The Lotus Elise SC Jim Clark is More Than A Stripe

[@Drifty325i]

They really are one of the most fun cars for the $$ you can get, very reliable, easily modified, will never look dated, and hold their value really well. They are so much fun even at low speeds. You really can’t go wrong

[@revman417]

"He's in a C - class, he's probably middle management, he probably hates himself!" Lmao....

[@MrCarrera28]

A car made in tribute to Jim Clarke is definitely worth having.

[@CharmingVanAxJ]

Only just found this after you referenced it in your Komotec Exige! I owned no 23 and loved it. It ended up in France being converted to LHD when I bought an Exige S in Chrome Orange. Would have still owned it if I had been allowed!

[@markyishere1]

I have a 111r Elise. Got a need for more power than the 189hp it had as standard. I got the car supercharged now has 300hp great fun.

[@shadmonk]

had to upgrade gearbox etc?

[@markyishere1]

​@@shadmonk Not gearbox upgrade but I'm right on the limit of what is safe for the C64 transmission. I had to upgrade the intake and exhaust/manifold also has a fully programmable ecu. I do like to think I have mechanical sympathy when I drive so I don't lunch the gearbox.

[@1970boggy]

Please stop 😂 I haven’t bought one again yet and that little car is absolutely beautiful. Fabulous video Sir I’ve had a 430 Spider, Porsche 911’s, Cayman S, I’ve driven almost everything and the simple fact is an Elise is unbeatable. There is no better car to drive. Signed up buddy and thanks

[@matthewtyler-jones8317]

There were two versions of the Viper striped Type 25. The first, a run of 50 (I just sold number 41) was a standard k -series S2, with a hard top and paint job. Lotus only produced 50 because they had struggled to sell the previous special edition, the black and (slightly) gold Type 72. However the 25 sold like hot cakes, and Lotus obvious regretted limiting the number. So they quickly followed it up with a Type 25 “World Edition” based, IIRC, on the 111s

[@weshore8986]

Excellent review. Very well done! Just picked up an Elise sc and can validate everything you’ve said. The driving experience is like nothing else on the road. Surprised to hear that power windows are actually lighter. Thanks!

[@waltermelonz2973]

I had a Celica T Sport with the 2zz and it was an utterly brilliant machine. 4 years of ownership with 100% reliability, never got bored of it. I know lotus tweeked the 2zz so it likely differs from my experience of the engine I was used to. But one thing I remember was that shove once it engaged Lift. For me it gave the car it's character it's absolute, jackle and hide personality. Some chaps charged there t sports and said that it levelled out the power delivery so much that you never felt lift. Looking forward to watching your video to see what an elise feels like, given the same treatment 👍

[@JayEmmOnCars]

What you describe is the same with the Elise, the NA version has a real "kick" coming on cam, the SC version that is gone

[@tombell7670]

Woo Woo, looking forward to this one, but need to grab a cold beer first.......this I'm going to enjoy....... Thanks for this one Sir.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

My pleasure Tom

[@ltjamescoopermason8685]

My favourite is the Lotus Cup as it is a beautiful car. Especially with your foot down and the sun shineing as it has 2018 summer.😎

[@TheDalitis8]

"He drives a C-class, he's probably middle-management, he probably hates himself" LOOOOOLLLL

[@harald.370]

😂😂😂 17:56 I have that ALL.THE.TIME. Hot hatches & sales reps (trying to) overtake because they want to be faster on straight roads and I’m sitting in my 111R and seriously couldn’t care less. Because I drive the Elise and they don’t 😎😜👍

[@harald.370]

Oh and I have a stage 2 exhaust and bought ear plugs the day after I picked up the car. If anyone ever would want to do an exhaust swap I might consider, it’s so damn loud... people on the side road stand ready with their smartphones begore I drive by purely because they hear something evil coming. That’s just weird...

[@graemerolfe1573]

Just got the previous type 25 with the rover vvc it is replacing my 996 Carreras 4s, could not be happier

[@StephenButlerOne]

I had the corrola t sport. Iirc vvti t sport, as a company car in 2003. I actually quite like it.

[@tombell7670]

Great review of my favourite Elise. Love the colour scheme. Exige review next? (Nice music dity at the end ;) )

[@danielthomas2621]

Great review mate I really like this car ,pure drivers machine my modified mx5 gives similar experience in that it's all about fun and full use of the dynamics the car has ,one day I hope to own a Elise like this as it's next level from my Mazda but until then I'm quite happy with what I've got cheers mate from new Zealand 😀😀😀

[@Drifty325i]

Daniel Thomas i’ll take you for a spin in my turbo elise when i’m home in Auckland next time mate

[@danielthomas2621]

Drifty325i mate that would be incredible please call me sometime 0211525093 regards Daniel

[@Drifty325i]

Daniel Thomas add me on instagram mate, stay in touch on there. workinhardorhardlyworkin

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Im glad to be bringing people together :)

[@Little6]

Great review of the S2 Elise. If you could do a review on the S2 Exige, that would be excellent.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

I am trying but they are quite difficult to find!

