LOTUS VS NSX IMPRESSIONS

A

ALLAN

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7 November 2001
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614
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SCOTTSDALE AZ
well, i just got back from driving 2100 miles in my new 2000 lotus tt v8. had some funny happenings on the way back, 1st on the plane ride, the cookies that where handed out said"lotus"on them. i thought that was rather funny. then after being in the car for about 5 minutes and getting on to the freeway ramp a red viper rt10 pulls up and wants to race. we raced from 70 to about 140mph and the lotus was able to pull instantly about 3 car lengths on him and hold that lead till 140. we tried again from about 50mph with the same results. this made the beginning of my drive home very enjoyable. the car ran flawlessly throughout the whole trip with many sprints to 150-160 mph. most of the time i kept it between 100-110mph. in comparing the car to the nsx, ill give you my thoughts:
comfort:the seats in the lotus are not uncomfortable but the nsx's offer better support. the lotus does not have a dead peddle so you have to stretch your leg out behind the clutch, which is not a problem.all the controls on the lotus are also within easy reach. in the comfort department i would give the nsx a slight margin of victory.
appearence- the lotus wins hands down, people go crazy over this car.
performance-the lotus is much faster than the nsx and id put my money on it being faster than a supercharged model also.
braking- the lotus brakes are also first rate,far superior than the nsx's.
fit and finish- the nsx wins this catagory, although the lotus is well put together compared to other exotics ive seen.
trunk room- the lotus's trunk is bigger.
gear shifter- the nsx's shifter is better than the lotus's. the lotus shifts very precisely though, and is not notchy whatsoever, it just feels as though the throws are too long. i wonder if they have a short shift kit for it?
fun to drive- have to give this one to the lotus, although if the nsx had the power of the lotus i think it would be close.
exhaust note-both suck, too quiet.
reliability-we'll see what happens.
 
Allan that's great news and a just comparison. I too, prefer the Lotus over the NSX. That doesn't mean I am putting down the NSX, because I am not it is a great car, but I just prefer the Lotus. overall it is a much more fun car to drive, especially when the turbos kick in your face is pulled back to the back of your head. It is an awesome and undescribable feeling. Allan I did put the race ECU in my car (I had to sign a waiver and everything). I also gutted the cats (who need them anyway) and put straight through pipes (no muffler) Not only does the car sound a hell of alot better but a huge increase in power. People have dynoed their car with K&N filters adn straight through pipes and have gained 20hp to the rear wheels. El Diablo's viper barely beat me because as you know the car does not have intercoolers and it was like 100degrees that day (a killer for forced induction cars. I also put twin sequential blow off valves on mine which reduced turbolag between gearchanges immensely. I am now in the process of putting the 6speed tranny from the GT1 race Esprit in the car now. There is a sight called hybinette.com which these guys (Johan and Larry) have done some immense mods on their Esprits, so check them out. Anyway good luck with the car
 
hey bill, ive already spoken with yohan, very nice guy. how much did the race ecu run you? i want to get one for this car. who did you have do the blow off valves? im also going to do the exhaust. what kind of boost are you running? have you thought about putting intercoolers on your car? i want to do that to mine. have you ever dynoed your car or run it in the quarter mile?
 
I have not had the chance to dyno or time the 1/4 mile. In Europe the sport 350 I have the US version which is about 60lbs heavier was timed at 4.7sec to 60 and 10.7 sec to 100mph. All this was done in the pouring rain on Pirelli pZeros (which suck in the wet). Here is a quote from the magazine "To duck below 5.0sec to 60mph and 11sec to 100mph in the pouring rain is equivalent of going sub4.0sec to 60mph and below 10sec to 100mph in the dry...After all the regular v8 rocketed to 60mph in 4.2sec and 100mph in 10.3sec in 1996....By 2000rpm it depends largely what gear you're in whether the acceleration is strong, savage, or eyepopping; witness the incredible 50-70mph...in third gear takes a scarcely incredible 2.6sec, putting the sport350 on level terms with all but the fastest superbikes..." Your esprit has all the upgrades from the sport350 so your times are comparable. When I put the 6speed it will be comparable to the difference between the NSX with a 5speed and a 6speed. It keeps the engine in the sweet spot with each gearchange rather than wait till it gets within the powerband. Anyway enjoy your car and Johan will mod it up the right way so it will be kicking some serious ass. I will definitely go the intercooler route down the road. Hell, it gives you over 70hp without touching the engine. That is how the GT1 racer is prepped-intercoolers, race ECU, straight pipes=550hp.
 
