Alex Grabau (village idiot)
Elise S1, Alfa GTV, Elise S1 111S, Elise Sport 160, TVR Chimaera 400, Porsche Boxster 3.2 S
What, you were expecting to see a Meriva?
"Having worked my way through a series of baby sports cars over the past 15 years, I always came back to the Elise as the car which was most enjoyable. The Alfa was great and shockingly reliable, but more a grand tourer than a sports car. The TVR with its sleeved exhaust system was great when all the planets came into alignment and the damn thing worked, looked fantastic, and sounded like God clearing his throat. The Boxster was hugely capable in every single way, but there lay its weakness; lack of character. By character I mean the quirks which some would call annoyances or engineering defects. The Elise was always an 'event' to drive, no more so than in the Scandal Green SVA Sport 160 variant I had the great pleasure of owning.
"Fast forward to today. I'm now a father and have a fantastic wife who is sympathetic to my indulgent petrolhead ways and my 'n+1' approach to owning cars. The everyday car is a Honda CRV which is hugely practical and obscenely reliable, but the automotive equivalent of a tin of magnolia emulsion. I also have a VW T5 camper conversion with remapped engine and lots of other 'tweaks' which is fantastically practical for those essential summer dashes to Monaco, or boys mountain biking trips to Wales, but my life was still lacking an 'event' car, and something small enough to nip through town and park up easily at the 'Little Emperor's' nursery.
"The original plan was to buy the wife an Mk2.5 MX-5 as a surprise Christmas present, but after some subtle research, it turns out that she thought they were a bit 'meh'. The budget them spiralled a little and the end result was this Europa Blue 2.2 normally aspirated VX220. Why a VX220 and not an Elise? Well, in very simple terms, I like the look of them, know that they are essentially a Lotus S2 with a more reliable drivetrain (which unlike the K-Series or Toyota Elise, was actually developed by Lotus), and, usefully, they are cheaper to buy. A speedy bit of research via the very friendly and informative www.vx220.org.uk forum followed and a deal was struck on this 2002 car which benefits from some very sensible trackday modifications and an impeccable service history care of the experts at BackOnTrack and Plans Motorsport. The ability to call them up and get chapter and verse on how well the previous owners had looked after the car was all I needed to hear."
Start them young and all that...
"They might be cheap to buy [full
PH buying guide here
], but parts can be eye-wateringly expensive (don't even ask about replacement headlights!), certainly more so than the Elise. Scarcity is the main reason for this. The VX220 (or Lotus Type 116 if you want to wind up an Elise owner) was built in relatively tiny numbers and many have been written off over the years. Although no more difficult to drive than the Elise, they are nevertheless a mid-engined rear-wheel drive sports car and a heavy right foot in the wrong circumstances will lead to an elegant pirouette into a hedge or worse.
"In terms of performance, they are quick but not Boxster S quick. Many owners of 2.2s are going down the supercharger route which can easily add another 100hp for a very reasonable outlay. The later 2.0 Turbo (or 'tubby' as it's affectionately known thanks to its slightly more portly nature over the 'edgy' 2.2) is a great option for those looking for a bit more comfort and 'from-the-factory' poke. My 2.2 is a little more powerful than standard and certainly sounds the part thanks to the four-into-one manifold, sports cat, epically loud sports exhaust and induction kit, but I am still left yearning a little more forward grunt after being spoilt in the Porsche."
Things I love:
"For me, the search for petrolhead nirvana must satisfy as many of the senses as possible. Sensation (ie. speed and handling) is a given, but there is also sight (the look of the car), touch (the ergonomics of the interior), sound (no need to elaborate) and smell (not so relevant unless you get into the murky world of decats). I love the way the VX handles, I absolutely love the way it looks, I love the cockpit layout and seating position and I love the way it sounds.
"It also works fantastically for taking the 'Little Emperor' to nursery. He absolutely loves it and his car seat fits snugly and safely into the passenger bucket seat. He does however need to wear ear defenders to protect his little eardrums from the noise of the sports exhaust, but he doesn't seem to mind. I have even learnt that there are one or two models of pushchairs that will fit into the boot (which incidentally has a larger aperture than the Elise), so that will be my next investment.
Coming to a parent and child space near you
"The nursery have now got used to hearing us coming well before we arrive, but supermarket car parks are a different thing. The scowls I get from people when I growl my way into a parent and baby parking slot is almost as priceless as the looks I then get when I fish out the little one and pop him in the shopping trolley."
Things I hate:
"Having owned a number of comparable cars before, I'm used to inherent and unavoidable impracticalities and relatively fragilities, so I won't list many of them here. However, when compared with other cars of a similar nature, the fuel tank is absolutely tiny. I can just about get a thimble full of unleaded in there, and if I drive gently, I can get to the end of the road before needing to fill up again. The standard heater is a joke, but this can be improved with modifications. The GRP outer sills look strong, but put any weight on them and you'll go through them, and the plastic textured sill guards tend to crack and are circa £100 a side to replace. The standard ABS is also a bit of a potentially dangerous joke. It is a very simple two-channel affair and many owners fit a switch under the front bonnet to disconnect it when track driving. To have the pedal kick back at you and refuse to the slow the car down when you are barrelling into a corner is slightly disconcerting to the say the least. On ice, it doesn't bear thinking about."
Costs:
"So far, in the little time I have owned it, the car has been very cheap to own. It was circa 35 per cent cheaper to buy than the equivalent Elise and so far I haven't managed to break it. The wife has even driven it a few times without sending it into a spectacular crashing fireball, which is quite an achievement for her. Insurance is pretty cheap if you go down the specialist route. I have a limited mileage (5K) policy through Adrian Flux which mirrors my regular no claims and it comes in at £350 for myself, the wife and a further named driver.
"In terms of maintenance, most of the hard work has already been done by the previous owners including timing chain, engine mounts, suspension, brakes and tyres, so for the time being, I get to enjoy the fruits of their labour. The Lotus-developed alloy 2.2 four-cylinder engine is massively understressed in the VX as it is usually put to work lugging bigger Vauxhalls around the UK's congested road networks, so I am not expecting problems there, and certainly not the head gasket related issues that the earlier Elises suffered with their cottage cheese bored-out Rover Metro engines, the 'will it, won't it' blow up worry about the water-cooled Porsche engine and the more rudimental 'will it actually start and stay running' nature of the TVR. Not having to watch the temperature gauge like a hawk in standing traffic is an enjoyable 'perk'."
Where I've been:
"I haven't racked up too many miles yet, although I managed a blast up to Cheddar Gorge (on a mercy-mission to get my hound's favourite cheese) and a spirited evening run out across the Purbecks with my Lotus-owning counterparts via the PistonHeads Lotus forum. The mainstay of the mileage has been running the little one to nursery and back. Whether I take it on the annual pilgrimage to Le Mans next June is still to be decided. The memory foam mattress in the back of the T5 and large dry side awning has a certain appeal which the VX will be hard pushed to compete with."
What next:
"I can't really see myself selling it any time soon. It fulfils the petrolhead need in my personality and doesn't break the bank (so far). I would like to go down the supercharger route, but with other recent 'delightful' drains on my finances, I think I might just think myself lucky that I have it and enjoy it to the best of its abilities."
Want to share your car with PHers on Carpool? Email us at carpool@pistonheads.com!
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