[@Little6]

Thank you for your hard work. I love your channel.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

That is great to hear, thankyou

[@Chrissy-H]

JayEmm on Cars I have an S2 Exige cup 240 which I wouldn't mind you trying :-).

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Drop me a line on [e-mail] Chris

[@modecom]

Finally, someone who dislikes wood in cars as much as I do.

[@rogerhudson9732]

A carbon fibre ball is an easy replacement.

[@AlphaDogBehaviour]

I owned this very car and sold it to the current owner. It was a lovely car in every respect. Lovely video too! If I’m not mistaken, they actually made 24 for both the UK and in the States (or perhaps that’s the rest of Europe?) They didn’t make a number 13 to avoid the bad luck. This edition has Exige dampers, 240R/211 wheels, A048s, sports seats, twin oil coolers, hardtop, traction control, and a wooden gear knob :) Hard top is kept on as new owner tracks it. Makes it more difficult to get in and out of for sure and the guy driving must find it a tight fit.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

No tighter a fit than any other small platform Lotus

[@zzkamikazezz]

Enjoyed that. As you were saying, you couldnt care if you are the slowest thing on the road as you are enjoying yourself. Any chance you can try the new more powerful mx5 when they’re available? Id be really interested to see what you think of it

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Which engine is that then?

[@lollotkd]

The MY19 MX-5 will officially have a revised 2.0 engine: 184hp at 7000rpm & 205nm

[@ryanmccormick2150]

And it's a bloody good video 👍

[@JonnyGTi180]

My favourite elise. This sports racer....annnnd sport 190

[@Punisher9419]

Would be nice to see you take out an S1 with the Rover K series engine.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

I will when I can!

[@WhiteMouse77]

....is there some manufacturer offering tinted-transparent polycarbonate roof for Elise?

[@04cscholes]

Is there any updates on the mr2? I bought a rev3 for £600 so very interested in how the non crashed one is getting on 🇬🇧👍🏼👍🏼

[@JayEmmOnCars]

We are trying to film an update as it has moved on nicely but time is an issue!

[@jondobbs]

Your smashing them out of the park at the moment, keep it up - but, who is going to lend you an Europa (‘06-‘10) that’s my question

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Actually, we may have that in hand

[@jondobbs]

JayEmm on Cars that’s a unicorn car for me, that and the second gen Aston Virage - so that’s my next question 😀

[@leebaldwin677]

Have you driven the S2 elise 1zz??

[@Rob-lu8me]

Great video once again Jay, if I’m understanding this correctly, the 2ZZ is a better base engine than the 220’s 2ZR? So is the later Mark 2’s SC’s (factory fitted supercharger) a better combo than the mark 3 220 supercharged cars ?

[@peebow1000]

Talking bout performance, and that 'SC' engine in particular. It's interesting how Lotus evolved the Elise after that. The newer Elises I think used the same block, new Supercharger? (the 'Magnumsomething-or-rather')..anyways, the newer Elises I believe deliver essentially identical performance but with a distinctly lower peak RPM (6800?). If I'm not mistaken, if you look at the torque graphs of the newest Elises vs the old ones, they flatline more (250Nm I think). They never seem to want the Elise torqure to want to pass that point, probably the limits of the drive-trains strength. So after the 'SC', instead of becoming more powerful, it became more efficient, smoother, quieter, refined as they say. Even the Cup 250 maxes at 250Nm torque. So they've pushed the Elise about as comfortably far as Lotus will be willing to go. I look forward to seeing what this 20 yr old cars replacement becomes. On a similar note, most factory cars have big flat line torque graphs nowadays, of course it makes them nicer to drive for the average daily user, but it shows how car manufacturers are pushing so many cars to (long-term) reliable limits in the name of competition. If you were a petrol-head tuner, you'd just tell the ECU (possibly with the aid of bigger injectors) to just throttle as hard as possible till you get that good old-fashioned fully arced torque/power graph. So I'd understand anyways, I'm no engineer as I tell all

[@JayEmmOnCars]

The new elises have a totally different engine

[@peebow1000]

