This Lotus is actually a KIA? Carfection 4K

[@360vrog6]

I am the owner of a car that owns Kia Elan in Seoul. Although I didn't understand the language in the video, I was not able to experience the car in Korea at the time, whether it was good or bad, and I am very grateful to ride Elan thanks to Lotus and Kia. I used a translator application. Thank you.😅

[@fritzbrause6332]

GM planned to shut down Lotus and scrap components they had on stock to make about another 1000 Elans. When Romano Artioli took over Lotus, which saved the life of Lotus as car manufacturer, he decided to give the M100 a makeover and relaunch it as S2 Once they were sold, he sold the production tools and line to KIA. He said: „then we had the money to make the Elise“.

[@Maximus20778]

GM always kills car brands

[@X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X]

As far as I know, Lotus ran comparison tests on B-roads, where FWD proved the faster alternative until 200 hp. This is why this car is FWD - it does make sense!

[@archiegoodwinjr]

I wanted that Elan when it was introduced. It was nifty looking--short and wide--and from the pictures I thought it was going to be the long awaited mid-engine version of the original Elan. Except it wasn't mid-engine, was not rear wheel drive, and was heavy for a small Lotus. On the other hand it had to be more reliable than the original--a huge plus for a one car household. Among other magazines of the time, Car & Driver's road test was lukewarm, cited compromises necessitated by FWD and quipped that you can teach a pig to dance, but you were still dancing with a pig. Darn. Thanks to Carfection for introducing Kia's Elan to KZbin. Only 1000 made? Could this become an affordable alternative to the Alfa Romeo's RZ/SZ that I can no longer afford?

[@X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X]

The Lotus Elan is one of those cars I have always loved, but nobody else seems to.

[@michaelperrin3503]

Except j lenno at least you and him😂

[@alxsarti]

Know what you feel bro

[@markbayles7840]

I have an Elan the same as the one pictured, still a superb car all these years later. Decades ahead of its time in the handling department.

[@X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X]

@@creamwobbly See my other comment, please

[@starmusicc]

@@michaelperrin3503 kzbin.info/www/bejne/oITMfoukr8eBj7s

[@taehanyoun8126]

That elan was an icon in korea. Almost everyone above my generation definitely knows about that car 👍 I was a kid when that car was brand new, and I remember that I loved Kia Elan toy car so much 😂 didnt expect to see this car in youtube btw, especially from someone speaking english. Thanks for wonderful video.

[@markmushypeas313]

Why only 1000 sold over three years?

[@danmuzicman01]

I was so surprised the first time I saw them over here in Korea. Saw them on a lot of used car lots but an Ajjoshi near me still has a red one. Might be time to pic one up and save it along with a Pony.

[@charles78501]

@@markmushypeas313 it was very expensive at the time and financial crisis hit korea. nobody was able to afford such luxury car and kia went bankrupt.

[@gabethomas8123]

I live in Seoul and there are still quite a few of these on the road.

[@SmallBlogV8]

Someone let Kia know that Lotus is open to "the right buyer" purchasing the tooling for the outgoing Elise... ;-)

[@danielboyd7810]

Wouldn't that be interesting

[@someone.............]

Instead of sports car, i would simply call it as a "sporty-ish" car

[@MoskusMoskiferus1611]

Or just a Compact Car

[@NippyMoto]

Cars like this is why the Mazda MX5 did so well 😂

[@1183newman]

well the lotus m100 elan was in some critics of the times eyes the better car. But it was something like 10,000 more expensive which is what killed it.

[@NippyMoto]

@@1183newman What a load of absolute drivel, the MX5 is a significantly better car than the Elan. The fact that the is rwd is enough alone. Anyone that says otherwise is out of their mind.

[@fritzbrause6332]

According to the car magazines back in the day, the Elan was rated the better sports car and the best FWD car overall. No doubt that the MX5 is a great car, but in the handling and performance departments the Elan played in a different league. And that is not what I said but what the press said

[@NippyMoto]

@@fritzbrause6332 I have driven both the Elan and the NA6 MX5 and I simply cannot fathom how one could come to that conclusion unless they were blatantly biased. The NA6 was so much more nimble and on it's toes than the Elan. A true roadster should be rwd and the fact that you can just swing the tail out and just play with it in the NA6 just seals the deal and while you can kick the tail out on the Elan with weight transfer it's just not the same. If you are looking past the factory models the MX5 has much more aftermarket tunability making it a better option for those who are inclined that way.

[@1183newman]

@@fritzbrause6332 yea on track the elan would be quicker than the mx5 for sure.

