Lotus 23 Drivers?

[lotusmark]

[quote=ervsch]Hey Mark! Nice 23 clone - nice to see it leaks just like the real thing!

Yeah, and it was street legal, unlike my 190!

How are you doing - mending well after the personal restoration project?

Doing well thank you! Getting the left side rebuilt next week! See you at Autobahn? PG Peal is coming in for the weekend.

Cheers

Mark

[hotfoot]

I know this is an old thread, but I had to say something.
There is no comparison you can make with any production street Lotus and the 23B. I worked for Lotus Southwest back in the 60's and drove a 23B. It was a great car, but it was a purpose built race car. I'm sure it's fun to drive a road car around a race track, but it doesn't even come close to driving something that is built just to go racing.

[whl3]

....ditto the old thread but like hotfoot, I had to reply. I am a fortunate owner of a 23B (23S77). I've owned it since 1994 and raced it since 1995. It will not be sold as long as I'm on the "right side of the grass"! Back in 1995 Patrick Peal (CABC's son-in-law) told me that the original Elise was being designed and engineered around the original Elan and 23. I've owned an '05 Elise, an '06 Exige, and now an '07 Exige S, as well as, an '08 2-Eleven. All were purchased in pursuit of less expensive "seat time" and an equal thrill to the 23. Obviously, the first three didn't cut it. The 2-Eleven is close but far less visceral than is the 23. Kiyoshi is correct with most of his comments on the 23. He by the way, (hopefully still) has a beautiful 41. Kiyoshi also mentioned Nick Adams, who also was the lead engineer on the 2-Eleven, is still in the process of restoring his 23. We've had several e-mails making comparison of the two cars. And like hotfoot said, there is nothing to compare a purpose built race car (even one from 1962-1963) to a street legal car. The light weight of the 23 (<1,000#'s), its power to weight ratio, stance, balance, and suspension provide no comparrison to the Elise/Exige varients or even the 2-Eleven for that matter.

Bill

[lotusmark]

Hey guys. PG Peal is also a good friend of mine. I'm staying at his his house in Sept and we're going to Goodwood, hopefully in an Evora. He's driven my S1 a number of times over the last ten years and a properly set up S1 is as close as an Elise is going to get to a 23. No rubber in the suspension, straight cut gearbox, Avons etc. The 211 still feels heavy compared to a S1 and the Fed cars are miles away.

[whl3]

I had met Pat several times, the last being at the Monterey Historics the year Lotus was the featured Marque. I can vividly remember him telling me the story of the new Elise while standing inside the Monterey Aquarium for a Lotus party. He knew that I had (and still have) an Elan S3 DHC. I doubt that he'd remember me, but tell him Bill Luken said hello.

Unfortunately I've never had the opportunity to drive an S1 but it's my understanding to be exactly as you describe it. When our Lotus dealer resigned his store, I lost contact with what really was available here in the US with the S1 car. There was an S1 at Grattan in October that gave me fits in my 2-Eleven. Thanks for the response.

Bill

[lotusmark]

Hey, I was at Grattan last Oct with my S1! Was that your 211 Eric gave me a ride in?

[TimMullen]

Originally Posted by lotusmark

Hey guys. PG Peal is also a good friend of mine.

I've not had the privilege of meeting Patrick in person, but we exchanged a lot of private e-mails back in the old days of the Lotus mailing list. A real class act and a gentleman.

[gospeedv8]

i have never driven one of these cars, but i have always wanted to have one.
must-have-list-top

this 23 was Jim Clark`s car. Saw it on the Jim Clark Revival in 2007 at Hockenheim.

Dragi

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