Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/07/10
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]The Elan S4 was a favourite of mine. It had Stromberg carbs which gave more power and broader torque band than the more fashionable Webers, and better fuel consumption. It was surprisingly roomy for such a tiny light car. Frank On 11 Jul, 2009, at 00:42, Jerry Lehrer wrote: > Dennis und Frank > > The original Europa mit Renault engine was a dog! But the original > Elite, if it had modern brakes would really be > a windy road car. The Elan S2 when de-bugged is a superb handling > car. > > Yes, I've used them all > > Jerry Lehrer > > > Dennis wrote: >> Hi Frank, >> >> I wondered your thoughts on Lotus' road cars. I had a Europa >> Special and it is a marvel. Very light, incredible suspension, and >> so responsive. I thought Colin Chapman brilliant and was stunned at >> his premature passing. >> >> I could never afford one of todays 'supercars' but if I could I >> would likely own a Lotus and use some of that "leftover" money for >> a worthy cause. >> >> I agree the Veyron is an ugly piece ;-) >> >> But, Lotus aside, what do you make of the Ariel Atom? >> >> Dennis >> >> >> Frank Dernie wrote: >>> Pagani Zonda. >>> For "frequent" use Ferrari 599. >>> For daily use Porsche 911 turbo. >>> For pure driving Lotus anything. >>> >>> There are lots of cars about which have fancy styling and are "2 >>> seat limos" with loads of kit, weight and electronic driving aids >>> to make them easy to drive for less good drivers. >>> These are great pose-mobiles and practical for a rich person of >>> limited talent to show-off in. >>> >>> I may have left some out, I am neither wealthy enough nor >>> interested enough to study in detail. Weight is the most important >>> chassis parameter for performance. Road cars are to a great extent >>> a fashion item and image statement. Published stuff tends to be >>> acceleration and top speed. It is possible to get impressive >>> figures for these without much chassis sophistication at all. >>> Since weight is currently not something fashionable to minimise >>> "supercars" are now as heavy as trucks, hence no longer supercars >>> IMO. This Bugatti thing weighs the same as 2 Ford GT40s! >>> >>> To put perspective on this, +10kg on a F1 car loses over 0.3 secs >>> per lap. >>> >>> Frank >> > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information