Updated pics of the Gullwing? - Page 2 - LotusTalk

jac · 01-03-2005, 08:42 AM

Yep ya gotta love stan.

Even after he hits his head into a bloody mess he keeps on smiling!

Stan · 01-03-2005, 09:37 AM

Here are some PICs of what Lotus designed for the Elise II. The factory hard top would have been a gull wing... But the cost, complexity, fit, leaks and so forth were tougher issues than expected. Interestingly, they claimed that these much larger gull wing doors would fit in the trunk.

plesset · 01-03-2005, 09:45 AM

See that is how I expected they would look. I just can't understand why they would give up on this. I would have accepted the occasional leaks to maintain the original design of the car. Amazing that something so seemingly simple would create so many problems.

Ridgemanron · 01-03-2005, 09:51 AM

The gull-wing that Autostyle-Solutions originally had intended to produce was closer in look to the one Lotus showed as a prototype. However, for whatever reasons, they went belly-up and had to return deposits to Elise owners in Britain.
Perhaps Shinoo, after contacting Production Glassfibre Co., can shed some light as to why the 'more open area' design is not possible?

Stan · 01-03-2005, 09:53 AM

More aftermarket gull PICs...

Ridgemanron · 01-03-2005, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jac
Yep ya gotta love stan.

Even after he hits his head into a bloody mess he keeps on smiling!

Note that Stan doesn't bleed blood but Dexcool instead.

Stan · 01-03-2005, 09:59 AM

>>>Note that Stan doesn't bleed blood but Dexcool instead. <<<

So that would make you a Vulcan? You know...green blood...

Ridgemanron · 01-03-2005, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Stan
>>>Note that Stan doesn't bleed blood but Dexcool instead. <<<

So that would make you a Vulcan? You know...green blood...

Live long and prosper!

Ridgemanron · 01-03-2005, 10:04 AM

I sent off an e-mail to a contact I had made at Production-Glassfibre in England.
I included a photo of the 'more open area' prototype gull-wing that Lotus originally intended on making and asked him why they aren't able to do it that way? Will post when/if he gets back to me.

ajp33 · 01-03-2005, 10:11 AM

Thought this might help ! Just noticed this picture on SELOC, but can't quite work out if the gap is bigger or not ! What do you reckon ?? It looks wider.

http://forums.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid=38994

Nick O'Teen · 01-03-2005, 10:16 AM

Too bad the folks at Autostyle Solutions couldn't make a go of it. Their top looked fantastic and I would have bought one in a heartbeat. It didn't narrow down the front-to-back width of the open top and with the panels removed the remaining bar in the center was reasonably narrow.

plesset · 01-03-2005, 10:35 AM

Nick:

That was the picture that first convinced me to buy an Elise.

Ridgemanron:

Thanks for sending that e-mail. I will be excited to find out what the reasons were.

ajp33:

Does not look like it has the lip in those pictures.

Maybe Shinoo will chime in here on this thread since he is the only one in the U.S. positioned to sell these. Please?

Nick O'Teen · 01-03-2005, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by plesset
Nick:

That was the picture that first convinced me to buy an Elise.

Yeah, I spent a fair bit of time looking at all the pics of the top that were on the autostyle website. And, the car is the right color too!

Photos that are still up at the Autostyle site

Stan · 01-03-2005, 10:55 AM

>>>See that is how I expected they would look. I just can't understand why they would give up on this. I would have accepted the occasional leaks to maintain the original design of the car. Amazing that something so seemingly simple would create so many problems.<<<<

It's one of those things that looks easier than it turns out to be.

plesset · 01-03-2005, 11:20 AM

Quote:

It's one of those things that looks easier than it turns out to be.

Ehh...just give me Duct tape a dremel and some Skittles and we'll be in business in an hour!

shinoo · 01-03-2005, 01:23 PM

Sorry I'm late to this thread....

I agree the Autostyle Solutions look was the best aesthetically but functionally they could not get it to seal and then had other manufacturing problems. Lotus themselves gave up on this design because of sealing and other problems.

The Production Glassfibre product is the best solution for those who want a good seal. It is also the only solution that has successfully been manufactured in small volume. Designing a cool product is only one part of the overall challenge - you also have to make it!

