Lotus Esprit vs. Honda NSX

[scirocco]

No, best motoring did test the corvette and tsuchiya said he loved the suspension in a previous volume, but it lost miserably and I don't agree with these stats as there seemed to be some poor driving skills. It lost by 4 seconds I believe and the other cars were all within 4 seconds or so of each other. It lost pretty bad in that race, but I think that it was biased, but not on purpose, just lack of driving skill. I really hated that. Also, check out the ratings for the Lancer Evo RS, it's even better than the SRT-4, not to mention more fun to drive as I drifted one once. it was great and it was what got me into racing AWDs and I drift my scirocco every now and then even though I'm really not aloud to since I would be liable and in debt with the team if I crashed. Anyhow, here are the stats, look upon them and know them, and be amazed. With the extra cash you could save, you could whoop an NSX-R easily even if that guy who drove the vette was behind the wheel

Here are some stats of low priced cars as documented by sport compact car:

Mini Cooper S

Price as Tested: $25,595
0-60: 7.1 sec.
1/4 mile: 15.2 sec. @ 92.4 mph
Slalom: 68.1mph (700 ft)
Skidpad: 0.87g
60-0 Braking: 123 ft.

Nissan 350Z

Price as Tested: $33,280
0-60: 5.9 sec.
1/4 mile: 14.1 sec. @ 99.1 mph
Slalom: 70.3mph (700 ft)
Skidpad: 0.89g
60-0 Braking: 119 ft.

Mazda RX-8

Price as Tested: $33,100
0-60: 6.8 sec.
1/4 mile: 14.9 sec. @ 93.1 mph
Slalom: 70.6mph (700 ft)
Skidpad: 0.90g
60-0 Braking: 112 ft.

Mazdaspeed MX-5

Price as Tested: $26,720
0-60: 6.9 sec.
1/4 mile: 15.1 sec. @ 90.1 mph
Slalom: 70.9mph (700 ft)
Skidpad: 0.96g
60-0 Braking: 114 ft.

Acura RSX Type-S

Price as Tested: $23,820
0-60: 7.2 sec.
1/4 mile: 15.3 sec. @ 93.1 mph
Slalom: 68.9mph (700 ft)
Skidpad: 0.86g
60-0 Braking: 137 ft.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII RS

Price as Tested: $26,799
0-60: 4.8 sec.
1/4 mile: 13.3 sec. @ 101.3 mph
Slalom: N/A (700 ft)
Skidpad: 0.95g
60-0 Braking: 114 ft.

Subaru WRX

Price as Tested: $27,332
0-60: 5.2 sec.
1/4 mile: 14.6 sec. @ 91.8 mph
Slalom: 67.7mph (700 ft)
Skidpad: 0.88g
60-0 Braking: 122 ft.

Dodge SRT-4

Price as Tested: $21,335
0-60: 5.9 sec.
1/4 mile: 14.1 sec. @ 102.1 mph
Slalom: 71.3mph (700 ft)
Skidpad: 0.88g
60-0 Braking: 117 ft.

Bold denotes a win in that category. The winning car is based on the car which has the most bold statistics. Italic denotes the opposite, the losing car in the respective category.

[DoriAltis]

Best motoring is pretty questionable, I agree. The reason why NSX's are so cool in BM is cuz Gan-san's skill is behind the wheel. If you look at it, they usually put Gan-san in the underdog car in many of the races. It'd be more legitimate if only one driver did a time attack for all the cars and see who's the fastest.

Anyway, the NSX still gets my respect

[yarzan]

re: corvette and viper

yes they are faster but also think of it this way, how many corvettes and vipers do you see? how many NSXs do you see? would u rather be one to beldn in or stand out?

i know i will get flamed for this because ppl on this board are always, like, power is everything, we dont care how it looks, but anyway, this is a forum and im allowed to give me opinion.

[otakugt4]

I would choose the Espirit because of its linage, the car is just awesome and the twin turbo v8 is just way ccol. There are a few of them up here and they are fast no question, and they are sleek and small. They also have one of the coolest frames which they allowed the Delorean to use (which motortrend called the federalised Espirit when it first came out, tho it was underpowered).

[SaintDrift]

Originally posted by mr2
Anyways I am dissapointed in the US Elise.. I will never considered the US Elise a true Elise.

1. No K series engine.
2. Celica engine..come on..
3. CD dash, radio.. the real Elise had none of that *Censored**Censored**Censored**Censored* in there.
4. We are not getting the Exige.. so why bother.

