[vincesf]

Car & Driver had their latest 2008 Lightening Lap comparison on the VIR, which included a Lotus Elise SC. Results? The Elise came in with a time of 3:16.6 @ 76.9 mph on the 4.2 mile course. The test broke up the cars in 5 price segments, with the Elise SC in the $30,000 to $60,000 segment, which included 15 cars ranging from a Corvette Z51 3:01.2 @ 83.4 mph to a Honda Civic Mugen SI 3:24.8 @ 73.8 mph. The Elise SC was beaten by 10 out of 15 cars in its price segment as well as a Chevy Cobalt which was in the under $30,000 segment. The writer’s complained of “vague engagement” of the 6-speed manual gearbox and noted that a 190 hp Elise from the 2006 test came in at a quicker 3:09.2, and was equipped with wider and stickier tires, which offset the SC’s extra punch. I find this unbelievable that the Elise SC could be beaten by a 4,146 pound Dodge Challenger SRT8 or even the Honda S2000 CR. Perhaps Car & Driver was given an SC that was not well sorted.