Lotus Elise vs Tesla Roadster: ICE v Electric | Fifth Gear

[@blairmcconachie]

Wouldn’t it have been great to have tiff here for this with Jason battling each other. I’m still in shock discovery got rid of him. Madness.

[@teambean]

He was the man.

[@blairmcconachie]

Met him a few times and he is a great guy in real life too 👍🏻

[@kings3803]

I agree 💯 #bringbacktiff

[@Top_Gear_Clips_Central]

why did they get rid of him anyway

[@CharmingVanAxJ]

I owned one of those limited edition Elise’s, model no. 23 out of 25. Was a fantastic car, and sorely missed. Now resides in France I believe.

[@kenbourn8132]

They’re great aren’t they. I have 007

[@CharmingVanAxJ]

@@kenbourn8132 Lucky you. I wish I could have kept mine but an S3 Exige beckoned. SC Elise is the sweet spot and would have another one day.

[@snowphun]

If that Elise weighs 945kg there must be a body in the boot.

[@Cloxxki]

The new Emira removed the lightness and heavier a full school class worth.

[@BlatentlyFakeName]

The later S3 Elise gained a lot of bloat. The S2s were about 860kg. The S1 is under 800kg

[@BMW1M]

So happy Plato is still around and making films, always a pleasure to watch 👌 As for the outcome, I think it was foregone conclusion for most of us, but still interesting to revisit.

[@Cloxxki]

Tesla Roadster: oddly much lighter than the new Lotus Emira.

[@TheMrrigma]

The way it should be 👍 a fun car to drive with ICE power, manual box all complimenting a brilliant chassis.

[@alangee27]

I’ve just seen the video on the Polestar 2 …which was quicker round the track! 🤔

[@ianhill20101]

Is it me or do they both have metro door mirrors ?

[@lawrencegatt4515]

Love ❤️ the show guys from down under 🏁🇦🇺👏👏👏

[@AlbertManiscalco]

i wonder what it would weigh and perform like with a modern tesla battery and powertrain

[@miscellaneousdanger]

Guess we'll find out when the new roadster arrives. It has nearly the same footprint. Vaporware at the moment.

[@KP-xi4bj]

@@miscellaneousdanger Coming next year, confirmed through X by Elon Musk.

[@BlatentlyFakeName]

Probably a lot heavier because of all the modern safety requirements and lack of a Lotus chassis. Batteries also haven't got much lighter.

[@fifthgearuk]

To watch the new series in full, head over to discovery+ www.discoveryplus.com/gb/show/fifth-gear-recharged-uk?season=2

[@MrJeepmarine]

With this comparison in mind I interested to see how the 2025 Porsche (EV) Cayman stacks up to the 718 and the 981. I would venture a Guess, similar to this video.

[@MarkSanders77A]

Wonder what the Lap time difference would ave been between this supercharged Elise SC and a Standard Elise ?

[@hakonhalldorsson6673]

Actually a good question. My S2 111S is 780kg with 160hp. If lighter is better, then it would be interesting if -200kg makes up for the +65ish hp difference in power.

[@wardog0086]

I honestly thought it'd be closer than that. Fully expected the Elise to be faster, but 3.6 seconds faster? Damn. No complaints here, since the Elise is my dream car.

[@jimiverson3085]

That's also 3.6 seconds on a short track. In a half hour race on that track, the Lotus would win by about 3 laps.

[@alcapony4935]

@@jimiverson3085 And the Tesla would of run out of charge!

[@jimiverson3085]

@@alcapony4935 Well, yeah, there is that, too.

[@Stikkzz]

imagine you paid £100000 for that junk

[@MarkSanders77A]

Pity Tesla chased 240 mile range - the extra 300kg weight spoiled it. I would prefer 100 to 150 mile range and same weight as Elise. Owned Elans and Elises and these are my all time best cars, except for noise 😂. Electric doesn’t need to be heavier - #LotusElon is actually 20kg lighter than before converting to Electric.

[@MarkSanders77A]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/ip6sf2Siqbmgo6c Lotus Elon on Collecting Cars #LotusElon

[@ollivainikainen9388]

What about a 10 lap test?

[@patrickvanrinsvelt4466]

Apparently Musk said his biggest mistake was using a Lotus to start his design. The Lotus was designed to be light...

