     | |
| Accessories • Components • Diary • Features • Links • Models • Projects • Miscellaneous | |
My Lotus Diary October 2004Previous Entry | Diary Index | Next Entry11th October 2004Lotus Cars has finally revamped the rest of its web site.
13th October 2004The new Sylva R1ot has finally broken cover and it looks interesting, not least because it is very light weight and features a Yamamha R1 motorbike engine, just like my Fury. The first magazine review seems to rate it highly. It is a little too track focussed for me but, it has to be the perfect partner to an Elise or Exige, though I'm not sure Lotus would agree.
You could spend more money making an Elise even vaguely track competitive (w.r.t to the current range of track day cars), than it would cost to buy this car as a dedicated track day car. It would also be road legal. It would cost much less to insurance (around £200-250 per year for someone in my position). The light weight and bike engine mean very low running costs too. More importantly (and I don't need to tell Lotus owners about the benefits of light-weight), the handling and performance are better than an Elise too. 160+bhp and 380Kg means a serious power-to-weight ratio and a 0-100mph in around 8 seconds. As good as the Elise and Exige are, they are a compromise between road and track day use. This kind of machine is the perfect companion for those that don't want to risk their pride and joy on a track day (and at £25-35k, who would blame them) or are looking for more performance, fun and handling. I'd never suggest it as an alternative to an Elise or Exige (I'd like both myself) as they are not comparable.
I can currently only afford one interesting car, I've gone for something half-way between the R1ot and the Elise and it is slowly progessing nicely 15th October 2004Of interest to those with Race Technology AP22's. They have integrated video into their analysis software for seamless data-by-video, and video exporting with fully programmable data overlays. It allows simple comparison of racing lines from multiple laps, checking the race traffic and far more. The software works with all thier products, so whether you own an AP22 or top of the range DL1/AX22 you can take advantage of the new video features. The cost of the new video enabled software is £100. The same analysis software without video is still free. |
|
| About This Site • Business Advertising • Contact Me • Site Map Copyright © Rob Collingridge 2009 - Last updated 01 Jan 2006 |