I know they’ve “federalised” the Elise/Exige so that it can be sold in the USA which is fair enough… but in doing so they’ve added ABS which everyone agrees has spoilt the driving experience somewhat (many reviewers say “heel + toeing” is now out of the question)…
So… why can’t Lotus offer non-ABS as a no-cost option ?
Surely, they’ve sold enough Elises (+variants) in the Europe to be able to justify this option.
Then they’d just need to sort out the downforce/styling and it’d be half way there.
Isn’t the whole debate that with proper 4 channel ABS you will pretty much always stop quicker as if for example you just lock up one of the fronts youhave to release all the brakes to unlock that one wheel and then apply it all again…
With proper ABS it will just unlock that wheel still giving you maximum braking force on the other 3 IYSWIM.
and as for ABS it is almost certainly an advantage on a wet track
For sure, anyone stamping their foot on the brake, ABS is going to be better.
But I wasn’t asking from a “I’m smarter than ABS” standpoint, it was from a weight-related standpoint.
Since the new Exige is a good margin heavier than the original Exige I was wondering how it could be pared down. The servo assistance/ABS is often quoted as a reason why it’s heavier.
FWIW, I’ve never locked up for any more than a split second in either the wet or dry, perhaps I’m not trying hard enough.
I’m sure they could.
Alternatively, they can take a completed car off the line, drive it out of the gates and back in again (I love beurocracy) and then get the Lotus Sport department to modify it. This way they don’t even have to get through the SVA process.
[Since the new Exige is a good margin heavier than the original Exige I was wondering how it could be pared down. The servo assistance/ABS is often quoted as a reason why it’s heavier.
FWIW, I understand the bulk of the weight gain is due to the toyota engine and gearbox. Apparantly the K series rover engine is very light and the toyota kit is around 50kg heavier [wet].
If I remember correctly, the front/rear % weight split for the S2 was closer to 50/50 than the S1. Therefore, there must be some more weight up front, especially if the Toyota lump is that much heavier. I’d take that to be ABS gear.
I thought the Rover K (not the Honda one) was one of the lightest motors ever made. I doubt anything with variable valve kit (such as the Toyota) could be lighter!
The figures I’ve got suggest the Rover stuff is lighter by 29 kilos for the engine, and 6 kilos for the gearbox. Whether this includes ancilliaries I don’t know.
There’s no doubt the K is usefully lighter than the Toyota/Yamaha unit.
Alternatively, they can take a completed car off the line, drive it out of the gates and back in again (I love beurocracy) and then get the Lotus Sport department to modify it. This way they don’t even have to get through the SVA process.
Sounds like a plan to me !!
Put some decent bodywork on it, remove the ABS, and whack a supercharger on it and even I’d be tempted by one !!
But they could still do an Exige-R which is just SVAd individually though, right ?
SVA rules have been tightened up and AFAIK large car manufacturers (and Lotus comes under this) are no longer allowed to SVA, although not 100% certain on that one, we don’t do low volume stuff at work so never have to deal with this.
There is a certain number of cars that a manufacturer must make to mean they have to fit ABS etc, and IIRC it’s 5000. Therefore companies like Caterham etc don’t need to adhere to new regs.
The idea Brendan has about building driving off site and then returning it to Lotus Motorsport I think would only be valid if it was registered beforehand.
The idea Brendan has about building driving off site and then returning it to Lotus Motorsport I think would only be valid if it was registered beforehand.
Isn’t this what they did with the Elise Sport 190? The customer bought the car (via their dealer), but only took delivery of it once the conversion work was carried out by Motorsports Dept. at the factory. In the meantime, the “original” car was paid for by the customer & registered in his name, but it remained at Hethel for the tuning work to be carried out.