JayEmm on Cars How much different? I know (/think) the latest road models are split between a 1.6 litre base model (100 kW Corolla engine?) and the '220' (163 kW) variants 1.8L supercharged motors which I took as pretty much as a follow on from the 'SC' car. That was to suggest the block woulda been close to (if not) identical and just re-tuned everything else around it, ECU, manifolds, more 'aggressive' supercharger etc.. to dish the performance out at lower RPM (and lift the gear ratios to deliver basically identicle road performance) Again I'm mostly just guessing this stuff, I'm not an auto guru. In anycase, the philosophy seems to be the same that Lotus can't or won't build the Elise to be any faster essentially, bar some rare high strung exceptions like the cup 250. So instead of making it a more 'hardcore car', its lately been evolving to be the more friendly and compliant car. Just the nature of a 20 year old car design I'd guess. Unlike the V6 Exiges, which are far newer, and most their model upgrades in its short life span have involved significant performance gains (from about 345 bhp to 430 bhp). Once again a purely personal guess, I'd say that 430 variant will be roughly the peak of the Exige. They'll either develop a new platform or simply make new exiges generally 'softer and more compliant'. Thanks for reading anyways despite this relatively long tangent I been on

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Nope, completely different motor. The newer engine is not a performance motor by default, and has a much stronger supercharger set up on it to make up for the engines lesser natural performance

[@tomatodamashi]

+JayEmm on Cars Given that, would you recommend a 2013 Elise S or a 2011 Elise SC?

[@Little6]

JayEmm on Cars You really know these cars well.

[@peterrobbemond]

What older Elises had a dip in build quality? I’m in the market for one, and I’d love to be prepared! :)

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Build quality is generally better the later the car

[@peterrobbemond]

Right, so build quality in general eh? What's your opinion on the Toyota VS Rover debate? Any personal preferences on the matter? :)

[@JayEmmOnCars]

I have not actually driven a Lotus with the K series lump. I actually had no preferences myself when buying

[@peterrobbemond]

Thanks! I sat on the passenger seat of 111s last week and was suprised by the mechanical sound of the Rover engine. I'm really looking forward to experiencing a Toyota engine one day to compare

[@MrKeyboardCommando]

The Lotus Elise is a bus⁉️ Bloody hell, Cletus, that's a bit harsh‼️🤨🤨🤨

[@stuarthossack7906]

I obviously agree with your interpretation of handling (simplified for this review I know), but would you agree that handling is more significantly "to do with" shifting load forces and the various acceleration/deceleration of discrete components , delay between input and output of whatever vector you choose to inspect, and slip angles? The interplay of information between ya buttocks and inner ear etc etc. Maybe an in depth future episode? - to uncover misconceptions and the most ignored corners of a car's character?? and the dark art of balancing tweaking the whole caboodle?? I would genuinely appreciate it,with demos maybe?? Kidnap a Lotus design technician for a week and water board him/her??? I understand that it could be a bit of a bottomless well but interesting nonetheless. Oh .. 15.08 I though you were straddling the gearstick!!! LOL!!!!!!!

[@TheSaint491]

An elise sc, or a elise sport 220?

[@petrol_burner]

220, as it has more torque through the Rev range

[@Μανος13]

Great review as always,is it possible to test the 370Z nismo?

[@JayEmmOnCars]

If I get the chance I will!

[@RoflOnMyWaffle.]

I think it wouldn't be the best review, it's a very subjective car. It's not the fastest for the money, but it's built better than a BMW, and is special next to an M car. I bought mine with the mindset of being a forever/5 year car... but Lotus bit me xD The handling might not be the best, but its confidence inspiring so you can push harder than other cars. A lot of earlier reviews still had shipping spacers in the springs, hence the rubbish suspension reviews - they're not. I daily mine and regularly do 4 hour+ drives non stop and its lovely! 8200 miles in 14 months isn't bad. Hooning I average high teens, same as around town, but motorway you can get 30mpg if you try, or enjoy it and get 28mpg. Not sure what else to say, but James will do a much better job when he gets his hands on one ( preferably a mk2 Nismo )

[@Μανος13]

Mike van Varik it's one of the last pure cars, rear wheel drive, naturally aspirated, manual gear box and of course a very rare car. I am tired of boring cars which are made for people who don't really appreciate the real driving.I would also suggest the mx5 and the gt86 but the nismo has also the advantage of the powerful v6.

[@RoflOnMyWaffle.]

Μανος 13 I wouldn't suggest an 86 or mx5 over the Nismo. Having the 86 and Nismo together, the build quality of the Toyota is shocking, I put a comment on James' video about one you can check out

[@paulwilde4728]

Who do you think you are?

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Unusual question

[@stron2004]

Weirdly, the way you made your comment reminds me of a professor that teach fine art criticism.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

I guess that is a good thing?

[@allensaunders449]

Lotus appeals to a select group. They are not quite supercars expensive for what they are, and not normally reliable . There new owners should help them with tech, and money, and model design etc.

[@craigyirush3492]

Allen Saunders the Toyota engined cars are very reliable. Do some research before spouting nonsense.

[@WhiteMouse77]

GREEN CHiLLi...

[@Dom-sc9ih]

Is it possible to get whiplash while doing a review? I feel traumatised just watching you

[@JayEmmOnCars]

We've been working on a more stable camera mount, I am sure you will be pleased to know