Was it a slight?

Went driving with a group of Lotus guys today and one commented that he was "impressed" that I kept up in the top four, (Exige4, me3, Exige2 (all carbon fiber body), and the lead driver1...) Seriously I've run into this before where the 'others" talking crap about 911's since they are the benchmark. It hurt man, it hurt......

there are a couple Lotus that frequent the track I go to... One is stock and I could whip its ***... (because the driver - for the most part) the other has a supercharger and some really hot suspension.. I would not want to go head to head with that thing.... That said, its rude to say "gee grandpa, we are shocked you kept up in the family wagon" - then again that IS the funny side of it.... you ever see those things going to and from work? Seen a 6 footer get in, let alone OUT!!.... or had one call you on the radio and say... slow down guys this thing tops out at 125 !!! (145 for the new ones) all the while youhave a picnic basket with cheese and wine in the bonnet with your comfortable wife in the passenget seat.... yea, cry me a river - our cars rock!!!

From the horror stories I've read about and heard firsthand, I'm surprised Lotus is still able to sell cars. Kit car quality, horrible dealers, etc.

BTW you are not drinking your blues away are you... that title is a rough one !

Aside from the Evora [sp.?] the Lotus cars are IMO single purpose; the 996 is not. I'd take it as a big compliment. Think of everything the 996 can do reasonably well; now make the same list for any of the cars you listed. No comparison. 996 multi -purpose FTW

It was a rude comment no doubt. But those little cars can kick some butt. I agree they are single purpose, but so are lots of cars. 911's are unique that they can be DD's and perform well at the track.

Speaking of Lotus cars...We were in Myrtle Beach this weekend where we rented an oceanfront condo. Well someone in the building had a Lotus Exige that they parked right in front (instead of using the covered parking garage which was pretty much empty) and it attracted so much attention. Sitting on the balcony we could see nearly everyone stopping to stare at it. I guess the owner got the reaction he wanted! Nice looking machine but like someone said above...single purpose vehicle.

The lotus is a blast, but I certainly cant exit that car gracefully! Love one for the track.. but thats it.

I don't think it is physically possible for me to get in a Lotus in the first place...

I've been thinking of picking up an Elise, but I would keep my 996. No, it's not meant to be a daily driver...I'm OK with that.

I drove an Elise at the track and wanted to buy it as soon as I got back to the paddock! However, I reconsidered as I struggled to get out of the car. One thing I've noticed, though - the cars don't seem to turn particularly quick lap times vs. 911s and Caymans. They FEEL fast and look fast, but the lack of power is an issue, particularly on tracks w/ long straights. I think it was Car & Driver that did the comparison test between the Cayman and the Exige S. They expected the Lotus to be quicker on the track, but the stopwatch told a different story. Of course, when you're not driving on the track, I believe the whole Porsche/Lotus argument is very one sided - the Elise/Exige is a difficult car to live with in real world circumstances as compared to the P-cars.

I hate everything about the Elise except the exhaust note......it is heavenly with the top off!

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We had one loop it coming out of corner 10 at Mosport yesterday in the rain (lapping group) and hit the wall *** backwards leaving some pieces behind. The Porsches in the group had no trouble with the track...

last month we had one spin of track and go thru the trees... the car missed a barrel, a tire wall, a ditch and all the trees ? drove it out on the track, had it checked out and ran again... I watched it go (in horor!) but that is one lucky bastard !

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I *tried* to get into a friend's Lotus and I ripped my pants down my crotch. Not fun.

<cracking up>

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Relax, he was paying you a complement. He expected the group of Lotus's to leave you in their dust. When that didn't happen he was surprised. Then he complemented your car and your driving. Seems simple enough to me. Phil

Yeah I agree. I've just heard similar comments from other Lotus owners about other cars can't hang with them. But we always do. Just seems like a trend. And don't get me wrong these guys were nice guys and fun to drive with. I'd drive with them again without a doubt. I'll post some pics of one of their cars. An Exige ALL CARBON FIBER!!!! Very nice! Oh and the title was messed up since I took a chunk out of my thumb with a corkscrew......(ahem).