Allan,

Thanks for the comparison. I have to agree with Todd, the NSX is a much nicer looking car. The Lotus bodystyle has not changed a lot since it first came out (20 years ago?). The little refresh they did for 2002 IMO looks worse. I think when they redid the interior of the lotus (99?), they got rid of a lot of the complaints about poor ergonomics etc. that the car was known for. In fact, the layout is now much closer to the NSX

It will be interesting to see how your lotus compares to your NSX when the BBSC is running a full power. I have seen numerous articles on the lotus putting 0-60 in the 4.2-4.8 range, so the car is Very Fast. And 0-100 in 10.3 is incredible. It is a shame the Acura did not boost the HP more to compete.

I used to know a car dealer who's favorite car was the NSX until he drove the V8TT Lotus. He was so impressed with the power and how fun it was to drive, that he decided that was his favorite car.

I have never driven a lotus, but I have always wanted to check it out. The one thing that really SUCKS about lotus is the resale value. A 1991 Lotus will sell for as low as 20K with LOW miles, vs an NSX still fetching 30k+ with high miles.

Enjoy the car!

------------------
1993 White NSX, 70K miles and running STRONG!
 
Originally posted by NetViper:
...The one thing that really SUCKS about lotus is the resale value. A 1991 Lotus will sell for as low as 20K with LOW miles, vs an NSX still fetching 30k+ with high miles.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a plus to a bottom feeder like me. Hopefully the newer ones will drop off at the same rate so I can rationalize one in a few more years.
 
I personally like the Esprits body over the NSX, why fix something that is not broken. Then again I hear from everyone the same thing about the NSX's design, long in the tooth, too much 80's looking. I think the NSX also has a timeless design and think they screwed up the front end with the new model. The old style to me looked much cleaner. It all boils down to one's taste. I think the NSX's design will also pass the test of time. It will always to me look fresh and new.
It's true that they don't hold their value and I think that boils down to 2 factors.
First is the misconception that everyone has about their reliability and stuff like things falling off,etc.etc. which keeps demand low. If there is no demand you cannot sell it a premium.
Second, Lotus marketing schemes. I think there are a bunch of Mickey Mouses running the company. They have a good product that could be better but instead of bettering it they leave it alone. It took them 20 years to finally get a v8 in there and what to they do? They kill off the esprit because they are running out of peice of crap gearboxes. This v8 hooked up the right drivetrain can be a force to reckon with. Look at how they are handling the whole Elise thing. People are crying and lining up with checks for deposits on this car and Lotus is practically blowing off the biggest market in the world.
So, to sum it up, until there are changes made up on top this company will always be in shambles
 
not saying that your opinion on the nsx being better looking than the lotus is wrong or right, but judging by peoples reactions to this car, youd definately be in the minority. People go nuts over this thing, i myself was amazed. everywhere you go people stop,stare and ask a million questions, while the nsx gets hardly a glance.its almost as bad as in the lamborghini where people will just follow you around.
 
Originally posted by ALLAN:
People go nuts over this thing, i myself was amazed. everywhere you go people stop,stare and ask a million questions, while the nsx gets hardly a glance.
Click to expand...

I guess it all depends on where you live. I get that same reaction with the NSX. People stalk me, ask me questions, even today someone walked across the street to see if it was a ferrari. So I get plenty of attention with the NSX.

Don't get me wrong on the looks of the Lotus, I think the 2000 Lotus is a great looking car, but I just personally prefer the NSX.

Speaking of looks, am I the only one that thinks the Ferrari F50 and F40 look better than the new enzo?


------------------
1993 White NSX, 70K miles and running STRONG!
 
When are you going to pick one up allan?
smile.gif
 
Originally posted by NetViper:
I guess it all depends on where you live. I get that same reaction with the NSX. People stalk me, ask me questions, even today someone walked across the street to see if it was a ferrari. So I get plenty of attention with the NSX.
Click to expand...

So do I.
 
Congrats on the Lotus Allan. I've also had a Lotus as well as an NSX.

Tough call on which one I like better. One interesting point I've seen though (in Boston anyway). I also had a '65 Corvette in a previous life. With the Vette, people would come over right away and admire the car saying they hope to have one one day. With the Lotus and the NSX, people tend to admire the car from a distance as though there's a 50 foot bubble around it or perhaps they're just waiting to see Rico The Drug Lord emerge! Anyway, good luck with the cars.

