15 replies to this topic

[neilp]

I owned an S1 Elise a few years back, and it was the 160 sport version. Very hard to live with, but rare, low and sounded great. It was also 0-60 in 4.9 secs. i have always regretted selling it......................until now. I have had my tubby for a month now and can not believe how much better, and Faster the car is. Talk about putting a smile on my face. Well chuffed and keeping for ever. Not sure 0-60 time but feels lots quicker than the elise.

[Hark]

Drove an S2 Elise but I thought it felt a bit under powered. I think NA would feel similar main roads but is ok on tight twsity lanes. Super charger or turbo has the punch to go with the handling.

[spuk87]

Is it a standard turbo? On paper it's supposedly 4.7s so shouldn't be much quicker than your elise, could just feel like it due to power delivery.

[neilp]

Standard turbo

[spuk87]

Good news then, if you get bored there is plenty of room for more power . How do you find the handling compares?

[2.2_na]

I have had my tubby for a month now and can not believe how much better, and Faster the car is. Talk about putting a smile on my face.
Well chuffed and keeping for ever. Not sure 0-60 time but feels lots quicker than the elise.

Have you posted that on Seloc?!

[neilp]

Not really driven it hard enough to test the handling, as a bit cautious still. No to Seloc, but to be fair i wasnt in any Lotus clubs etc and i owned it for about 5 years. Plus to my shame i never even did a track day in it!!

[hairy]

My conclusion as well, although I only drove my mates standard S2.

[moospeed]

I owned an S1 Elise a few years back, and it was the 160 sport version. Very hard to live with, but rare, low and sounded great. It was also 0-60 in 4.9 secs. i have always regretted selling it......................until now.
I have had my tubby for a month now and can not believe how much better, and Faster the car is. Talk about putting a smile on my face.
Well chuffed and keeping for ever. Not sure 0-60 time but feels lots quicker than the elise.

Oooh... just have to reply to this one having come from a Sport 160 to a engine-converted S1 to the Tubby (also standard save for a Larini backbox)

I thought the standard 0-60 for the Sport 160 was 5.1? Perhaps different between the SVA and WVTA models with their double-airbox. Which was yours?

Anyway, rather than re-type my findings here's a copy/paste of some posts of the past few months over on seloc.

Starting with one from my mate who has the sister car to my old 160, just one number different on the registration.

Vx220 Turbo

Wow they are quick, my Sport 160 is no slouch but i was amazed how quickly this car went past me.
Obviously on a private road, clearly my 5th gear is far to long and has not guts at all. C/R box me thinks or a Vx Turbo.

D

My reply a bit later on... after the usual seloc 'lego' slagging (which I don't mind one bit by the way, I love to wind up ego's on either side VX or Lotus )

Thought I could hear my ears burning, as D says it was quite surprising to both of us.

Having had a Sport 160 before myself I did think this was "slightly" quicker but yesterday whilst tacking round the country lanes, etc. it was clear that it had a fair bit more ooomph. I think the more laid back nature of the lardier turbo masks the extra acceleration to some extent maybe.

Out of roundabouts and tight bends with D in front I'd literally have to back off in 2nd gear. I then tried a few more just from 3rd gear which was better as I was still keeping in touch/gaining slightly but was able to revel in the "buzzing hornet" of the engine in front.

Mine is standard apart from Larini exhaust by the way, I had planned for a re-map at some point but I don't think I'll bother now.

However, having said that. Over breakfast Mr Furious did ask which of the three elise variants I'd had so far I preferred. The answer was Sport 160, I still stand by that answer.

Then again, on that run the Lotus's were comprehensively outperformed by a Ford Ka on heat so perhaps that should be the next option :lol

https://lh6.googleus...24_08.22.38.jpg

and a snippet from a U2U discussion with another 160-owning mate off seloc making some comparisons, he was having some considerations about one as a trackday car.

Saw your other U2U about VX Turbo. Unfortunately I'm suspended from both vx and seloc forums at the moment (nothing to do with the wind-ups) so can't just copy/paste my comparison review I wrote when I first got it but essentially, when in comparison with my Sport 160, both of which are very near standard;
- initial driving impressions are that the VXT is a softer, more 'livable' car. I've heard the same when compared against an NA VX though, haven't been in one so can't comment on that personally
- steering on the VXT seems quite heavy and slow compared with the S1. In fact, the turn-in is so different that the first roundabout I came to on the test drive I was part-way into the wrong lane. It felt like it had a special fit "slow-rack" but also heavier at the same time...
- straight-line speed - VXT just monsters the 160. When following on a country run I was literally having to come back to 3/4 throttle to not rear-end him (ooerr)
- hacking down country lanes - again, when comparing he wasn't pulling away at any point round the bends. If anything when on the bumpier lanes the VX seemed to be soaking up the bumps better. Consider that has Nitrons and 'refreshed' suspension.
- skinny front tyres, pretty sure they are there to give it a more understeery nature. For my meagre skills I think they help inspire confidence to some extent. Shame they look like they came off a 2CV

I've not taking this on track but I think the 160 would have the definite edge there. The more precise feedback and ultimate grip would be better in the elise I'm sure. Unless you were talking about somewhere like Spa or Nurburgring that is where the longer faster bits count...

I'm certainly no vx fan-boy, reading the above you might get the wrong impresson - fact is I'm an elise-derivative fan-boy if anything. The fact I am a fan of the elise is the reason I bought this car I've got now. Although they sound quite different above, the fact is we're talking about minor tiny differences if you then compare against something like a Boxster S.