[@rspo4710]

There are still more than 500 running in Korea. When KIA Elan is scrapped, you can always sell parts to Korea. In Korea, Elan parts are expensive. Or, even if the Kia Elan is exported to Korea, it can be sold at a high price. Until the end, Elan in Korea and England will remain.

[@thedeadpoet000]

Popopopopopopop Up and down Headlights!

[@global_nomad.]

thanks for the lesson about weird moments in automotive history...

[@MatFinch]

Great video on a facinating piece of car history. I never knew there was a Kia Elan

[@PrimeMatt]

I still like the styling of the Elan, but I was a teen when it came out so it had my interest. If I had the money I'd get a Singer style Elan done just for the nostalgia 😎

[@Nemoticon]

@@creamwobbly No such thing as 'wrong wheel drive' there are plenty are FWD cars that are super fun and VERY engaging.

[@ericsheen3637]

The wheel design is a model produced by Kia motors. I owned this model 15 years ago. In Korea. also, Manual transmission model is the best. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find manual models anymore in Korea.

[@6rimR3ap3r]

There's nothing I miss more from that era than pop-up headlights. Always enjoy them on my Supra :-)

[@ElanZyl]

Not a bad car even in 2021

[@360vrog6]

👍

[@Cyapow]

I had an Elan SE. Was a great car loved it. Could throw it round corners and it just stuck solid. Was 20 years old when I got it so interior started falling apart and the roof was crap lol. But it was a lovely car I'd happily drive again

[@7ombische]

I owned a modified one while in Korea that helped undo the sacrilege. Koreans don’t like convertibles but the car has a hard core cult following in the country.

[@basithph8958]

Interesting how Kia had a sports car which is basically a Lotus Elan but still that's pretty neat!

[@obidean3964]

This is pretty cool, didn't know about this at all. More of this weird cars please, very interesting to learn about it. Also, props to the owner for keeping it in mint condition.

[@adlibbed2138]

At least the Elan stays true to what Lotus should been, unlike the Evija

[@sltillim]

I had an M100 Elan - it rattled and plastic broke and was a pita to work on. even though it was fwd, it drove great through the Santa Cruz mountain roads above Silicon Valley.

[@SabreLilly.]

I always liked the look of these Elans, and wanted one for the longest time. I've just never been able to find one.

[@freshofftheplane]

Great feature on the storied Elan. Kia should come out with a new elan. An affordable, open top, fun 2 seater just for kicks

[@salocin911]

I remember seeing one of these in San Francisco during the 90's ... Still a great looking car.

[@johnhyoutube]

Don't sit on the bloody bonnet!

[@johnsim3722]

I've know of its existence for a long time, but this is the first time any reviewer I've seen has talked about it. Strange, because this could have been KIA's MR2, MGF or Z3. It had the right recipe for the time.

[@satvikkrishna1593]

When will the Million Subscribers special video will arrive? Is it in the works!?

[@alexander1485]

Why does the uk use brake horsepower?

[@jacquesduplessis6175]

I used to love that Elan when I was a kid✌

[@chrisogrady28]

I don't understand the whole '3 days of british summer' running gag in this country. It's fucking boiling throughout June, july and august. I'm still too hot in may and september too. Just because it rains sometimes doesn't mean it's not summer. Looking forward to October

[@yyc5363]

옛날에 드라마 의가형제에서 장동건이 저거타고나왔었나 존나멋있었는데

[@pedroelvas9148]

GO Alex!!! you and Harry make this channel one of the best! aside with Harrys Garage 😉 Keep up the great work!!!

[@stuartsmellie4966]

Are we going to get him some high performance driving lessons? Come on, let Henry get him up to speed.

[@kenjohnson3174]

Anyone who comments on the Lotus that has not had one. Blah blah. And this guy got it wrong as well it was Bugatti who bought the M100 off of GM and built the S2. Remove the catalytic converter from the S2 and it is a far better car with 165bhp and the Isuzu engine is very capable of producing 200hp with very little cost or work. The big down side with this car is working on the engine as nothing is easy

[@rob.halpin]

Ha! I had one of these. The engine was a bit of a dog, and the gear change was not good, tbh. The yellow paint was a little naff, too. The suspension did a good job of soaking up the potholes of Seoul, tho.

[@superseven7947]

Errr.. Petrol heads already know all this..

[@paullewis6858]

The lotus Elan came out after I passed my test. Thought the lotus was amazing but market forces dictated I had the Fiesta 1.4 Sport

[@procatprocat9647]

I'd love to take that Kia Elan to a hard core Lotus meet....just to get the beards into heart attack mode

[@stephen300o6]

Be embarrassing enough to take the lotus one.