Stan, sorry you bumped your head. I bumped my head the first time I got into my solid hardtop Elise. But I quickly learned to bend a bit more so that my head did not hit. I think the Gullwing will require a different entry/exit technique. You just need to adjust yourself to the new opening shape/size. I'm sure most of us can remember the first time we tried to enter/exit the Elise!

Here are a couple of pix they sent me this weekend:

Stan · 01-03-2005, 01:33 PM

>>>Stan, sorry you bumped your head. I bumped my head the first time I got into my solid hardtop Elise. But I quickly learned to bend a bit more so that my head did not hit. I think the Gullwing will be the same. You just need to adjust yourself to the new opening shape/size.<<<

I think so! I have two methods for getting in/out of my Elise. It depends on whether the top is on or not. BTW the factory hard top presents the same basic aperture as the soft top, so the method used would be the same. A gull top car may need a different approach. Which may be much easier for folks taller than myself.

I made the mistake of getting out of the car (due to the headroom) as if it was a normal Elise. Bonk!

Note that if you bump your head on the factory soft top or hard top there are no pointy corners to run into... With the top on or off you don't run much risk of bumping your head at the windshield header as there is more room in that area than with the gull wing top.

shinoo · 01-03-2005, 01:39 PM

The entry/exit technique is different for the Gullwing. The point I was trying to make is that the owner will need to change their method from their stock approach.

Ridgemanron · 01-03-2005, 02:29 PM

Just want Stan to know that after three 'confirmed' gashes he is entitled to a box of 'extremely rare' Lotus Band-Aids that
have the Lotus logo imprinted on them.

plesset · 01-03-2005, 06:30 PM

Shinoo,

Thanks for responding. Can you tell us how the roof opens? Is there a latch or handle on the inside? How wide is the t-bar? Is the underside upholstered or is it just metal? Sorry to be a pain in the butt but there doesn't seem to be any good information out there.

01-03-2005, 08:42 AM	#21 (permalink)
jac Registered User Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: back in upstate ny Posts: 869	Yep ya gotta love stan. Even after he hits his head into a bloody mess he keeps on smiling! __________________ Red on Red baby

01-03-2005, 09:37 AM	#22 (permalink)
Stan - Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 6,927	Here are some PICs of what Lotus designed for the Elise II. The factory hard top would have been a gull wing... But the cost, complexity, fit, leaks and so forth were tougher issues than expected. Interestingly, they claimed that these much larger gull wing doors would fit in the trunk. Attached Images

01-03-2005, 09:45 AM	#23 (permalink)
plesset Its too hot now! Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 213	See that is how I expected they would look. I just can't understand why they would give up on this. I would have accepted the occasional leaks to maintain the original design of the car. Amazing that something so seemingly simple would create so many problems. __________________ 91 BLK NSX 05 BLK Range Rover 05 BRG Elise 03 Segway HT

01-03-2005, 09:53 AM	#25 (permalink)
Stan - Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 6,927	More aftermarket gull PICs... Attached Images

01-03-2005, 10:35 AM	#32 (permalink)
plesset Its too hot now! Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 213	Nick: That was the picture that first convinced me to buy an Elise. Ridgemanron: Thanks for sending that e-mail. I will be excited to find out what the reasons were. ajp33: Does not look like it has the lip in those pictures. Maybe Shinoo will chime in here on this thread since he is the only one in the U.S. positioned to sell these. Please? __________________ 91 BLK NSX 05 BLK Range Rover 05 BRG Elise 03 Segway HT Last edited by plesset : 01-03-2005 at 10:43 AM.

01-03-2005, 09:51 AM	#24 (permalink)
Ridgemanron Ridge Man Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 2,268	The gull-wing that Autostyle-Solutions originally had intended to produce was closer in look to the one Lotus showed as a prototype. However, for whatever reasons, they went belly-up and had to return deposits to Elise owners in Britain. Perhaps Shinoo, after contacting Production Glassfibre Co., can shed some light as to why the 'more open area' design is not possible?

01-03-2005, 09:59 AM	#27 (permalink)
Stan - Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 6,927	>>>Note that Stan doesn't bleed blood but Dexcool instead. <<< So that would make you a Vulcan? You know...green blood...

