chikico.matos

@Arregueti Right!? So many great ones, it's really hard to choose! I have never even seen one in real life, but my "bet" would go to the Europa, being mid-engine, also having a great ride and simple mechanics. I would actually really like to tinker around with them, to know every nut and bolt, and actually be hands-on with its mechanics (sometimes not for the best reasons from what I've read, but the Europa fits the bill nevertheless) Also, writing this reply directly after my previous post, now that I think about it, it would be cool to turn this into a thread about other cars that also carry some of the Lotus' spirit and philosophy, I imagine lots of other curious users would enjoy it.

Here goes another great little car: the Tommykaira ZZ! It beat the S1 Elise by a couple of months, and it's strikingly similar. It was Tommykaira's first car, a company that up to that point was an engine tuning company. It's a bit more unrefined than the Elise, as it's sills are even more... silly big (hahaha how funny), had a finicky hardtop which was not watertight at all and it didn't even feature side windows! However, it weighed 690kg, featured double-wishbones all around and given that its tuned Nissan-derived powertrain made 180hp, it went from 0-60 in 4 seconds. Around Japan’s Tsukuba Circuit it outran the Lamborghini Diablo and Ferrari F430 Scuderia! The later ZZ-S would finally get an actual roof and functioning side windows... together with an extra 20hp! Even though I prefer the looks of the S1 Elise, this one also looks very cool. Its brushed-aluminium gauge cluster and exposed gearbox components are a thing of beauty! I particularly like its stance viewing it from the rear. The back cover has two layers, the top one, shaped by the engine underneath it looks super cool, and it would double down as an emergency hardtop in case the bigger one was left at home. Not that it would protect you much from the elements... Different companies kept producing them up to 2005. It's like the Ariel Atom of the 90s, must be absolutely bonkers to drive one! Top Gear concluded: "It rides with a surprising degree of compliancy, stays planted at the back (once beyond second gear) and generally feels surefooted. Enjoyable on a track, but needs more tuning to rival an Elise. If only the steering was a little sweeter and the brake pedal wasn’t quite so lifeless, the car would genuinely be approaching Elise territory."

@EscapeWoah, so not that long ago two more were recovered! Even in that state, they look absolutely goregous! (akin to the A110, but somehow just better!) The 530 as well, I just love these quirky cars! I'd love to talk to them, not exactly to buy a car (even though I would love to have one at some point, or other 60s lightweight drivers car like the Elan or the Europa (when I'm fully settled I'll 100% own a Europa, regardless of that making sense or not!, but as long as there are Elise S1 examples being sold for ~20 000€ that would definetly be my priority in the not-so-distant future...) I remember wathing a TV show where the presenter described it as rough and it feeling like a kit-car... Maybe that particular one needed some TLC? The thing is I can't even find active Djet forums, it would be cool to get into the Matra community as well!

I believe so, it beat DeTomaso by a matter of less than a year

Hi folks! I know what you're thinking, this is a bit However! Low, slung, low drag fibreglass body; Steel backbone chassis; Sub 620kg kerb weight; Double wishbone suspension all around; Renault-derived transaxle and engine - in the middle!; Beautifully quirky design! Sounds familiar? As certainly most (if not all) of us in this forum are fans of small, lightweight sports cars, I wonder if there's anyone here who has some more info about these, there doesn't seem to be much about them (besides the basic specs, which don't always tell the full story...) - maybe there's even someone who had some first hand experience in one of these and could tell us how it's like to drive! And if you didn't know these were a thing, hope this post makes you dive further into the wonderful world of oddball, obscure cars. Some hidden gems out there for sure!

Yes, don't get me wrong, it looks, in the best sense of the words, like a harmless-looking puppy, shaped very beautifully (also, looks even better in person, in movement). It's just the ride height, really. It looks goregous on the 2nd pic (prefer the og headlamps though)

Thank you for your feedback, @jep and @Escape! The Elise is probably the one that makes more sense to buy, it's just that the ride height (at least in proportion to the rest of the car) plus the thick, rounded roof bar (don't know how to call it) reminds me of a dune buggy... Lowered ones, even if just slightly, plus the soft top on, look vastly better I think. I'll definetly look into the +2. I wasn't considering it initially because of the extra weight, not sure if the driving dynamics would be negatively impacted by that. There's a guy about 10km away from me that has one, he told me he would take me for a drive in it last time I was with him. Very very beautiful car, maybe even more so than the 2 seater to my eyes. First time in a Lotus coming very soon, yay! I hope every other car doesn't get ruined after that🤣 I don't think he's registered over here yet, it'd be cool if he also came over to the forum! As far as maintenece goes, how would the Elans differ to the Europa? My preconception is that the Europa, being a 60s MR, would be the most feedback-y, responsive, sensitive and delicate (also the preetiest to my eyes, so I'm admittedly biased towards that one)

Hi everybody! (Warning - mild rambling ahead, lol) New forum member here! Just dreaming out loud (for now!) about a car that fills the senses with road feel, sensitivity and nimbleness, I literally became obsessed with Lotuses, and I've been reading about these three little beasts for a while, trying to figure out which one would blow me away the most Here's my question: between the original Elan, Europa and an Elise S1, which one would be the best drivers car for road use? It's a question that has been bugging me for ages, especially considering that not only are we talking about cars from different eras, but also because I haven't had the opportunity to actually be inside any of them. However: Being slim and roughly 1.70m tall, I can imagine that once in, size won't be much of an issue in any of the three. Build quality may also not be an issue in any of them - I've been inside an Elan +2 (the closest to any of these) and it surprised me how decent its interior felt. I was expecting a much more tinny build quality, and that wouldnt've been a deal breaker. In an ideal world, the Europa is my top pick, as it's often praised for its driving dynamics. However, I'm concerned about its gearbox, which supports rear suspension components and may wear out quickly. While the Europa appears to be mechanically simple and suitable for DIY maintenance, I lack experience in this area. Nevertheless, I'm open to learning and enjoying the process of taking care of it myself. The Renault engine, being modified by Lotus, might pose challenges in finding exact replacement parts. Also, I vaguely remember reading about gearbox linkage issues that could be hard (and expensive) to address. The Europa's gearbox feel might also be the weakest among the three. I wonder if the front engined Elan could offer a similar driving experience without requiring such a potentially brutal maintenence schedule. They command the highest prices, though, and the mid engine configuration is gone. That's why the S1 Elise became an option. As far as I know, being on top of maintenence, they are rock solid when it comes to reliability (especially in comparison to the other two) and it seems to have readily available parts. However, I don't know how much of the telepathic, freakishly responsive feel of the Europa I'd be missing out on by choosing an S1 Elise. In short, it all comes down to feeling connected and having fun at reasonable speeds for public roads. For all of you, way more experienced on these machines than me: how do these three compare?