Exactly how do you find a k series motor superior to the 2zz? I'm just curious. They have similar hp, rev to similar rpms, basically both have lifter cams to create hp. What do you find so much better about a Honda motor that you would refuse to consider the US Elise a true Elise? You act as if the radio adds 100lbs. The car is still lighter than everything else on the road. I doubt you'll be able to say, "All damn, I'd be so much faster on the touge if I just didn't have a radio." Please.

[Octagon]

It's not a Honda K series engine, it's a Rover K series engine. Totally different animal.

[SaintDrift]

Hum, had no idea. I know nothing about the other Elise's beyond the American one and that's only because alot of Spyder owners are fans of the car. I'd still like to know what's wrong with the 2zz. Guys with Spyders build them up, and get them reving up to 9000rpms. Combined with a tight gear box, makes an incredible and factory reliable road car. Beats my turbo, which is still not working.

[Octagon]

The Rover K series is a big stroke engine, so it's got a lot of grunt down low and a really authoritave bark of an exhaust note compared to the peaky power delivery and tinny buzz of the Japanese engines.

At least in my experience.

[scirocco]

I just realised that in every category i posted stats in, the evo rs beats the NSX while it less then 1/3 the price! It's a true steal!

Also, here are the stats for the 2003 Evo, for under 29,000, according to Mitsubishi, sourced from http://www.fast-autos.com

0-60 mph: 4.7 sec
0-100 mph: 12.45 sec
Quarter Mile: 13.08 sec @ 105 mph
Skidpad: .98g
Top Speed: 157 mph
Braking, 60-0 mph: 106 ft
Slalom Speed: 71.4 mph

Also, I should add that the new US elise does 0-60 in the same time as the nsx (4.9 seconds) and it only weighs 2,000 lbs, so it is way better than the nsx with a few grand invested into suspension and tires. However, the stock US engine is terrible in torque for such an expensive car, putting out 190hp and 133 lb-ft torque.

[SaintDrift]

Who needs torque in such a car? You should pretty much always be reving the crap out of it. Plus I'd think you'd be surprised how 133lbs feels on a 2000lbs car.

[Octagon]

A wonderfully nimble chassis is a lot of fun in constantly sweeping corners, but a gutless engine saps all the fun away once you come to that first 2nd gear hairpin. Torque brings a car to life, leaping out of the corners and throwing the tail around with glorious aplomb.

But then, I've also driven a 1700lb car powered by an 880hp, 950lb ft of torque methanol burning big block Chevy, running direct drive back to a Halibrand quick change rear axle. Just about anything seems unresponsive after hot lapping an ISMA Supermodified.



That's the 1981 Showcar chassis supermodified I tested. It was owned by the late Dion Parish, my friend and would-be car owner had he not died testing his new car at Kalamazoo Speedway.

[Parry]

those things...are so fkn fast.

Those are madness. THAT is a real motor.

[Sideways Spanky]

As long as we're bringing in other cars, check this out.

http://www.rapidcars.com/images/green340r.jpg

Sorry, I'm not sure how to host pictures. Anyway, the 340R is truly the ultimate Lotus.

[Tsunami]

The Corvette is an awesome car for the money. If I remember right the last time BM tested a 'Vette, it was the C5 Z51. This car, although fast, is a far cry from the Z06. Not only is the Z06 from .3 to .7 sec faster 0-60, it also pulls about .5+ more g's than the standard model. If BM had tested a Z06 the results should've been different. It smokes the M3 in all categories. Yes, the M3, which many proclaim to be the worlds finest GT. The Z06 can also out handle and out accelerate big dogs like the 911 TT and Ferrari 575M. To say the Z06 isn't fast is like saying the S7 isn't a supercar.

Everybody criticizes the 'Vette for it's lack of super-luxo interior or ultra-high tech, but both the C5 and C6, Z package or not, have both came up and layed the smackdown on anybody who said they couldn't hang.

Other cars the Z06 takes down:
1. M5
2. Nissan Skyline
3. 1rst-gen Viper
4. F360 Modena
5. Wrx Sti
6. Lancer Evolution

Also when you speak of bang for the buck, you can't count out the likes of Mustang GT, Camaro Z28, or GTO. All 0-60 in under 5.5 for less than 25k, and post handling of over .86g's.

[Hollywood]

with Corvettes, you either love them or you hate them, I love mine!!!