[Derek]

Ok, here is what I know: The car was apparently imported from Venezuela and is owned by a friend of some extremely wealthy South Americans. I don’t know much about the owner but he was staying at the Hampton in Adventura. His host was taking delivery of a brand new McClaren Mercedes SL65 AMG today ($600k car). I don’t think money was a problem for these folks.
Back to the point… The car was fitted with a TRD supercharger. My source said that the supercharger replaced the intake manifold and was apparently smaller than the intake manifold that it replaced. He went on to say that the end result was 265 Bhp and 232 bhp at the wheels. He said the supercharger was a twin-screw root type supercharger and is the same unit that will be offered for the Celica GTS. The car was shipped to Japan where the supercharger was fitted by TRD. In doing so the Lotus warranty was voided, however Toyota said since it was a Toyota engine with a Toyota supercharger fitted by Toyota the engine complete with supercharger would be fully covered by a 3 year 36k mile Toyota warranty. Good news for us. The total cost of the job was a hefty $9,500.


Performance:
The car was reported to be very very fast. My source said a friend of his tested these claims by challenging the Elise in his highly modified WRX STI, his car puts out 400 bhp at the wheels. It turned out to be lacking as the Elise handily destroyed the STI.

Many of you will question this post. I know I did, but my source is a long time Elise fan (His daughter’s middle name is Elise… Yes named after our Liz). I double and triple checked his claim that it was indeed the Toyota powered car. I further checked to make certain this was not the Euro 111R. The fact that it had the airbag steering wheel and US interior left no doubt that it was indeed our car.

I do not know how he got the car so soon, but he did. I guess if you have near unlimited financial resources then special allowances can be made.

 

[Evl]

I do not know how he got the car so soon, but he did. I guess if you have near unlimited financial resources then special allowances can be made.

Yeah, you take it to the hotrod shop and have them do an engine swap.

 

[offroadr35]

first red flag: the SL65 is not 600k nor does it have Mclaren affiliation. you're either talking about an SLR or you're just plain wrong.

Overall i would say that even reliable sources are wrong sometimes and this sounds like one of them.

 

[xxxotic]

I dont think anyone has gotten a Federalized Elise yet. A guy in Austrilia is still waiting for customs clearence. There is a place in Miami that imports Elises and then changes out the engines and sells them as kit cars, maybe this is what your friend saw since airbags are an option on they offer.

elise coversion

I dont think that someone from Venuzela would have been able to get the car thru customs yet even if they had it since it only got approval for the headlight and other waivers the other day.

I was around Miami today. It sure would have been interesting if I had seen it blow by me and then read your post!

We might need to send Transio on a mission to check out the parking lots at the local hotels!

 

[Derek]

Re: Re: Supercharged Federalized Elise spotted in Miami.

Yeah, you take it to the hotrod shop and have them do an engine swap.

Did I mention an engine swap? Erh... No. Take it or leave it this is what I was told and I think the details concerning the Elise are correct. I think of particular note is where he mentioned it attaches to the engine, replacing the intake manifold. Does this sound doable to anyone here? Is the intake manifold very large as has been suggested? Confirmation on these facts would go a long way to prove or disprove this claim. The trunk was not removed on the supercharged car.

All I know is that the source is knowledgably and said it was the new US Elise and had a TRD supercharger fitted.

He also mentioned that the owner had a new exhaust made with a cat pass thru, it was made by Pace Setters.

PS: I may not have paid too much attention to the Mercedes details as I am not in the market for one and was still in shock from the Elise news

 

[jdw5155]

Regardless if the rumor is true or not (and I for one hope it is) I think it simply allows hope to spring eternal about the modification potential of this car. Well engineered options will abound if there is money to be made.

Jim

 

[Ridgemanron]

I dont think anyone has gotten a Federalized Elise yet. A guy in Austrilia is still waiting for customs clearence. There is a place in Miami that imports Elises and then changes out the engines and sells them as kit cars, maybe this is what your friend saw since airbags are an option on they offer.

elise coversion

I dont think that someone from Venuzela would have been able to get the car thru customs yet even if they had it since it only got approval for the headlight and other waivers the other day.

