p.mole1 Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 Anyone got one or driven one? I'm thinking of changing my Caterham for something a bit more comfortable. I don't have a trailer and driving to track days is not great, plus my wife refuses to get in it. I think it would have to be a higher powered version of the Elise as I think the lower powered ones will feel a bit of a damp squib after a Caterham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team Shortshift Posted November 13, 2020 Leadership Team Share Posted November 13, 2020 Interesting...James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECR Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 Has your wife tried to get into an Elise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CtrMint Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 I used to own an Exige Cup 260 before my Exige V6 Cup. The Elise 250 is pretty close to the Exige Cup 260, an amazing car and a lot of fun. I would highly recommend one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David aka Blue7 Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 ECR makes a valid point and the video below is for the "big" Lotus Exige Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon_h Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 A better car is the Elise SC with the 2zz supercharged. More fun and revs better. The 220 2zr was pegged at 220 for a very good reason found in development, it could get close to the 250 ish they claim now. The later management decided to ignore the issue and hope it doesn’t happen on the road. It is only apparent at sustained high revs, wot and that’s not achievable for long periods on the road. Remember that it’s a road car not a track car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Golf Juliet Tango Posted November 13, 2020 Area Representative Share Posted November 13, 2020 Getting in & out. I think the elderly Greek gentleman did well. BTW:- do you think they had the seat well forward?Put the hood up on a 21 and it is equally challenging (but the secret is to pop the hood up and resecure it once seated). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p.mole1 Posted November 14, 2020 Author Share Posted November 14, 2020 Crikey, they look worse than a Caterham for ease of entry. I have never even tried to get in one let alone driven one, although I don't think that will be a problem yet, I've a while to go before a zimmer frame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Whitley Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 With the hoods on there is not much difference between getting in and out of my 7 and my S1 Elise. The only time I sat in an S2 Exige I ended up doing a forward roll to get out though that was before I had my Elise and learned the technique. To get my wife in and out (she's, er, less nimble/flexible than I am) I have to take the roof off the Elise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 I had an S2 Elise. Once you have learned the technique it's pretty straight forward. Top tip is always to slide the seat all the way back to give you max legroom both getting in and getting out. The roof is really easy to pop on and off so if you need to get a passenger in you can always un clip the bar on that side and roll the roof back while the passenger gets in and then pop it back in, takes seconds.Having said that, having built the muscle memory to get in and out the driver seat, I always struggled to get out the passenger side! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Golf Juliet Tango Posted November 14, 2020 Area Representative Share Posted November 14, 2020 Oh yes, doing the mirror image does feel remarkably odd & is more difficult than one would think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard_W Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 I've not owned an Elise 250 but I have owned an S1 Elise, and S2 Exige and a series 2 Europa, the latter being very much maligned but when set up properly probably the best of the lot.Putting aside performance if you are looking at useability the Caterham is no better or worse than any of the Lotus cars. With the roof on, the Elise is much harder to get in an out of, not just because of the entry slot but also the Elise has a very deep sill that you have to get over. Linked to this, I think the Caterham with the hood off is a much nicer place than any Elise variant with the hood or roof on. I have never used a hood of an sort on my Caterham, but in an Elise with the hood on there is not much headroom and with the engine behind you it can get very noisy, plus they steam up a lot in the winter!I love all the Elise variant cars and if I had garage space would have another S1 in an instant. But, if useability is why its being considered then think really carefully as you may not get what you want in terms of comfort etc and for a pure driving experience the Caterham is better.Have you considered a Boxster or a Cayman? Not quite a pure as a Lotus, but not far off, but much more useable day to day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p.mole1 Posted November 18, 2020 Author Share Posted November 18, 2020 I did consider a Cayman but I was put off by the IMS bearing problem, plus I didn't think it would be much fun on the track. It is not the getting in and out of the Caterham that is an issue, I find driving it over 200 miles to track day is not the best with the UK's varrible weather. I was assuming an Elise would be much better with a roof and a heater. I think I need to try one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7 wonders of the world Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 If you have storage available spend about a grand on a trailer for the 7..... assuming you have a towcar and suitable licience too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team Shortshift Posted November 19, 2020 Leadership Team Share Posted November 19, 2020 I, too, was going to suggest a trailer. And if storage is an issue, consider hiring one for those occasions (trackdays and so on) where it would be better to drive to the event in comfort.That way you get to keep the Seven. And trailers seem to hold their value, too, so the long-term cost would be close to zilch.James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7 wonders of the world Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 GP Sevens have a trailer for sale.........http://www.gpsevens.co.uk/other-items-for-sale-sevens-2-2/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS TODD Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 I certainly agree with the Elise comments concerning entry and exit. The sill is high and the roof is low!If removing the roof and putting it in the boot it will use up at least 25% of the boot.No worries re the noise if you get the sound pack and stick with the standard exhaust on the S2Working on the car is very restrictive compared to a Seven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Brown Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 Will the folded rolled up roof fit behind a seat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard_W Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 Not easily, there really isn't any space behind the seats. You could squash it in but that wouldn't be good if it was wet.The Elise roof was / is a complete afterthought, it was not meant to have one, so its not the best as far there was no real provision to store it once its off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonT Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 Get over to SELOC and get some real world owner experiences. The S1 roof was an afterthought, but the short roof S2 onwards is much better (and smaller), I think afterthought is unfair even if it's not to MX5 standards. The S1 I had had a fair bit of space behind the seats for stowage. Not sure what the S2 is like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 My S2 had a sort of shelf behind the passenger seat where I think the roof is supposed to go. It looked a bit of a tight squeeze so I mostly put mine in the boot or just rolled it up and put it on the passenger side floor. Mine had the touring pack which I think included a roof lining layer so that may be why it was a tight squeeze. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECR Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 The short S2 roof will fit behind the seats in an S2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p.mole1 Posted November 26, 2020 Author Share Posted November 26, 2020 I think a trailer is a good idea, I have a camper van so that's the accommodation sorted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team Shortshift Posted November 26, 2020 Leadership Team Share Posted November 26, 2020 "I think a trailer is a good idea"James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p.mole1 Posted November 26, 2020 Author Share Posted November 26, 2020 Have decided to keep it after a short blast, also I think I could loose a fortune after the 2030 bombshell! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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