[@marcopereira5576]

Here is something interesting to see 😊 The first Tesla to be made 😊

[@TundeEszlari]

Brilliant video.

[@sundaymorningdrives]

Great comparison, being lighter is always better. That's why we own Lotus Exige cars ;)

[@automotiveaffairsshorts]

Pretty sure if this test was done in America, by Motor Trend, the results would have been flipped!

[@Blas4ublasphemy]

Yeah because it would have been a drag race....

[@automotiveaffairsshorts]

@@Blas4ublasphemy we think these two cars were on very different rubber, hence the gap in lap times! Anyway, British publications like to wave the Union Jack 🇬🇧 while American companies their Stars and Stripes 🇺🇸 and will find ways to support their brand!

[@Cloxxki]

If the Roadster were to be redone, on the same chassis, it would be more powerful and lighter now. The original Tesla tech was rather barbaric. New Lotus Emira is much heavier. The upcoming 2020 (!!) Roadster will weigh double its original, though.

[@KP-xi4bj]

Original Tesla Roadster weighed 2,700 lbs. So, you're saying Tesla Roadster 2.0 will weigh 5,400 lbs?

[@davenz000]

Love those Tezlas......

[@stevenbennett3922]

1 Tesla UK car for sale with 4750 miles for a very reasonable £225k. Bargain. A final edition Sport 240 of the Elise is on for £57k. I know what I would have...that's if I could get in it. LOL

[@patrickvanrinsvelt4466]

Musk says that basing the Tesla on the Elise was a big mistake. Can understand why ...

[@dieselscartalk4146]

This is very interesting

[@sultanabran1]

i don't know why people go on about 100% of the torque is at 0km for electric motors. so what? how often are you at 0km on a race track? i'm not saying they're not faster, but it's a dumb thing to market.

[@Drifty325i]

Got to be one of the best sports cars get made! love them

[@Nickoboss29]

The Elise...

[@dawdawes]

The Tesla looks like a kit car from the 80s

[@Psythik]

The Tesla looks like a Lotus Elise (cause it is)

[@dieselscartalk4146]

Jim Clark belongs with Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, he was brilliant but his car wasn't reliable enough to win him multiple consecutive titles

[@goodshipkaraboudjan]

I was listening to Rustys Garage (Greg Rust - Aussie motorsports journo) episode with Dario Franchitti. I was blown away to hear Dario owns Jims actual Lotus Cortina and not only that - he lives in the same part of Scotland so to this day Jims old Lotus Cortina is still out on the same twisty roads it used to be on when he owned it!

[@dieselscartalk4146]

@@goodshipkaraboudjan that is so cool!

[@goodshipkaraboudjan]

@@dieselscartalk4146 give it a go the eps are on Spotify mate. I loved the way Dario banged on about the car

[@Diecastclassicist]

I’d be thrilled to drive either of these cars, much less own them.

[@seinsmeld13]

My friend had one of these Teslas. It was a very cramped car. I didn't like it.....................🥶

[@stephantranquille6681]

The tesla's design looks old by today's standards.

[@sadladd]

right?? the elise is still one of the most beautiful cars of all time… can’t say the same about the roadster

[@abcjelly]

elise > sports roadster roadster 2020 > veyron

[@KP-xi4bj]

Tesla Roadster 2.0 > Lotus **insert your car of choice**

[@XBOW83]

Electric car was only good in acceleration, Bad in corners...

[@adrienadrien5940]

Nop, weight distribution 50/50 low center of mass, more rigide chassis. A model 3 performance does better than a M3 on track. ICE might be more engaging and more fun to drive but EV tends to have better handling. You can't rely ont this test, that a fully developed car vs almost a prototype.

[@XBOW83]

@@adrienadrien5940 LOL Light is right thats all And all EV was too heavy.

[@adrienadrien5940]

@@XBOW83 Most of hypercar are above 1500kg... Weight distribution, and to power ratio are more important than weight itself. Nodays EV rost ICE, in acceleration and in handling, that a fact. I love ICE, I've got a big old V10 at home, but let's be honest in pure performance EV have overcome ICE.

[@XBOW83]

@@adrienadrien5940 i think you don't play on track for says weight are not important. Put your ass with a good driver on a light and racing car. you will be surprised by the G on your body on brakes and corner...

