111R or Sport 190 or Honda Conversion or VXR

[kent123]

Decision time looms...

What I want is an Elise that can be used on the road and on the track, with the performance level of a Sport 190. My budget is about £25k.

Love the performance of the Sport 190, but inevitably there's a big question mark over the longevity of the VHPD.

Honda conversion looks blindingly fast but expensive (Donor car £10k-£12k, £10k engine, £1.5k brakes, £1k wheels/tyres + poor resale).

111R is the "common sense" option, but not sure if it's really fast enough.

VXR is the joker in the pack - some of the write-ups have been very positive (see Autocar a few weeks back for VXR vs Clio V6).

I figure there's plenty of other owners/prospective owners going through a similar thought process, and wondered what conclusions had been reached?

I'll be interested to hear everyone's opinions!

[bogie]

kent123 said:

Decision time looms... What I want is an Elise that can be used on the road and on the track, with the performance level of a Sport 190. My budget is about £25k. Love the performance of the Sport 190, but inevitably there's a big question mark over the longevity of the VHPD. Honda conversion looks blindingly fast but expensive (Donor car £10k-£12k, £10k engine, £1.5k brakes, £1k wheels/tyres + poor resale). 111R is the "common sense" option, but not sure if it's really fast enough. VXR is the joker in the pack - some of the write-ups have been very positive (see Autocar a few weeks back for VXR vs Clio V6). I figure there's plenty of other owners/prospective owners going through a similar thought process, and wondered what conclusions had been reached? I'll be interested to hear everyone's opinions!

Id go with a 2nd hand S1 and Honda it - you dont need £1.5K on the brakes - just Pagid pads, braided hoses and maybe new discs if it needs em - about £500. Sticky rubber is about £550 ...they are holding their value quite well due to demand - other early Elise S1s with Honda conversions have gone for £18-20K...you may want some decent suspension which will be about £1K...and some harnesses.

The VXR is still quite heavy, the Sport 190 still very fragile if used hard, and the 111R not that quick IMO

[steff]

VXR turbo

or

S1 Honda

I think in the long run the resale on both would be the same if you kept both for 3 years.

[darhart]

What about the Exige with the superchaged Honda engine in the classified's. Sounds like it would fit the bill, infact sounds awesome!

[kent123]

I've driven a couple of Exiges & think they're great, but they've always been a bit too much like mobile saunas for me.

[DanL]

I'd go with the VXR, if it were my money... If you can find one with the Ohlins fitted, you're all set for road/track, and they're blindingly fast regardless.

Very easy to get more power out of them too (although I don't know if anyone's done it yet) - they're like the VXT in that respect, but they start out with a bigger turbo.

Dan

[dannylt]

I echo Bogie here! Done another track day in my old 98 Honda powered S1 and I enjoyed it thoroughly - and my usual track car is a Radical SR3. The Honda engine is fantastic - revvy & torquey, perfect for track driving and very quick on the road.

While I agree you have to upgrade the pads (just a few hundred quid and a world of difference) I would argue that you leave the suspension and tyres alone, just make sure the geometry is spot on. It's just an absolute hoot to drive, and very satisfying catching GT3's and Superlights Neutral balance fast, or chuck it around and power oversteer - does both happily!

Decent suspension - stiffer, lowered, Nitrons etc. and sticky tyres will certainly make it a LOT quicker - but less progressive and probably less fun unless you're into pure speed. In which case buy my SR3

Also echo Bogie on the heavy VXR and fragile 190. The S1 is very light and I think this makes all the difference, and the Honda engine seems to take hard track use in it's stride with no problems.

[Randy]

Go for a Honda, you won't regret it.