BTW Allan, your a lucky man...your wife is beautiful!

------------------
 
but judging by peoples reactions to this car, youd definately be in the minority
Click to expand...

Though I too prefer the looks of the NSX over the Esprit (I do love the look of the Esprit despite its age...perhaps it has something to do with James Bond?), I admit that I've encountered similar reactions from people.

One time after driving the Malibu canyons in my 2000 NSX-T and a friend in his 2000 V8TT Esprit, we parked our cars side-by-side at a Starbucks on PCH, left the roof panels off, and, as we sipped our coffee, watched numerous people come over to check out our cars. 9 times out of 10, they spent more time by the Esprit...and some didn't even bother looking at my NSX.
frown.gif


Of course, one might argue that this is because there are even fewer Esprits in the Los Angeles area than NSXs. At least, that's what I keep telling myself.
biggrin.gif


And I should add that my friend used to drive an '94 NSX before converting to his Esprit. I guess some people just need that big horsey kick to consider their cars fun. I personally am happy with my NSX as is.

------------------
--akira3D
'00 Acura NSX-T (red/black), '97 Honda Civic HX (black), '01 Lexus IS300 (black/black)
"Reality is better than the dream..."

akira3d.com/nsx
 
ORIGINALLY POSTED BY ALLAN:
"People go nuts over this thing, i myself waS amazed. everywhere you go people stop,stare and ask a million questions, while the nsx gets hardly a glance."

Allan I have one question? Isn't the Lotus bright Yellow and the NSX still black - If that is wouldn't it explain the attention to the car. To me a lotus looks like an over rated exotic car with not near the looks of the NSX. Plus people may think it a ralley car since it sits 12 inches from the ground.
smile.gif
 
well honestly this debate can go on forever, this is an nsx forum so everyone will be biased towards the nsx obviously. ask those that own both, if they had to give up one, which would it be. both have strong suits and weaknesses. one thing i can assure you of is that it in the eyes of the public, in terms of looks, it wouldnt matter if the lotus where yellow blue or pink, it would still gather a far greater crowd than the nsx would.
 
Originally posted by ALLAN:
ask those that own both, if they had to give up one, which would it be.
Click to expand...

I have heard of a lot more owners of the Lotus who have given theirs up for an NSX, than NSX owners who have given theirs up for a Lotus.

Originally posted by ALLAN:
in terms of looks, it wouldnt matter if the lotus where yellow blue or pink, it would still gather a far greater crowd than the nsx would.
Click to expand...

A yellow, blue, or pink Lotus, compared with a black NSX, yes. A black Lotus, compared with a yellow, blue, or pink NSX, no.
 
whatever you say. a black lotus against a black nsx looks better. the closing arguement for me today was when my wife who absolutely loves the nsx said it now seems dull compared to the lotus.
 
I think it's all psychological. If *you* like the car better, you will notice more people noticing it. If you are down on the car, you will see through people noticing it.

This happened to me with my C5 Vette. Towards the end, I was getting a little bored and was tired of seeing them everywhere. When I would tell my friends this, they would threaten to have me committed. Some of the guys who put the most "shotgun" time in with me would tell me that I really had to be insane to not notice all the looks and attention the car would get. To be honest, once I was bored with it, I really didn't notice all that much.

I recently got a ride in a Lotus Esprit and had a blast (I've always loved the car). Personally, though, I really didn't notice that the car was getting any more attention than the NSX does. At a certain point, the shock value of a car is maxed out and it's all going to come down to who happens to be there to look.

The only exception I make to this general rule are cars like the Diablo, F40, etc (Bill's NSX
biggrin.gif
), that are SO outrageous they become an event.
 
The only exception I make to this general rule are cars like the Diablo, F40, etc (Bill's NSX
biggrin.gif
), that are SO outrageous they become an event.[/B][/QUOTE]

In reference to Bill's NSX wait till you see what he's got in store for August!!
8 shows 8 1st places.That guy is ready
to not only attack the big dogs in Cali. but also is in the process of negotiating with some major players in Hollywood.
Thanks to people like "YOU" Spooky!!
WWW.XLDM.COM
 
A yellow, blue, or pink Lotus, compared with a black NSX, yes. A black Lotus, compared with a yellow, blue, or pink NSX, no.
Click to expand...

I would maime anyone who painted their Lotus or NSX pink.
smile.gif
 

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