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Originally Posted by PhlypSide
I'm starting to believe that the M100 is, as I have put it before, the duck-billed platypus of sportscars. But it's FWD layout is truly not representative nor characteristic of what is normally/widely/generally considered a sportscar.
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I don't think any of us M100 owners would describe it that way but I concede your intention. Its is an anomoly in the sportscar world but it truly is a sprtscar. I don't know that many other car builders could have made a FWD Elan like Lotus did. The list of innovations developed from the Elan is long and distinguished. Its FWD handling and performance are only 2 things.
Here's some other excerps that are interesting:
"We had long discussions about vehicle dynamics and analysed it to death" said Kimberley. "There was enough evidence fro various thrid-party client projects to prove that we could develop a front-drive sport car that would embody the Lotus culture of good handling, manoeuverability and stability. Our intention was to create a car which would be unrivalled in its all-around A-to-B performance.
"There were other benefits, especially in terms of packaging. I am 6ft 5in tall, yet I find the car easy to get in and out of, there is loys of head and leg room, and there is plenty of footwell space. We also thought the marketplace was ready for a front-drive sports car. The car's price means that it appeals , just like the old Elan, to a wider, younger market - and many of these customers will have grown up with front-drive...................."
Besides this rationale, there was a deternination that the new Elan should explore frsh territory just as the original one had done. Roger Becker, who was responsible for all performace aspects of the M100, has been at Lotus long enough to see the cars of both generations - he worked on the old Elan and also on the Plus 2. Becker used to keep asking himself what Colin Chapman would have done for a 1990's Elan, knowing, of course, that he would have gone for innovation and distinctiveness. By this logic, a traditional front-engined rear-drive sports car would not have been a technological statement...........................
"I feel i have one of the most difficult jobs of all" confessed becker in his speech on that occassion, "which is to try to convince people about the performance characteristics of a front-drive sports car. If you could travel beside me in the car, you would understand. We wanted to produce something special. It had to be the world's best handling sports car. Responsive, agile, manoeuverable, stable. refined - and, most important of all, fun. We wanted the Elan to protect the customer, a quality which we express as our 'three 90's rule': we wanted 90% of our customers to be able to use 90% of the performance 90% of the time. All these things pointed to front-drive."
Can there be any more proof that FWD wasn't a decision based on available power trains, cost, etc.?
There's just too much information in the mark Hughes book to quote but I hope this and previous quotes dispell some of the misconceptions about the M100 on this board.
Someone posted earlier that the Elise could have gone the way of the Elan due to price. Truer words were likely never spoken. Lotus learned alot from the Elan. They were too "forward" (pun intended) thinking with the Elan and it didn't get the credit and accpetance it so justly deserved. When a car has that going against it AND a hefty price tag the market tends to be very small indeed.
I like the Elise a lot. I think its a fantastic car and a great product for Lotus. But, I love Lotus more than just one car model. These guys have been innovators for a very long time. The problem when your "bleeding edge" is that your techo treats don't always appeal to the mass market the way you hope they will.
EDIT (since you were typing while i was reposnding):
Reason for demise is generally considered price. Why? Hard to get someone to spend the money they were asking for the Elan at the time AND it was losing money. Losing money = bad. The car was killed. So price and cost if you will. I mention the FWD aspect only because that was part (not all) of the reason people wouldn't pay the money. Most had not accpeted that a FWD car could be a performance vehicle. And Lotus was asking money that already put it out of reach of most buyers. Don't forget that at the time FWD was still considered by most as cheap, small and Japanese.
No, the bright future wasn't speculation at all. As I said, the designs for the variant were already done and the production lines were tooled to make it happen. The M200 was recently sold last year I think in an auction. It runs. But, the M100 was killed as mentioned above. So, its not speculation to say these plans were done and the M100 had a bright future. That was always in the plans. I didn't say it was going to be hugely successful, steal the market, etc. That would be speculation.
As for your last point, RWD cars have their own problems too. They aren't the perfect sportcar platform. FWD have different problems. You can say you prefer to deal with the problems a RWD car throws at you. Ok. Some like the problems a FWD car throw at you because they are easier to deal with. That's not a statement that suggests a FWD car is leass of a sportscar because it has easier challenges to deal with. Some could argue it allows you to concentrate on DRIVING which is what the sport is all about.
As for this:
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Originally Posted by PhlypSide
Given a dry (or wet, or snowy) stretch of pavement or more preferrably a closed track (but not a requirement) I think many could find out really quickly whether or not your miracle machine was in AWD/RWD or especially FWD mode.
Dry "test": Which wheels leave the marks after a smoky standing start. - Not from within the car which is really what we are talking about here
Wet/Snow "test": Take a turn at speed. Which is more apparent, understeer or oversteer. Do you have to countersteer?
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Ah, but this is the point we're trying to make! Take the M100 out on a dry track and tell me you feel the difference. Its almost imperceptible.
I'm not arguing that FWD is better or more sportscar like than RWD. My contention in these comments has never changed. Those that have never driven the M100 could easily draw the conclusion that FED cars can't be true-sportscars. Those that have with any regularity would never say that.