Elise S1 111s vs BMW m3

General General Lotus Talk
1

I have the fabulous 111s. A friend of mine says (playground stuff this!) that his M3 would whip my little elise on the track. Whilst I appreciate the M3 is as seriously fast car, is my 111s going to be burried?

2

LOL he has obviously not been on a track with Elise’s or Exiges then [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif[/image] even with my crap driving skills, a M3 is no match on a twisty circuit. [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/grin.gif[/image]Try Anglesey Circuit, you should be able to lap the thing !!

3

Is it an E36 or E30 M3?The special Edition E30 might get close, but only close, on a circuit that is not too twisty.An E36 or E46 has no chance on a twisty circuit. In my Exige last year I had a “run in” with an E46 (The guy thought it was the dog’s!) and it didn’t really make an impact in a straight line until you got above about 110 mph, and braking and cornering were way off. That was an Exige though, but I reckon an Elise would give it a run for it’s money, unless it’s an E30.Of course, these comparisons really do depend on the pilot! ;o)

4

I didn’t think so either. Besides, just how many heads does an M3 turn?? I cant park or drive mine anywhere without it being drooled over (it’s the Norfolk Mustard colour so tends to stand out a tad!). Oh and it’s the E-46. [This message has been edited by OmniCube (edited 05 March 2003).]

5

I have not had my Exige long and so haven’t been able to try it out on a track yet, but my road car is a M3 E46 and the Exige is without doubt faster through corners. That said the M3 is still a terrific handling car and for mid range grunt takes some beating. I cant compare with E30 as I have only driven a friends but the M3 E46 handling, breaking and cornering are far in advance of the E36. The Exige is only my 2nd Lotus but I’ve had and an M3 E36, 2 x Alpina’s and on my 2nd E46. Overall I think I have the best of both worlds.

6

I was doing a pair of new M3s every few laps at Donnington last year. Make me grin! [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/grin.gif[/image]Ian [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif[/image]

7

The M3 will have you in the wet though.Cheers

8

quote:Originally posted by MarkD:The M3 will have you in the wet though.Yeah, but that wont be due to driver skill, the electronics will take over and drive it for them!

9

Only if the TC is switched on, without that the low rev torque of the M3 will struggle to get it’s power down as well as the Exige out of slower corners.The Exige is pretty quick and grippy in the wet, the main problem is that small gap between quick and accident that becomes apparent in the wet.Spectator: "You looked like you had a couple of moments there when it started to rain!"Exige owner: “Nah, I only had one moment really, it’s just it started at the begining of the lap and didn’t finish until I pitted!”