01-03-2005, 10:04 AM	#29 (permalink)
Ridgemanron Ridge Man Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 2,268	I sent off an e-mail to a contact I had made at Production-Glassfibre in England. I included a photo of the 'more open area' prototype gull-wing that Lotus originally intended on making and asked him why they aren't able to do it that way? Will post when/if he gets back to me.

01-03-2005, 10:11 AM	#30 (permalink)
ajp33 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Sunny Pittsburgh Posts: 672	Thought this might help ! Just noticed this picture on SELOC, but can't quite work out if the gap is bigger or not ! What do you reckon ?? It looks wider. http://forums.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid=38994

01-03-2005, 10:16 AM	#31 (permalink)
Nick O'Teen Registered User Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Southern California Posts: 19	Too bad the folks at Autostyle Solutions couldn't make a go of it. Their top looked fantastic and I would have bought one in a heartbeat. It didn't narrow down the front-to-back width of the open top and with the panels removed the remaining bar in the center was reasonably narrow.

01-03-2005, 10:55 AM	#34 (permalink)
Stan - Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 6,927	>>>See that is how I expected they would look. I just can't understand why they would give up on this. I would have accepted the occasional leaks to maintain the original design of the car. Amazing that something so seemingly simple would create so many problems.<<<< It's one of those things that looks easier than it turns out to be.

01-03-2005, 01:23 PM	#36 (permalink)
shinoo Project Nirvana Elise Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Temecula, CA Posts: 2,617	Sorry I'm late to this thread.... I agree the Autostyle Solutions look was the best aesthetically but functionally they could not get it to seal and then had other manufacturing problems. Lotus themselves gave up on this design because of sealing and other problems. The Production Glassfibre product is the best solution for those who want a good seal. It is also the only solution that has successfully been manufactured in small volume. Designing a cool product is only one part of the overall challenge - you also have to make it! Stan, sorry you bumped your head. I bumped my head the first time I got into my solid hardtop Elise. But I quickly learned to bend a bit more so that my head did not hit. I think the Gullwing will require a different entry/exit technique. You just need to adjust yourself to the new opening shape/size. I'm sure most of us can remember the first time we tried to enter/exit the Elise! Here are a couple of pix they sent me this weekend: __________________ shinoo sector 111 - tasty bits for your elise & exige Last edited by shinoo : 01-03-2005 at 01:43 PM.

01-03-2005, 01:33 PM	#37 (permalink)
Stan - Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 6,927	>>>Stan, sorry you bumped your head. I bumped my head the first time I got into my solid hardtop Elise. But I quickly learned to bend a bit more so that my head did not hit. I think the Gullwing will be the same. You just need to adjust yourself to the new opening shape/size.<<< I think so! I have two methods for getting in/out of my Elise. It depends on whether the top is on or not. BTW the factory hard top presents the same basic aperture as the soft top, so the method used would be the same. A gull top car may need a different approach. Which may be much easier for folks taller than myself. I made the mistake of getting out of the car (due to the headroom) as if it was a normal Elise. Bonk! Note that if you bump your head on the factory soft top or hard top there are no pointy corners to run into... With the top on or off you don't run much risk of bumping your head at the windshield header as there is more room in that area than with the gull wing top.

01-03-2005, 01:39 PM	#38 (permalink)
shinoo Project Nirvana Elise Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Temecula, CA Posts: 2,617	The entry/exit technique is different for the Gullwing. The point I was trying to make is that the owner will need to change their method from their stock approach. __________________ shinoo sector 111 - tasty bits for your elise & exige

01-03-2005, 02:29 PM	#39 (permalink)
Ridgemanron Ridge Man Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 2,268	Just want Stan to know that after three 'confirmed' gashes he is entitled to a box of 'extremely rare' Lotus Band-Aids that have the Lotus logo imprinted on them.

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01-03-2005, 06:30 PM	#40 (permalink)
plesset Its too hot now! Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 213	Shinoo, Thanks for responding. Can you tell us how the roof opens? Is there a latch or handle on the inside? How wide is the t-bar? Is the underside upholstered or is it just metal? Sorry to be a pain in the butt but there doesn't seem to be any good information out there. __________________ 91 BLK NSX 05 BLK Range Rover 05 BRG Elise 03 Segway HT