Basically the title. We always hear about how great Porsche, Honda, etc. are, but what are some brands that don’t get enough love?

  • GetawayDriving@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    Lotus gets plenty of credit amongst car enthusiasts as they are basically the purest driving experience you can have at attainable prices… but if you’re not a car person, you have no idea what a lotus is. Pulling into a gas station with an Elise I’ve heard “look at that Ferrari!” And “is that a Lamborghini?” Etc. Every answer but the right one.

    • CooterAplenty@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      I think the S2000, first-generation (AP1) is there with the purest driving experience. No traction control (except your right foot), FMR setup, sub 3K pounds.

      This car has made me a damned good driver.

      • GetawayDriving@alien.topBEnglish
        1·
        10 months ago

        S2000 is obviously a great and pure experience, but still no comparison to Elise. The Honda has power steering and weights over ~40% more.

        • CooterAplenty@alien.topBEnglish
          1·
          10 months ago

          I’ve driven an Exige on the track. I get the rawness and austerity make it more “pure,” but my S2K isn’t exactly a world apart.

          • twitchyzero@alien.topBEnglish
            1·
            10 months ago

            S2000 is special because practically the whole thing was in-house so the sense of cohesion from that era of honda is sublime

            Elise has the tub from denmark, engine from japan etc.

            i miss my 2003 S2000, but the drive in the lotus is on a different level

            if ap1 was 7/10 on the raw level and stripped out ek was a 8, the lotus is almost a 9

          • GetawayDriving@alien.topBEnglish
            1·
            10 months ago

            We are in total agreement.

            I’ve been lucky enough to log thousands of miles in Elise, Exige, and ND MX-5, plus hundreds of miles of canyon in 981, 718, 4C, 991, Caterham and track time in Elise, Exige, Evora, Emira, A110, 718, 991, MX-5 and Radical and so I feel like I have a firm handle on this lightweight raw genre to the point that I tend to split hairs a bit, and that’s all that’s happening here. The S2000 is absolutely a great pure driver’s car. I agree that the rawness and austerity (plus less weight and unassisted steering) are important factors that elevate one car in this group over another but they are all in the group.