tracshun

Since the day my E55 was converted into a Stage 1 monster, I have been VERY curious how it would peform from a roll against my Lotus. For those that don't know, my E55 ran an 11.679 @ 117.84 last week and I have never run the Lotus (gearbox is its weak link). The E55 has an ASP pulley and an LET tune and it runs VERY consistent and strong. The Lotus has an ECU upgrade, muffler delete and 12 psi wastegates. Two completely different machines, but neat to see how they matched up against each other. We decided to do several rolling starts in different power bands and here is the best one - meaning most accurate start (from 30mph to 130mph)....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYRQbvwaAW4

The estimated power to weight ratios of the cars are as follows:

E55 - currently at about 7.7 lbs per hp
Lotus - currently at about 6.7 lbs per hp

Just thought I would share with the board.

tumbler510

Very nice! If the E55 was tuned to stage 2 or even 3, i think itd be a whole different ball game. But be honest. which car did you want to win?

Hammer Down

nice, but from what I heard....... the Lotus got the jump.

NSX2NV

Good run! Nice and steady camera work but you should run them again and this time get the start on video so we can tell if the Lotus gets a jump or not.

NSX2NV

Yeah after watching it again it seem like the E wasn't in the right gear. Did you have it on Manual mode or auto? Seems like the start was pretty close to the same time but the Lotus was already spooled and right in it's powerband.

Zax63

Hey Tracshun... nice meeting you the other day!
That Lotus looks sweet, but as the other poster noted, it seemed like the Lotus had the correct gear preselected, whereas the e55 had to downshift. I'd love to see the run again with the E in the right gear. Plus if the power to weight is that advantageous to the Lotus, it seems like adding a passenger to the E isn't right...unless you were just talking to the camera!

It's all moot, though... when you launch them both from a dig, the Lotus would grenade its tranny and the E driver would be turning around to pick up the Lotus guy.

tracshun

The Lotus may have had a slight jump on that run, but it was the "closest" start I had on the videos. It was also definitely in its power band (4000 rpms in second gear - requiring two shifts to 130). There was another video where we went from a roll at a slightly lower speed and the E55 seemed to get the "jump" since the downshift of the E and the turbo lag of the Lotus "negated" each other. In that run, the Lotus was NOT in its power band, but the downshift and the lack of the Lotus powerband seemed to "even" the playing field. However, the Lotus still pulled about a car length or two in each manual "gear".

I wasn't comfortable allowing my friend to "experiment" with the manual shifting, etc. (had a hard enough time letting him take my E up to those speeds )in the E, so he just punched it on each of the runs.

The Lotus gearbox is actually more resilient than one would expect, but the problem occurs from the 1-2 shift. It just takes a bit long for the synchros to "line up", so many people (including me in my previous Lotus) prematurely shift and end up grinding the gears. There is a gearbox upgrade that is bulletproof for the car that I plan on putting in this winter to make it more "draggable", but for now since I do most of my street racing from a "roll", I wanted to see how the cars matched up from the most common speed range that I find myself in daily.

Bottom line is the Lotus is a MONSTER on street from a roll (great high speed car) and the E is a MONSTER off the line (great drag car).

Here is an example of a friend with a Lotus from the forums who has very similar mods as mine (he also has BOVs which don't add any hp, must a "sneezing" sound). He is racing a Gallardo SE and a Supercharged vette with about 600 hp. Watch the video from 1:50 to 2:50 to get the good stuff, or simply watch the whole 3 minutes to see some amazing cars out in Cali.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye-mUK_S_SU

From a rolling start, the Lotus "leaves the line" like it is coming out of a dig. I am sure it has someting to do with its curb weight of 2950 lbs.

In the end, I am not sure which car I "wanted" to win. I love them both with such a passion. Out of the hole, the E takes my breath away EVERY time I get on it and the acceleration is nothing short of amazing. At high speeds, and I mean VERY high speeds, the Lotus feels more dialed in that any car I have ever owned (and I've had about 40). It is truly one with the road. And, on the twisties....Well let's just say that is NOT fair.

Interesting matchup nonetheless, since you don't hardly ever see the Esprits on the road. At least now you'll know what to expect if you run into one. And, if it's me, trust me, I WILL BE IN MY POWER BAND

tracshun

Forgot to mention, the video from the last post was taken from inside the Gallardo.

JAYCL600

i would be scared to call allanlambo a friend

tracshun

Don't know an allanlambo

I was talking about the guy in the Lotus, or at least the guy who owns the Lotus now.

JAYCL600

i believe thats allans old car, im more happy now that you DONT know him

Archi

I miss my Esprit. Nice run.

tracshun

Thanks Archi. What year did you have? I had an old 1999 also. This one is the Anniversary Edition (2002 MY) #95 of 100 imported.

Archi

Mine was an '02 as well. 57/100 Silver with 2 tone sport 350 interior. It is the first car I have had second thoughts about getting rid of.

tracshun

I COMPLETELY understand. From the moment I got rid of my 99, I missed it. So, I had to pick up another. Can't see getting rid of this one anytime soon. It has that "wow appeal" or "it factor" that a lot of cars are missing today.

Did you have any mods done to yours or was it bone stock? Just curious for purposes of comparison to your current E. This was after all the purpose of my thread - to compare the "rolling performance" of each and how they rate against each other out on the highway. Would be interested in your thoughts.

Take care.

ChicagoX

+362,433