elan was a peoples' sportcar. The latest is a very rich peoples' sportscar. I doubt they will sell many in the UK.

Lotus seem to have handed the "interesting and not overly expensive but decent performance/handling sportscar" mantle to Ginetta. They're shortly to produce the road version of the G40. That will sell like hot cakes!

shoestring7

6,138 posts

245 months

Friday 15th October 2010
quotequote all
Oh great.

Another 1500kg 'sports car'.


SS7

Rollin

6,077 posts

244 months

Friday 15th October 2010
quotequote all
A Scotsman said:
They're shortly to produce the road version of the G40. That will sell like hot cakes!
I doubt that.

Deranged Granny

2,313 posts

167 months

Friday 15th October 2010
quotequote all
Kazlet said:
Mark-C said:
+2S for me

You are not seriously suggesting you prefer that turd over the latest version?
Glasses, tinted, rose.

Alfanatic

9,339 posts

218 months

Friday 15th October 2010
quotequote all
British Beef said:
I agree with most the posts, Elan by name but nothing else.

Much more Esprit successor in looks and performance, but then Lotus already have a new one of those in the pipeline.
The true spirit of Elan lives in the Elise, but even that is growing into a miniature Esprit.

So in 4 years time Lotus will have a range of 5 different Esprits, with slightly different seating configurations, similar performance and idential looks.

Sounds good to me, unless you really want an Elan / Elise.....
Yep I'm with you on that. It looks like one car available in 5 different sizes. Maybe it will work for them, but I don't get it yet. On the other hand I thought the Evora was a fantastic new product for the company but that doesn't seem to have taken off so far. Maybe they know what they're doing with this one.

kbf1981

2,249 posts

199 months

Friday 15th October 2010
quotequote all
A Scotsman said:
The original Elan was a peoples' sportcar. The latest is a very rich peoples' sportscar. I doubt they will sell many in the UK.

Lotus seem to have handed the "interesting and not overly expensive but decent performance/handling sportscar" mantle to Ginetta. They're shortly to produce the road version of the G40. That will sell like hot cakes!
Or to the Audi TT, Nissan 370, Boxster, Mazda Rx7 and a slew of hot hatches.

Plenty of cars around the £30k level.

If you're looking for below that, sub-£20k and decent performance, I think you've missed that boat with inflation.

kbf1981

2,249 posts

199 months

Friday 15th October 2010
quotequote all
Alfanatic said:
British Beef said:
I agree with most the posts, Elan by name but nothing else.

Much more Esprit successor in looks and performance, but then Lotus already have a new one of those in the pipeline.
The true spirit of Elan lives in the Elise, but even that is growing into a miniature Esprit.

So in 4 years time Lotus will have a range of 5 different Esprits, with slightly different seating configurations, similar performance and idential looks.

Sounds good to me, unless you really want an Elan / Elise.....
Yep I'm with you on that. It looks like one car available in 5 different sizes. Maybe it will work for them, but I don't get it yet. On the other hand I thought the Evora was a fantastic new product for the company but that doesn't seem to have taken off so far. Maybe they know what they're doing with this one.
911, Boxster, Cayman.

3 cars with similar base platforms, different layouts, that all drive differently, sell well and lead their class (as they have since launch).

Don't think Lotus have a terrible ideo tbh.

Twincam16

27,646 posts

257 months

Friday 15th October 2010
quotequote all
A Scotsman said:
The original Elan was a peoples' sportcar. The latest is a very rich peoples' sportscar. I doubt they will sell many in the UK.
Not so sure. The original Elan was getting on for the price of an E-Type. OK, so the E-Type was extraordinarily cheap for what it was, but it was still a second car for the middle classes rather than some everyman performance hero. The true 'cheap' Lotus (still several times the price of a Ford Anglia) of the era was the Seven - a mantle it could be argued has been passed to the Elise.

mrdemon

21,146 posts

264 months

Friday 15th October 2010
quotequote all
no such engine available with the stats Lotus posted

the car at the show had no engine and ran on a battery.

all made up specs with concept cars.

added to that the cars will not past Euro tests looking at that body and ligts etc

So the final look and engine will be nothing like what they say imho.

soad

32,829 posts

175 months

Friday 15th October 2010
quotequote all
Witchfinder said:
soad said:
It's not bad - still some way to go to stir my soul in the looks department though.
This is the kind of man who'd kick Uma Thurmann out of bed because her nose looks a bit funny.
Perhaps so.
Test drive could change my mind, who knows for sure?

chickensoup

469 posts

254 months

Friday 15th October 2010
quotequote all
Twincam16 said:
A Scotsman said:
The original Elan was a peoples' sportcar. The latest is a very rich peoples' sportscar. I doubt they will sell many in the UK.
Not so sure. The original Elan was getting on for the price of an E-Type. OK, so the E-Type was extraordinarily cheap for what it was, but it was still a second car for the middle classes rather than some everyman performance hero. The true 'cheap' Lotus (still several times the price of a Ford Anglia) of the era was the Seven - a mantle it could be argued has been passed to the Elise.
Agreed, when new you could buy an MGB and a Mini Cooper for the price of an Elan

Lotus have never been cheap, although the Esprit now looks more and more like it was a bargain at 2x Elise price

dandarez

13,246 posts

282 months

Friday 15th October 2010
quotequote all
Deranged Granny said:
But will it sell?
Jumping the gun a tad.
First, it has to be made!!

Deranged Granny

2,313 posts

167 months

Friday 15th October 2010
quotequote all
dandarez said:
Deranged Granny said:
But will it sell?
Jumping the gun a tad.
First, it has to be made!!
Well, they're screwed then.

1) It's unlikely to be made/stay faithful to anything like the concept
2) It's unlikely to sell whatever it looks like

cathalm

606 posts

243 months

Friday 15th October 2010
quotequote all
Deranged Granny said:
dandarez said:
Deranged Granny said:
But will it sell?
Jumping the gun a tad.
First, it has to be made!!
Well, they're screwed then.

1) It's unlikely to be made/stay faithful to anything like the concept
2) It's unlikely to sell whatever it looks like
Why? Just because you say so I presume?