Hi,

I have tons of Seat Time in the Elise, going back to 2000 including Track Time both here in the States and at the Test Track at Hethel. I have 4 friends who own them and another who has a Series 1 Sun Conversion with the Honda VTec (actually the best combination). I even demonstrated the Elise for Lotus at the 2002 Mpls. Auto Show and got 7 deposits for the Local Dealer.
This car was a straight ROW demonstrator with the Kent Engine, not nearly so powerful as the Yamaha-Based, Toyota US Variant.

I am certain that I could better any Boxster out there in an Elise, except in a straight line, and only then when approaching Red Line. This is why I say the Driver was either inexperienced or unmotivated in the situation described.

It doesn't surprise me that the Corvette could pull away at will. It's power-to-weight ratio is superior.

Now, the Elise is unlivable as anything more than a Fun or Track Car, but that's another issue.

Happy Motoring!...Jim'99

I agree that the Elise will outhandle a Boxster. I agree the Vette will pull away but I was thinking it would have happened quicker. My last reply was to you quoting 0-60 times and I know from experience that the Elise is NOT a 4.9 sec car (unless you absolutely fry the clutch trying)! Now...i'm not a track guy and most people who have the Elise will never see the track. Like me they bought the Elise sight unseen and thought it would have been a great car to cruise around town. But like most people who bought the first 2000 found out it becomes downright boring driving a pure track car on the streets. This then makes the Boxster so much nicer. An all around fun car!

I wish I had the luck to have been able to drive the Elise around the Hethel track. Hell, I wish I had the luck to drive any car around any twisties. Chicago is just too flat! :cheers:

Hi,

I totally agree with you. It is not practical or enjoyable in any other form than pure Rock n' Rollin'. I had the opportunity to purchase one $5k offlist when they first arrived because of some relationships I have, but declined and got the Boxster, it so much nicer an all-around ride.

BTW, there's a very nice Raod Course not far from you - Blackhawk Farms Raceway, located in South Beloit, Illinois maybe 90 minutes from Downtown Chitown. It's a great 1.95 mile Road Course. If interested in Track time, check them out. I'm sure they have Open Track Days or open Car Club events on their calendar. I've driven it many times with my Lotus Esprit and Formula Vee and it's a really nice course.

Happy Motoring!...Jim'99

The Elise does have a good 0-60 if driven well, but it starts slowing down in a hurry once speeds start to get serious. The Box S will catch it in a high speed run(just for arguements sake). 0-120 mph they are about even and past that the Box just keeps pullin away. The little 1.8L can't overcome the wind resistence which is why it is drag limited to about 150mph compared to the Box S top speed of 164mph.

Jim, I live in Charleston IL about 45 min south of Champaign. How far approximately is that track from me? Sounds like fun.

@Adam,

Check them out here: http://www.blackhawkfarms.com/ The local PCA affiliate holds several events here annually.

Happy Motoring!...Jim'99

Elise vs Box S
 

The Elise is more versatile than it looks. I just had 5,000 miles of seat time in an Elise, including a bit of tracking. I used it as a daily driver too. 1 month ago I took a road trip in it with my wife for a long weekend at the beach (Miami to Captiva Island on the West coast of FL). BTW am 6'0" tall.

The Elise does have its limitations, but I enjoyed driving it every day, especially with the Quicksilver Sport Exhaust, Sport Suspension & Touring Packages. The hardtop looked cool too.

I traded the Elise for my Box S due to a frustrating problem...the AC can't handle the heat/humidity in Miami. The AC is an afterthought; problems with the AC are well documented on the Elise boards. If it weren't for that issue I'd still have the Elise.

In terms of handling, the Elise is more agile than the Boxster. The Elise accelerates more quickly at lower speeds than the Box S, although keepin it "on the boil" is tricky due to the 6K RPM threshold for the second cam profile.

Insofar as design, the Elise looks fantastic. The Box does too, but at this point it is a very common sight

Having said all that, the Box S is much more tractable given its torque. The Box S has a higher top speed. The Box S hurries along quickly without making a fuss-- you go faster than you think you're going if you don't watch it; the Elise is a rabid Chihuahua by comparison-- you feel you're going faster than you actually are. The driving experience in the Box S is sublime compared to the Elise.

The Bose stereo works well on the Box S (the Blaupunkt on the Elise does not...and the speaker tops melt in the sun...happened twice to me and I didn't park in the sun). The Box S has plenty of storage space. The Elise's body shell cracks expensively if you're ever hit (it's a fiberglass shell--the front clam costs $6K). The Box has and will have plenty of options and accessories available for it...much more than the Elise. The Elise requires oil changes every 4.5K miles; the Box S is every 15K. Overall the quality of everything on the Box is better than the quality of the Elise.

Bottom line, I'm pleased with my trade, but the Elise is a great car as well if you don't need AC!

.

@SJP3003,

Hi,

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE the Elise for what it is. I first drove a Gen 1 back in '98. It's a fantastic piece of engineering - the Modern Day Europa, but better. The AC was an afterthought and not even available on ROW cars, so I'm not surprised by your comments...

Happy Motoring!...Jim'99