It was the Spring of '93 and I was living large in my 1988 Dodge Omni. The little hatch was white with a burgundy interior, smelled like fast food and usually carried a substantial coat of dirt and grime that held it all together. One of the black plastic bumper pieces was missing from when I backed into my dad's car and the Omni was rolling fat with four over-sized tires scored from my brother's totaled Pontiac 6000. The tires were so large that I couldn't make a tight turn without grinding the rubber against the wheel well.
For my big date, though, the Omni at least go washed. I pulled into this poor girl's driveway jamming my brand new Jackyl tape when the her dad walked up. He glared at my car and said "You guys will be going to the baseball game in my wife's Astro Van, and you're not driving."
That was my first date car, which was followed by an Escort, Ranger and GMC Sonoma. Quite an unimpressive array of vehicles with which to make a first impression, which I reckon makes me an expert on the subject. So here it is: the Top 10 Cars You Should Never Drive on a First Date.
Say Dino, and people immediately think of something Italian. Most likely, you'll think of either a Rat-Pack crooner or a Ferrari, but there's a third Dino, and that's the one we're talking about. Fiat's thinking of resurrecting its Dino sub-brand with a version of the next generation of Lotus Elise. While the original Dino looked like an Iso Grifo and helped Ferrari homologate a V6 engine for competition, the new Dino will be all about Fiat finding a niche and filling it. Fiat's looking to snag untapped buyers, and if it can accomplish that without having to engineer an entire new car, everyone wins, especially if it looks as good as the old Dino. Aping the Dino 246 wouldn't be unwelcome, either.
Lotus has a dedicated following around the world, and many of them were undoubtedly disappointed that the first special edition of the new supercharged Elise was limited to just 25 examples, all of which were sold within the UK and Ireland. Although Lotus enthusiasts in the U.S. will surely remain disappointed, a handful of those in Europe will get another lucky chance at limited edition Elise ownership with Lotus' announcement that it will produce an additional run of 25 examples of the Clark Type-25 Elise SC for sale on the continent. The special edition is named for legendary Scottish racing driver Jim Clark and features an array of special retro touches, including a British racing green paint job with a broad yellow stripe and white circle on the door. It's based on the 218 hp blown Elise SC, which remains mechanically unchanged. An additional 25 examples of the special Lotus are available now in Europe for €44,100 before local taxes, which translates to about €54k in Germany, France and Italy.
Special edition Elises are becoming a dime-a-dozen, but Lotus decided Kahn Design should be tasked with creating its own bespoke version of the Elise to celebrate the automaker's 60th anniversary. Kahn, primarily known for its body-kit-equipped Astons, Benzes, Landies and Rollers, has taken the standard Elise and given it an aesthetic once-over in an attempt to justify it's yet-to-be-disclosed price tag. The enhancements include a new front splitter, side skirts and rear wing, along with silver mesh fitted to the side air intakes and rear clam. The seats have replaced with thicker, leather thones and the Kahn logo has been embossed on the headrests, center console and steering wheel. In keeping with Kahn tradition, performance modifications are limited to 19-inch wheels, a new suspension and a sports exhaust. The Kahn Elise will officially debut next month, with sales beginning later this year through the UK's Dream Machines Lotus dealership.
Rumors of a new sports car from Abarth have been circulating for months, and although details are still sketchy, one thing's for sure: a mid-mounted engine is part of the package. Autocar is confirming previous rumors that Fiat's sport division has struck a deal with Lotus to use the next Elise as the basis for the new sports car.
The third generation Elise will debut in 2010, with an all-new aluminum architecture that will be slightly wider and longer than the current model. The Abarth version will feature different composite body panels, and will make use of new 240 hp, turbocharged and direct-inject four-cylinder currently being developed by Fiat. The Abarth roadster will debut in Europe a year after the Elise, and if Fiat's plans of coming to the U.S. are realized, we might even get our own version in the States.
We've had our fill of limited edition Elises lately, largely because they rarely bring anything new to our favorite track-day toy. However, the Lotus Eco Elise stands apart. Sure, it's got the same drivetrain as the Elise S, uses the same aluminum tub and shares the same shape as its arguably environmentally friendly siblings, but the differences are in the details.
To begin with, the Eco Elise uses a host of sustainable materials to make up the body and trim, including hemp, "eco wool," sisal and a new high-tech, water-based paint that can be applied by hand, while still maintaining the grade-A finish you'd expect. All of these elements reduce the Eco Elise's footprint throughout its lifecycle, limit the amount of energy used during production and simultaneously slashes 70 pounds from the standard Elise's curb weight.
But Lotus hasn't stopped there. It's fitted a set of flexible solar panels on the hard top to help power the electrical systems, reducing the drain on the engine and improving efficiency. And there's a new green shift light on the instrument panel that assists drivers in maximizing fuel efficiency.
You can read up on all the details of the Eco Elise in the press release after the jump, and expect more information and pictures when it makes its official debut at the London Motor Show later this month.
Lotus is releasing its first special edition supercharged Elise, the Clark Type 25 Elise SC, to honor legendary F1 driver Jim Clark who died four decades ago at the Hockenheim circuit. The British Racing Green and yellow color combo was inspired by Clark's Type 25 F1 car in which he won the world championship in 1963, and aside from the standard hardtop, black and silver Lotus racing wheels, black leather seats, red trim and wooden shift knob, this is the same Elise SC available abroad. No mechanical changes have been made, so it's still putting out 218 hp and 156 lb.-ft. of torque from its supercharged 1.8-liter mounted amidships. In tribute to Clark's racing number, Lotus is limiting production of the special edition Elise SC to 25 units and will only make the £35,995 coupe available in the UK and Ireland. Hit the jump for Lotus' press release.
Jack Fried is barely audible under the stentorian sound of the supercharged four behind our heads. With two helmets worth of plastic and padding between his strained, soft-spoken voice and my assaulted ears, I'm only able to make out a few words of every other sentence. When we finally line up in the starting grid, Jack shuts off the engine on his Lotus Cup 255 and turns in my direction. "I've sold most of my track cars," he says, "This is all I need."
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Lotus may already have one of the greenest line of vehicles, with both the Elise and Exige easily reaching into the 30-mpg range when driven with restraint, but Mike Kimberley wants Lotus to be pioneers of green engineering.
Lotus' CEO made comments alluding to the automaker's goal of providing environmentally friendly automotive technology after signing a deal to produce a research and testing facility in Saudi Arabia that would focus on green motoring. The center is part of Lotus' strategy to branch out both technologically and production-wise, with a manufacturing center based in the Middle East. Much of this shift will come with the advancement of hybrid development, although Kimberley didn't go into detail about how the hybrid drivetrains would be implemented in this new venture.
The CEO also went on to report that development of Project Eagle is well underway, saying that the Eagle team is doing a great job and that after driving a prototype late last year he was "very impressed".