I was around Miami today. It sure would have been interesting if I had seen it blow by me and then read your post!

We might need to send Transio on a mission to check out the parking lots at the local hotels!

Did see a 'U.S. illegal' 2002 Alfa 166 Sedan
for sale on e-bay. The guy had the car in S.I., N.Y. with 6,000 miles on it and claimed that after doing many performance upgrades he then found out that U.S. Customs ordered the car taken out of the country. It seems that
he did have it here for a year and perhaps the Venezuelan is able to also keep the car here for one year before having to ship it out of the U.S..
the 'Alfa' guy was asking $25,000 for his $50,000 + car but did say in his ad that anyone thinking about buying the car for use here shouldn't waste his time. The car had to leave the country.
It was a sharp looking car in silver with black leather and a 24-valve V-6 engine with a 6-speed that looked like it would be a good competitor for the BMW 5-series.-ridgeman-

 

[smoseley]

I know some wealthy Venezuelans in Aventura. Maybe I'll ask around.

I live about a mile south of there myself, in Eastern Shores. If there IS a super-elise running around, I'll keep my eyes peeled for it. What color was it supposed to be?

 

[huggy bear]

I have news from a very reliable source that pigs just flew past my bedroom window.

 

[Derek]

Personally I don't care if his car will have to go back in a year. I don't know how he got the car this early in the first place. But if it is the same car we will be getting here and he did have a TRD supercharger fitted and did not need to modify the engine bay that would be great news for us. We now know that Toyota has developed a SC for this engine. Does this intake manifold business sound correct?

In any case if it does pan out remember you heard it here first.

 

[Derek]

I know some wealthy Venezuelans in Aventura. Maybe I'll ask around.

I live about a mile south of there myself, in Eastern Shores. If there IS a super-elise running around, I'll keep my eyes peeled for it. What color was it supposed to be?

In all the excitement I forgot to ask... So I called him back, he said it was silver.

He said that the guy is the guess of some people that live in the penthouse. Apparently they have vast holding in South America. I prefer not to name any names publicly.

 

[Genjuro]

Ok, here is what I know: The car was apparently imported from Venezuela and is owned by a friend of some extremely wealthy South Americans. I don’t know much about the owner but he was staying at the Hampton in Adventura. His host was taking delivery of a brand new McClaren Mercedes SL65 AMG today ($600k car). I don’t think money was a problem for these folks.
Back to the point… The car was fitted with a TRD supercharger. My source said that the supercharger replaced the intake manifold and was apparently smaller than the intake manifold that it replaced. He went on to say that the end result was 265 Bhp and 232 bhp at the wheels. He said the supercharger was a twin-screw root type supercharger and is the same unit that will be offered for the Celica GTS. The car was shipped to Japan where the supercharger was fitted by TRD. In doing so the Lotus warranty was voided, however Toyota said since it was a Toyota engine with a Toyota supercharger fitted by Toyota the engine complete with supercharger would be fully covered by a 3 year 36k mile Toyota warranty. Good news for us. The total cost of the job was a hefty $9,500.


Performance:
The car was reported to be very very fast. My source said a friend of his tested these claims by challenging the Elise in his highly modified WRX STI, his car puts out 400 bhp at the wheels. It turned out to be lacking as the Elise handily destroyed the STI.

Many of you will question this post. I know I did, but my source is a long time Elise fan (His daughter’s middle name is Elise… Yes named after our Liz). I double and triple checked his claim that it was indeed the Toyota powered car. I further checked to make certain this was not the Euro 111R. The fact that it had the airbag steering wheel and US interior left no doubt that it was indeed our car.

I do not know how he got the car so soon, but he did. I guess if you have near unlimited financial resources then special allowances can be made.

Bahhh.. Sorry, I have to be a nay-sayer on this one. You're telling me that a US Elise was built in the UK, shipped across the globe to Japan, then shipped perhaps to the US, or Venezuela.. but you don't know. All this PLUS customs and arranging for shipping via boat.