[@Zerofightervi]

I remember seeing this at the 98 Motorshow at the NEC, it seemed very out of place with the rest of the Kia range.

[@Nemoticon]

I always liked the 90s Elan... so short and so wide, it looks like a toy.

[@nitrorory]

Interesting subject , never knew lotus sold the rights. Hope they made plenty from it.

[@Nate_LDN]

Now i think KIA should have bought lotus it would have made so much sense

[@fritzbrause6332]

In this case we wouldn’t have an Elise now. The Elise was Artioli’s brainchild. A concept that did well for 25 years

[@Nate_LDN]

​@@fritzbrause6332 I meant instead of geely

[@zzhughesd]

I only learnt this last month myself lol. Kia it was !!

[@chrisogrady28]

I still haven't got over the boneheaded move of making the elan FWD. Whcih motoring press 'praised the use of FWD'?

[@urbansoundscapes7734]

FWD has been used on many highly rated and successful cars over the years, and the Elan set the benchmark for FWD handling when launched which many others followed, such as Alfa's GTV. I remember vividly many years ago a cross country run with Elises and Elans, there was rain and within a few miles 2 of the group suffered damaged rear suspensions - the Elans were not only quicker in damp conditions but also a lot safer.

[@kramnam4716]

That’s like giving a Porsche to British Leyland and telling them to improve it.

[@midasracer]

still a pretty car. Needs tuning and it will be great.

[@TroyConvers5000]

Designed in-house by Kia, as stated in the press at the time I'm not even going to bother watching a video about it.

[@johnevans6474]

A work mate of mine had one, I used to race him to work in my wife’s 1250cc Fiest and he couldn’t give me the slip.

[@AsinineComment]

I remember CAR mag comparing the original Lotus version, with a Z4 (yes, that drop-door gem), an MX5/Miata, and some TVR (I think 🤔). The Elan was very civil and moderate and thorough - but didn't have the ballsy grunt of the TVR, the solidity nor door-down quirkiness of the BMW, much less the lithe balance of the Mazda. The Elan was simply quite nice - which should always be soul destroying insult to any Lotus. 😬

[@urbansoundscapes7734]

Seem to remember the Elan being the quickest car in that test?

[@dustdevil9614]

High Sprint Ultra power are tacky af even by 80s and 90s standards lmao

[@ThinkfreeorDie]

*James Pumphrey has entered the chat*

[@MandusahRamirez]

Just Imagine If KIA/Hyundai/Genesis Teamed Up With Lotus Today! That Would Be Epic!!!

[@Mexxx65]

A LHD Korean Lotus, ...........................Could the Automotive world be any more upside down than this!

[@deadalive7311]

Cool car but worst thing in it is FWD

[@DaBaltimoron]

Like golf, or like a Golf?

[@hendrahendra]

Ultra Power

[@jonmayhew4468]

holy smokes lads, i take back my comment on the last video.....he isn't wearing the jacket or scarf!!

[@nitrorory]

Don’t like this presenter. Not trolling , genuine feedback.

[@dennisgypsy3096]

It’s still spring

[@PiefacePete46]

Listening to your commentary, the Elan doesn't qualify for my definition of 'Sports Car'. It needs to be challenging, slightly terrifying, appealing to the masochist, but also rewarding... a bit like the perfect mistress! There should be no place for 'Wafting' and 'Nice'! Still a pretty neat car though... thanks.

[@pigeonpoo1823]

Dear Kia Please buy the rights to the Elise Lots of love The world

[@fredsanke4070]

It's a KIATA.

[@grayfool]

So, Kia's MGB then. That's OK.

[@Thunderd0me]

ése lotus, es un KIA... PUNTO!

[@yyc5363]

캬 주모~

[@faustinaadu2284]

It had an Isuzu engine as well

[@lotusgroup123]

When it was a Lotus, not when it was a Kia.

[@odl21]

Bizarre….

[@markmushypeas313]

Nice to learn something new. What a wasted opportunity by kia

[@AbrahamArthemius]

It's a Kia, that is a Lotus, with the heart of an Izusu...

[@chuckmakesit]

The Lotus versions built in Britain have the Isuzu motor. When Kia produced them in Korea they replaced the motor with one of their own.

[@ps3301]

I had the lotus elan. Worst car in my life. Will never buy another lotus again

[@c5173]

wow

[@warrenwalker8170]

the stinger is really BORING the elan is good looking

[@resnonverba137]

A car's bonnet is NOT a seat.

[@the1beard]

Sorry I can't take this presenter seriously

[@comofue6000]

Another cheap engine materials! You get what you pay for!!