As mentioned, I've not been in an NA. But I think if I were looking more for a track weapon then I'd seriously be considering a supercharged VX. You're looking at a lighter car with Stage2-turbo equivalent power and those all important elise dynamics. You can lighten it even further by removing those offensive griffin badges

I did go on to mention on a later reply that I'd specifically avoided discussing the looks, the quality of interior, the bootspace, etc. As some of those are subjective and it was purely the driving experience we were discussing.

You may have seen there, I don't feel especially affliated to either VX's or Elises just 'cos I own one. I tend to tell it how I find it.

If I was offered my last 4-5 cars back to me and said I had to pick just one to live with for the next 5 years then after much consideration (because it would be so close to call) I reckon I'd probably pick the 160.

Overall I prefer the looks of the VXT with it's hardtop on and it's an easier day-to-day proposition, and then of course there's that wave of turbo torque. But for someone like me who has a car as a 3k a year weekend toy then the 160 with it's hard-back sport seats, the purity of it's amazing unfiltered steering, it's buzzy bee engine note and of course that LumpLumpLump tickover. It just gets under your skin like very few other cars do.

Having said all that, I'm perfectly happy to stick with this for the foreseeable future and unless I get to the point where I can afford multiple toys then I doubt I'll be buying another 160 any time soon, or possibly ever maybe due to the increasing values. Lot's of other toys to try out

[barrybethel]

Always good to hear from someone that likes vx220s and Elises.

[neilp]

Mine was not one of the first 50 made- think these were the sva ones. It was X292 XNG, later changed to a private plate P2 DDJ, and was metallic black with red seats. It had a viper induction kit, and a Janspeed exhaust which i later replaced with a Christopher Neil backbox, which sounded amazing. It was also de-catted. It sat too low really as speed bumps were a nightmare. The roof leaked very bad as well!!! Oh and the heater was great.

[moospeed]

Mine was not one of the first 50 made- think these were the sva ones. It was X292 XNG, later changed to a private plate P2 DDJ, and was metallic black with red seats.
It had a viper induction kit, and a Janspeed exhaust which i later replaced with a Christopher Neil backbox, which sounded amazing.
It was also de-catted. It sat too low really as speed bumps were a nightmare. The roof leaked very bad as well!!!
Oh and the heater was great.

Yeah, mine was a WVTA one as well, also with an induction kit but I think it made more noise than power. I think they all had Janspeed exhausts as that's who Lotus got to manufacture them, had the same manifold, etc, as the 340R.

Mine only ever wore the cat for MOT's. Again, don't think it made much difference to power but the noise was so much better. I was pretty lucky with the roof, although it was hardtopped most of the time. Always preferred the black to my boring silver.

[Pidgeon]

Saw your other U2U about VX Turbo. Unfortunately I'm suspended from both vx and seloc forums at the moment (nothing to do with the wind-ups) so can't just copy/paste my comparison review I wrote when I first got it but essentially, when in comparison with my Sport 160, both of which are very near standard;
- initial driving impressions are that the VXT is a softer, more 'livable' car. I've heard the same when compared against an NA VX though, haven't been in one so can't comment on that personally
- steering on the VXT seems quite heavy and slow compared with the S1. In fact, the turn-in is so different that the first roundabout I came to on the test drive I was part-way into the wrong lane. It felt like it had a special fit "slow-rack" but also heavier at the same time...
- straight-line speed - VXT just monsters the 160. When following on a country run I was literally having to come back to 3/4 throttle to not rear-end him (ooerr)
- hacking down country lanes - again, when comparing he wasn't pulling away at any point round the bends. If anything when on the bumpier lanes the VX seemed to be soaking up the bumps better. Consider that has Nitrons and 'refreshed' suspension.
- skinny front tyres, pretty sure they are there to give it a more understeery nature. For my meagre skills I think they help inspire confidence to some extent. Shame they look like they came off a 2CV

I've not taking this on track but I think the 160 would have the definite edge there. The more precise feedback and ultimate grip would be better in the elise I'm sure. Unless you were talking about somewhere like Spa or Nurburgring that is where the longer faster bits count...

Very well put (until the TD conjecture when he is wrong ) Monkey?

I've allways hankered after a Scandal Sport 160. The way prices are going, I'm unlikely to own one, but it will allways be the one that got away.

[stigg10]

After 9 month's enduing £5k 'maintenance' bills and 10mpg 'fun' owning a TVR Chimaera I developed a hankering for an Elise mk1 and test drove a fair few including a couple of standards, 111s, 135 and 160.

They all felt underpowered, bar the 160 which was a brilliant, fully-sorted car but was on it's 3rd head gasket after only 22k miles

I ummed and arred a bit, then thought I'd have a go in a VX220 before I parted with my cash...

... same week I test drove my VXT, and by comparison it felt utterly, bat-sh** mental, and I immediately fell in love with the thing.

2 years later, and I'm still smiling.

Any debates about the pros/cons of handling of a standard vx vs an elise can all be mitigated with a few choice, relatively cheap mods (such as smaller wheels, good geo, loose a bit a weight etc.).

That's not to say I don't keep my eye out for the perfect s1 elise... it'd need to have a bit more power though having enjoyed the VX for so long - there's a real tasty looking one on seloc right now shame it's not an s1 though: linky

[Pidgeon]

Nah, the 'tasty' one was the Scandal Green Sport 190 that just sold for £25K!!

[stigg10]

@partridge... hah, saw that one too - but <£16k would have to be my budget.

If bank-busters are allowed, and I know it's 'tantamount to blasphemy' on this forum to lust after a lotus, but talking of tasty: nom, nom, nom: linky