Exocet vs Elise

The dreaded vs thread.

A as-designed Exocet Race with a 1.8 Miata donor

VS

2005-06 Lotus Elise

Both are in the $25k range (Exomotive cost statement compared to not-trailer-queen Elise currently for sale.)

Go!!!!

For the same money? Elise. /thread

Elise for resale and daily driveability (and insurability, as referenced by a bud trying to insure his Exocet) - also it's way prettier.

Elise. I'd love to own an Exocet but it is a much more purpose built vehicle than Elise which limits its ability to be used on a regular basis.

You might think the Elise is a "nice weather" car but the Exocet on the street really is a nice weather car.

Before you make the decision, sit in an Elise wearing a helmet. I wanted one in the worst way, until I tried that.

Duke wrote: Before you make the decision, sit in an Elise wearing a helmet. I wanted one in the *worst* way, until I tried that.

NO LOGIC IN VS THREADS!!!!

I am 6'5" So just sitting in Elise is difficult enough (I have done it though) That is a car that is begging for 2" in cabin in length and height.

How are you going to use it?

For the track, Exocet all day every day and twice on Sunday. For street use and crumpet collecting, Elise.

Since you're looking at an Exocet Race, I'm guessing you're looking at track use. I'm also assuming that $25k is a turbo Exocet.

Elise until I have to do any repair or maintenance.

Plus the fact that every single Elise that has ever been made seems to have had an accident resulting in a salvage title makes me wonder about those cars?Bad Car-ma?

In reply to Keith Tanner:

Crumpets you say.

$25k is from the Exocet site (I am sure they shoot high). Exocet Race is from your site as what is included in the kit. Besides at this price point the couple hundred bucks isn't the point. Ball park figures for both anyway.

When pricing the Elise I also left out salvage title cars which knocks another $5k off.

Elise two times over and three times on Sunday.

In reply to Keith Tanner:

You know Keith. There are alot of rusted out 1.6l Miatas out there. Seems like an interesting spec class with exocet chassis and the not-picked-to-death-by-spec-miata racers source.

Spec Exocet vs Spec Miata. Sounds like fun.

Elise all day, every day ... until the folks at Excocet make something that isn't hideous to look at. It will never be fast enough to outrun ugly.

Huckleberry wrote: Elise until the folks at Excocet make something that isn't hideous to look at. It will never be fast enough to outrun ugly.

I'm gonna say Exocet due to the high probability that something "bendy" would likely happen to it if I owned either one and the Exocet is simple Miata parts on a tube chassis while the Elise is an exotic shell just waiting to be totaled out.

tldr: don't track the thing you aren't willing to ball up. But if you do, the one that can actually be repaired is the winner.

Schrödinger's Flight Service wrote: In reply to Keith Tanner: You know Keith. There are alot of rusted out 1.6l Miatas out there. Seems like an interesting spec class with exocet chassis and the not-picked-to-death-by-spec-miata racers source. Spec Exocet vs Spec Miata. Sounds like fun.

MX150R is a spec class for Exocets in the UK. I don't know the health of the series, but you're not the first to think of it :) Trying to start a spec class in the US is not a simple thing, but basically a Spec Miata in an Exocet frame would make for a fun class.

Huckleberry wrote: Elise all day, every day ... until the folks at Excocet make something that isn't hideous to look at. It will never be fast enough to outrun ugly.

If you're on the track and paying attention to the looks of the car, then the car isn't very interesting to drive. In the Exocet, all you see is the track as the car disappears around you. Who cares what everyone else sees?

And as noted, if your goals are to look cool and pick up chicks*, go with the Elise.

*translated to Southern Racing English^ for those who didn't pick up my reference to Henry N Manny III's description of the E-Type

^that one's a Smokey Yunick reference

Track use only - Exocet.

For use as a real car - no question the Elise.

I'm going to be the dissenting voice.

I was so excited when the Elise launched here I couldn't wait to test drive one. My enthusiasm lasted right up until that test drive. For me, the Elise is just a productionized kit car. It's too small, cramped and fiberglass smelly to be considered anything other than a pure toy. If you are going for a pure toy then go all the way and get the Exocet. Long term resale you'll always be better off with the Lotus. But for drive the hell out of it and fix E36 M3 that falls off, the Exocet wins there too. One thing I'd do though is add some panels to the side so it's not quite so open to road debris.

Edit. I'd love to see (an impractical) comparison of an Exocet and Elise with the same power to weight ratio, the same width and make of tires, the same quality of shocks etc and see which is ahead. and by how much.

Keith Tanner wrote: If you're on the track and paying attention to the looks of the car, then the car isn't very interesting to drive. In the Exocet, all you see is the track as the car disappears around you. Who cares what everyone else sees?

Seriously? You don't care what a car looks like at all? Uh huh. OK.

I have had a good two decades of track time and racing and I still want to race something that isn't an eyesore. Especially if I am buying it retail instead of cobbling it together in my garage.

The Exocet looks like it might have been designed by a committee of blind engineers. In a hurry. Do not want.

In reply to Adrian_Thompson:

I think that would be the only comparison an Elise has ever been considered portly.

Between those two, if you had a salad or burger for lunch would matter.

NOHOME wrote: Plus the fact that every single Elise that has ever been made seems to have had an accident resulting in a salvage title makes me wonder about those cars?Bad Car-ma?

A stressed-composite chassis and the size of that clamshell basically makes any incident a total.

In reply to Duke:

Stressed composite chassis? You mean aluminum?

Schrödinger's Flight Service wrote: In reply to Duke: Stressed composite chassis? You mean aluminum?

It's a bonded aluminum sandwich panel. In architectural terms, that's a composite material. I didn't mean to imply it's a CF tub or something like that, sorry.

Huckleberry wrote:

Keith Tanner wrote: If you're on the track and paying attention to the looks of the car, then the car isn't very interesting to drive. In the Exocet, all you see is the track as the car disappears around you. Who cares what everyone else sees?

Seriously? You don't care what a car looks like at all? Uh huh. OK. I have had a good two decades of track time and racing and I still want to race something that isn't an eyesore. Especially if I am buying it retail instead of cobbling it together in my garage. The Exocet looks like it might have been designed by a committee of blind engineers. In a hurry. Do not want.

On a track car, I look at the details. That's where the beauty lies. The 50' view isn't very important to me, which is why I like LMP cars and I'll spend a lot more time looking at a racer with the panels removed than one that's all buttoned up

For a street car or a promotional car, things are different. The looks are part of the experience. But on the track, there's no concentration left over for appreciating a nicely sculpted fender.

I've driven both an Exocet and a Catfish on the track. They're basically the same car, but one is beautiful (and would be a fun third choice in this comparison) and the other is, well, an Exocet. Pushing hard, the car disappears and it becomes about sightlines (being able to see the front wheel of the Exocet is a big plus) and what's going on at the contact patch. You are unaware of what the car looks like.

So yeah, here's something else to consider. We're about to put this shop car up for sale (gotta rotate the fleet) so it's a legit option It's got the same Miata underpinnings as an Exocet, but you don't eat grit when driving on the road and it's SEXY. Also cheaper to repair than an Elise. Still no roof, so there's always the excitement of getting caught in the rain.

In reply to Keith Tanner:

Did you just flip a Vs thread comparison,that was going toward dispute, to a car for sale ad?

Impressive, most impressive.

Not just that, but a for sale ad for a different car

But a Catfish is an alternative that is either the best of both the Exocet and the Elise or the worst of both, no matter where you source it. So I felt it should be mentioned.