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Great info and yes it got my attention. Pretty cool. These are still great numbers by today's standards.
Lotus Esprit - 3rd Fastest Car in the World?
Figured that would get your attention.
It might actually be true, though...at least for 0-60 times of new cars in 1991.
The 959 (0-100km 3.7) had ceased production in '89
Jaguar's XJ220 (3.6) wasn't released until '92
Ferrari F40 3.6
Lamborghini Diablo 4.4
Lotus Esprit SE 4.7
911 Turbo 4.8
Ferrari Testarossa low 5s
Corvette ZR1 low 5s
Am I missing anything?
..."Tuner" cars don't count! (Callaway, Koenigsegg, Saleen, Shelby Etc.). They didn't BUILD the car, they just saved you the trouble of buying one and tuning it yourself.
Let the debate begin!
opcorn:
It might actually be true, though...at least for 0-60 times of new cars in 1991.
The 959 (0-100km 3.7) had ceased production in '89
Jaguar's XJ220 (3.6) wasn't released until '92
Ferrari F40 3.6
Lamborghini Diablo 4.4
Lotus Esprit SE 4.7
911 Turbo 4.8
Ferrari Testarossa low 5s
Corvette ZR1 low 5s
Am I missing anything?
..."Tuner" cars don't count! (Callaway, Koenigsegg, Saleen, Shelby Etc.). They didn't BUILD the car, they just saved you the trouble of buying one and tuning it yourself.
Let the debate begin!
opcorn:1 - 20 of 29 Posts
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this part about the engine power was interesting.
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Interesting - dead last in nearly every category. Only 0-60 and 1/4 mile was mid-pack performance.
Since I've never driven any of the other cars in the test, I can only defer to their rankings.
The fun factor (8) was a distant LAST from the ZR-1 (15). Ouch!
Since I've never driven any of the other cars in the test, I can only defer to their rankings.
The fun factor (8) was a distant LAST from the ZR-1 (15). Ouch!
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That article is from 1993, four years after the intro of the chargecooled Esprit with no interim changes. The relative numbers were better in 1989, and one of the reasons the Esprit went away was the inability for Lotus to keep up with the rapid changes happening in performance cars.
Randy
Randy
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They also harped on the old Eagle tires
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supra held the stopping distance from 93' till 02'? when the carrera gt came out. Supra's are pretty badass. I'd know
I had no idea the early 90's esprits were that good in stock form.
I had no idea the early 90's esprits were that good in stock form.
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Good post Travis.
LOL...My question regarding the Viper is...How do you make an EIGHT liter engine that only produces 400HP?
Porportionally, the 910 engine would make 960hp (264hp version) or 1090hp for the Sport 300/S4s variants. These figures are similar to the Veyron's 8L engine.
Conversly, if the 2.2L had the same specific output (50hp/L) it would produce a measly 110hp. I submit that the Viper's engine is barely better than the '74 Ford Pinto (2.3L rated at 90hp).
I'm sure most of us will disagree with the subjective "fun factor".
LOL...My question regarding the Viper is...How do you make an EIGHT liter engine that only produces 400HP?
Porportionally, the 910 engine would make 960hp (264hp version) or 1090hp for the Sport 300/S4s variants. These figures are similar to the Veyron's 8L engine.
Conversly, if the 2.2L had the same specific output (50hp/L) it would produce a measly 110hp. I submit that the Viper's engine is barely better than the '74 Ford Pinto (2.3L rated at 90hp).
I'm sure most of us will disagree with the subjective "fun factor".
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the fun factor on many of those cars is pretty high.
The Esprit has the highest headturner factor of all the cars, though.
when you add in the low torque engine, turbo lag, flexiblechassis, weak brakes w/ bad Delco ABS, high body roll, etc...... you can see why the Esprit doesn't rate high in the fun factor category.
Nonetheless, I wouldn't give up my Esprit for any of those cars. When that article came out, I owned a 93 RX7 R1...and it was a great car..... but I always lusted after the Esprit.
The Esprit has the highest headturner factor of all the cars, though.
when you add in the low torque engine, turbo lag, flexiblechassis, weak brakes w/ bad Delco ABS, high body roll, etc...... you can see why the Esprit doesn't rate high in the fun factor category.
Nonetheless, I wouldn't give up my Esprit for any of those cars. When that article came out, I owned a 93 RX7 R1...and it was a great car..... but I always lusted after the Esprit.
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I've an old R & T issue from the 80's, in which the '84 Turbo Esprit is tested in one article, then compared by Dan Gurney, on the track, with the Ferrari 328.
The Performance Panel in the back, in which R & T lists all the test stats for cars it has tested, had the 84 Esprit as 3rd or 4th fastest street car (0 to 60) of all cars included in the summary.
Of course, this was in the midst of emissions choking, so the 84 Esprit's 6.6 to 60 was actually quite fast against its peers.
The Performance Panel in the back, in which R & T lists all the test stats for cars it has tested, had the 84 Esprit as 3rd or 4th fastest street car (0 to 60) of all cars included in the summary.
Of course, this was in the midst of emissions choking, so the 84 Esprit's 6.6 to 60 was actually quite fast against its peers.
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Travis, what an excellent reply.
I've not driven an Esprit, but did own a TT Supra.
The car had poor steering feel until one loaded up the gs. Of course, this was a bit dangerous on the street.
It should have weighed about 5-600 lbs less. Yes, it was robust enough to handle 700+ hp, but was too heavy.
OTOH, everyone who drove it used the same description: "Monster". Always instructed to not floor it unless the wheels were pointed straight.
Added about 100+ hp very easily. With aquarium supplies, fooled the boost sensors by bleeding off boost. No electronics used.
100 mph seemed slow, car was so stable. I did hit 155 once. It got there quickly. Rumors were that if one disconnected the speed limiter, it would do 180-185 mph. (not my cup of tea)
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I care little about 0-60 mph; 0-100 is a much better test. The TT was not so easy to launch and magazines reported wildly dissimilar 0-60 times.
I've not driven an Esprit, but did own a TT Supra.
The car had poor steering feel until one loaded up the gs. Of course, this was a bit dangerous on the street.
It should have weighed about 5-600 lbs less. Yes, it was robust enough to handle 700+ hp, but was too heavy.
OTOH, everyone who drove it used the same description: "Monster". Always instructed to not floor it unless the wheels were pointed straight.
Added about 100+ hp very easily. With aquarium supplies, fooled the boost sensors by bleeding off boost. No electronics used.
100 mph seemed slow, car was so stable. I did hit 155 once. It got there quickly. Rumors were that if one disconnected the speed limiter, it would do 180-185 mph. (not my cup of tea)
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I care little about 0-60 mph; 0-100 is a much better test. The TT was not so easy to launch and magazines reported wildly dissimilar 0-60 times.
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And that Vette had a Lotus engine.
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Of the bunch the Esprit and FD are sexiest...
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and 930 Turbo prices are CRAZY today!
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