There was more evidence pointing to WMD in Iraq than this claim. We haven't found them yet. Yes, I'm being an a-hole; however I just don't like this crazy speculation that pops up. Show us pictures, VIN numbers, and then you can rub it in my face...

NOTE: I'm saying this in a tone like a buddy calling BS while at a bar with your friends.

so be

 

[hermanslotus]

Re: Re: Supercharged Federalized Elise spotted in Miami.

Bahhh.. Sorry, I have to be a nay-sayer on this one. You're telling me that a US Elise was built in the UK, shipped across the globe to Japan, then shipped perhaps to the US, or Venezuela.. but you don't know. All this PLUS customs and arranging for shipping via boat.

There was more evidence pointing to WMD in Iraq than this claim. We haven't found them yet. Yes, I'm being an a-hole; however I just don't like this crazy speculation that pops up. Show us pictures, VIN numbers, and then you can rub it in my face...

NOTE: I'm saying this in a tone like a buddy calling BS while at a bar with your friends.

so be

Dito on what Genjuro just said. Lets get some photos of this car and engine and then we'll all be believers.


Best Wishes,
Mitch

 

[xxxotic]

I think this might be an early April Fools Prank.

Only person I know of in the area that has enough connections with Toyota to get this done is a guy that owns all of the Toyota and Lexus distrubutorships for most of the southern states, and I'm sure that one of my friends who work for his company would have told me if he had one.

 

[Derek]

Re: Re: Supercharged Federalized Elise spotted in Miami.

Bahhh.. Sorry, I have to be a nay-sayer on this one. You're telling me that a US Elise was built in the UK, shipped across the globe to Japan, then shipped perhaps to the US, or Venezuela.. but you don't know. All this PLUS customs and arranging for shipping via boat.

There was more evidence pointing to WMD in Iraq than this claim. We haven't found them yet. Yes, I'm being an a-hole; however I just don't like this crazy speculation that pops up. Show us pictures, VIN numbers, and then you can rub it in my face...

NOTE: I'm saying this in a tone like a buddy calling BS while at a bar with your friends.

so be

That's fine, I have nothing to prove, I don't even know you. This is something I was told from someone that saw it first hand. You can take it or leave it. In time these claim will be proven right or wrong. We already know there is a TRD SC for this engine. We already know there are Toyota engined Elise being made. The only thing left to know is will this SC work with our car without any major modifications and will it in fact replace the intake manifold as suggested. If this turns out to be true it will in my mind be testament to the validity of this claim.

Transio, do ask around and if you see it take some pictures. I already asked my source to take his camera next time

PS: This is said in the tone of a guy in a bar who has sufficient self-confidence to not be bothered by those who think he’s talking BS

 

[vvtlikick]

Re: Re: Re: Supercharged Federalized Elise spotted in Miami.

...We already know there is a TRD SC for this engine....

TRD USA makes a poorly designed supercharger for the 1ZZ-FE. It doesn't fit the Celica, because of hood clearance issues. I don't know if it would fit an Elise with an 1ZZ-FE. I think the supercharger/manifold would be too big for the engine bay, just like in the Celica.

TRD USA's only power mods for the 2ZZ-GE are exhausts (the TRD air filter adds no power ). TRD Japan has its own exhaust, a performance header and high compression pistons. TRD has never offered a forced induction setup for the 2ZZ-GE.

 

[hermanslotus]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Supercharged Federalized Elise spotted in Miami.

TRD USA's only power mods for the 2ZZ-GE are exhausts (the TRD air filter adds no power ). TRD Japan has its own exhaust, a performance header and high compression pistons. TRD has never offered a forced induction setup for the 2ZZ-GE. [/B][/QUOTE]



So Derek, someone in Miami is in early April fools mode or they were drinking way too much cerveza in South Beach

Best Wishes,
Mitch

 

[agent.5]

Are we talking Sony Gran Turismo 4 here?

 

[Derek]

I take solace in the fact that time will soon prove or disprove these claims

 

[smoseley]

Isn't it possible its a Euro S2 fitted for America w/ a yota engine and serious performance upgrades?

Of course, the driver likely knows little of what he's driving and we all know how stories get mutilated by nth-hand accounts... so who knows?