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+1 Big time... went for a ride in a friend's Elise... both entry and egress included a procedure that had me sitting on the ground. They certainly look cool enough... but not for me... Rudy

The new Evora is quite nice... its a mid engine 2+2. Comparable to a Cayman performance. http://www.carcentral.com.au/2008050...n-germany.html

That looks a lot more like a 2+1 1/2

Reminds me of the time when I had a 928 and a guy with a highly moddified Vette wanted to race me. I said fine, to CA, he wanted a quarter mile, knowing his car would probably never make it the the stateline, if even the city limits. The Porsche will keep up with the Lotus on the track, and be a joy to drive on a day to day basis, short or long distances, dry rain or snow, etc. etc. The lotus cars are beautiful and have their advantages, but are really limited.

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Remind me to tell you the story about the first time I flew in for a "Meet the Parents". Just as funny as ripping the pants in the Lotus I promise, let's just say we never did get married! This is a good quote, and I will use it tomorrow on some guy who wants to drag (although I seem to get a lot of Japanese cars with firebreathing exhausts, they may outlast me mechanically but I'm fairly sure I'll pose less fire risk)! I actually like Lotus people. They are obsessed with cutting weight, spend a lot of time at the track, and are almost all a lot shorter than me. What's not to like? My (female) friend in LA has had an Exige S since it came out, and she's a 5'4" Auto journalist from Japan! As for the frequent crashes, I agree, they do seem to come off the wrong way a lot. Al I can imagine is that they are a very low polar moment car with a very short wheelbase, a decent amount of tire, and while I never found the limits while driving, nearly everyone I know that owns one has spun it, and the stories are similar, it feels like it's going to pull through then your facing the other way. Or in the case of my friend the auto journalist, you're hanging off the side of a cliff. Now 911s don't spin anymore, it's been bred out of the line right? Well I have spun my share, and I'm sure most of us have had a moment when ambition exceeded both talent and grip. Finally, was it a slight? Ahh who cares what he meant? You've got like 200% the power and only 40% more weight with way more track & wheelbase, along with the benefit some 40 years of research and development in making this car with the engine in the wrong place go fast. Plus you've probably got seat time on them. It's only natural that you'd keep up or even run out front in a more competitive setting!

Here's the super sweet all carbon fiber Exige....

I like that CF Lotus! nice.

can you say - DONT HIT - !!! and people said the old fiberglass cars were hard to fix!! Cool though

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Generally on the track, 911 > Exige > Elise. Very few stock Lotus's can get around stock 911s. When you start modding either car, all bets are off. You can get a couple seconds a lap with suspension, and another couple with super sticky tires. All things being equal (tires and stock setups), I'll go head to head in my car with any Lotus out there. I ain't scared. My money will be on my 911. -td

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A GT3 driver can get away with saying this!!!

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Should have said the other cars were holding you back. Sincerely, Macster.

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Been mostly a lurker recently, but the above comment was just too good not to compliment it. Good comeback! Here's a vid with a "hot" Elise and a few Porsches. Enjoy, and see where the Elise should be ranked. He's a friend of mine, so no bad comments, please . http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...59581872348675

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I go to track days in my NA 2003 with the local Lotus club at a tight track perfectly suited for Loti. I am not a particularly experienced track driver, but okay. All of the Exige's at the track are supercharged and have been tuned. They are all faster than me as is the one supercharged Elise I encountered. I am faster than all the stock Elise's except one with track tires and a good driver. The Lotus folks I know are a really really good group. They are proud of their cars. Yeah, and they think that their cars are better than yours. Isn't that the way it should be? Oh, and entry and exit of an Elise is a piece of cake compared with a Exige.

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Fair point. But my money is still on me in my old 996 -td

There was some pedal left....not much, but I think it would have came up to driver and chance. I put 40K+ miles a year on my DD here. I get a fair amount of stick time. Maybe not ***** to the wall, but I enjoy driving. But thinking back on it, it's like complaining that I went out on a date with a supermodel and I complained that there was dressing on my steak..... Maybe I need to see the bigger picture.... I'm out with nice folks, great cars, and awesome roads.

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btw: is your car stock height or euro height?? Suspension mods???

Ha they asked that and I said, only the exhaust. They did enjoy the sound! My next step is sways, Michelin cup tires (due to a ungodly great deal), suspension....

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Very cool - I was considering a USA M030 since I don't mind the SUV height at all. I was considering replacing the shocks and reasoned that I might as well do it all while the struts are off: shocks, sways, springs, any other bushings that are needing replaced, etc.