| | | quote | Originally posted by FierociousGT:
You're joking when you mean "maybe as little as 3800 lbs. Since when is that little?
Check out Car and Driver (Aug 2007 edition). They tested several cars on the track. Hint the order of the cars on the cover is how they did. Hopefully someone won't say "You know those guys don't like American cars." 
Guess which car had the best time on the track?...
3rd place the Pontiac Solstice GXP (Ecotec w/ Turbo)
2nd place the Chevy Corvette Z06
1st place... you guessed it the Lotus Exige S (light as a taper ware container) 
Weight
Lotus Exige S curb weight 2,015 lb
Pontiac Solstice curb weight 2877 lbs
Chevy Corvette C6 Z06 curb weight 3132 lb ( has several carbon fiber body parts to keep the weight down.)
Again... You're joking when you mean "maybe as little as 3800 lbs.... o I'm off the subject... AGAIN
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"Lotus Exige S curb weight 2,015 lb" Maybe with optional A/C delete. Lotus' site shows 2077.
My only point is that comparing the Lotus Exige S to a 4.6 Mustang GT is not really a fair comparison, particularly when the Lotus easily costs twice as much. Maybe the Corvette Z06 would have been a better choice.
When is 3800 lbs light? When it is compared to 3920 which is the weight of the Mustang GT.
BTW, the C&D comparison might be a little distorted as well. The Lotus was equipped with "street legal racing rubber" while most other competitors were not. See:
http://www.caranddriver.com...7-lotus-exige-s.html And, unless I misread the article, the Lotus did not post the fastest time of the day. Quoting C&D: "The overall champ of the day was the Corvette Z06, which took nearly three seconds off the time posted by another example last year. The Z06’s 2:58.2 lap made it the first Lightning Lapper to get around VIR’s Grand Course in less than three minutes, which is all the more remarkable considering it does not have the sticky, racing-type tires the 911 GT3 enjoys. As before, the Z06’s combination of huge horsepower and light weight gave it an advantage on the two long straightaways and in the run up to the Sector Two esses. [Yes, they said "light weight" despite its 3132 lbs.] But this time around, the revised rear shocks made the Z06 a lot easier to drive at the limit: It still oversteers under power or while lifting off the gas suddenly, but the slides are far more progressive and controllable than before. As a result, the Z06 launches better off the corners, leading to commensurately higher speeds along those straightaways. The brakes on the Z06 are fabulous, as is the engine’s midrange thrust, but the shifter is still clunky and slow. In truth, the Z06 wasn’t as satisfying to drive as the 911 GT3, but it’s hard to argue with the car’s incredible performance—or that lap-time record."
So... the heavier, more powerful Corvette Z06 won.
Again, don't get me wrong... I like the Lotus. In fact, I have liked almost every car that Lotus has made. My brother had an Elan coupe for more than 20 years. The Elan is one of the few cars (if not the only one), to be legislated out of some Solo II classes.
And for me, I've had plenty of small cars, including Fiat-Abarth, early Minis and a Unipower GT (about 1100 lbs.) which were driven on the street. Here is a more recent photo of the Unipower GT that I owned about 30 years ago.
http://www.svra.com/SVRA/Ph...f/plinks/EJEN-63BTUZ And to get back to the topic... I'm all for an Ecotec in a Fiero... not so much because it would produce the most power, but because it would likely offer the lightest combination with the best balance.
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FierOmar
[This message has been edited by FierOmar (edited 08-11-2007).]