[@adrienadrien5940]

@@XBOW83 Most road car are not ment to be driven hard on the track anyway even a lotus. I did some tack, I know that managing the heat becomes a challenge therefore weight is obviously a factor. But a 2CV or a fiat panda weighting 800kg is a shity car. You're wrong saying that EV are bad in cornering, that a fact, typical EV tends to overcome ICE on handling because of the weight répartition.

[@Tay_James]

Tesla fanboys are going to be hurting at this one 😂

[@samhianblackmoon]

🔥👍🏽

[@SuperiorWare]

This is the beta version of Roadster

[@CyberGaming25]

First ohhhhh

[@drew699]

As of 2023, this is the best test we have for how the EV sports cars will be when they arrive… 2025 for an Alpine EV replacement for the A110 & 2026 for the Lotus Elise replacement….based on this test weight, in terms of speed & driver involvement terms, things arent looking good for the EV’s.

[@blm7929]

This test is completely irrelevant, quite the contrary. We're talking about a vehicle made in 2008 when EVs weren't even a topic of discussion, with technologies that aren't at all the same as they are now, all fitted into a chassis that was in no way designed to be electrified. Future electric sports cars will be nothing like this. With the new technologies and a chassis designed for electric cars, performance will be at least equal to, if not better than, the internal combustion versions. Yes, there's more weight, which is now proportionally more contained than it was in the first-gen Tesla Roadster, but it's much better distributed (it was all on the back here), and much better managed. I'm well aware that it's impossible to change an anti-electric's mind, but the future of sports cars isn't as unexciting as some would have us believe. It will be different, of course, but no less good.

[@BlatentlyFakeName]

@@blm7929 New doesn't always mean better, in fact when it comes to cars it seems to be the reverse right now. Many new models aren't as good as the old ones. Not as well made, don't handle as well. Not much beats Lotus' chassis, probably never will. It's still the benchmark for performance cars even after 25 years. Even supercar manufacturers use their chassis designs now. Lotus' plan for their own EV is to have the batteries in the middle, behind the driver to preserve the mid-engine balance and keep the sharp front end response (if you spread the weight across the chassis like most EVs do, you get loads of understeer). They know what they are doing much more than Tesla does when it comes to making sports cars. But there is no doubt weight is going to kill the feel and cornering speeds when it comes to electric.

[@Stickleback]

I`l take the petrol car, hairdryers are electric.

[@blm7929]

Just so you know, the very first car in the world was... electric. Like your hairdryer.

[@ChromeFlakes]

Ffs. Another combustion bias comparison. If you’d pitched a standard Elise (that people can actually buy) rather than one with almost double the power of the original, the Roadster would’ve blowin it into the weeds. It would be nice to see a FAIR combustion vs lightning comparison. Or is Fifth gear Recharged sponsored by Shell (same as TopGear?)

[@kenbourn8132]

The point was both cars were on sale at the same time and manufactured in the same year.

[@ChromeFlakes]

Pretty sure the Sinclair C5 and the Lancia Delta S4 Stradale were both on sale in ‘85. Perhaps they should bring Tiff back for an unbiased track battle.

[@R0adsterr0land]

FFS the Tesla is 3x the price. It should have up against a supercharged Elise dummy.

[@alcapony4935]

Load of crap! The SC was not a limited edition, only the Jim Clark one, both with the same power. And that’s the one most people purchased. The Elise you’re talking about with half the power was mid nineties.

[@ChromeFlakes]

@@alcapony4935 the n/a was the most sold Elise globally. Only 32.8% sold were supercharged. The video title is “Elise” vs Roadster not Elise SC. My point is, it’s an unfair comparison pitching the first BEV with lithium ion batteries up against a combustion vehicle with a superior power to weight ratio. This is a common theme with Fifth gear combustion vs EV comparisons.

[@AdamCiernicki]

How is that test relevant in any way in 2023? Hey, let's watch a Golf GTI from 1992 next!

[@SilverfoxJB]

67 grand more expensive - what an overpriced POS

[@davidluckman4104]

Fifth gear recharged sucks 👎

[@sideswipebl]

Look it's Jason Baked Potato!

[@mbeliv3763]

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