COLIN WOULD APPROVE (part 2 of 2); Lightweight Elise aims to revive Lotus in America.(Product/Service Evaluation)

Byline: MATT DAVIS

The double-wishbone suspension front and rear better cushions abrupt lateral movements upon impact, thanks to modified bushings, resulting in more isolation from bumps and holes-a very necessary thing if you drive Interstate 70 east of Denver and its like. The Bilstein dampers and Eibach springs all around do what they have always done so well, but are recalibrated here to account for the weight increase and the need for a touch of refinement. Standard tires are Yokohama Advan 175/55R-16s front and Neova 225/45R-17s rear.

Add up the weight gain and it is obvious you need more power to attain the track-time nirvana of the 111S. According-ly, the federal Elise, while effectively putting on 14 percent more mass, puts on 40 percent more power, and to great effect. The Toyota 2ZZGE unit produces 187 hp (that is SAE, the Europeans rate in DIN at 190) vs. the standard 111S at 118 hp (SAE). Whereas the Rover engine is sublime in its simplicity and performance, the VVTL-i motor gets highly technological and clever by switching cams at 6200 rpm and thereby goes from Jekyll to Hyde in an instant. Redline for the K engine is 7000 on the tach; the Toyota can rev to 8500 rpm.

The factory says the stock federal Elise goes from 0 to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, with top speed hitting 150 mph. Weigh-ing 1965 pounds for a pound- to-hp ratio of roughly 10.5:1 makes most of this possible. Lotus engineers insist the new engine is safely capable of 300 hp, so racers have something to work with. Torque maxes out at 138 lb-ft at 6800 rpm vs. the Rover powerplant at 121 lb-ft at 2750 rpm. Either version is lovable, depending on one's preference for the ultralight and flickable or one that is only a bit weightier and more civilized.

Official U.S. Elise production starts in the latter half of March, but the kick-off party at the L.A. auto show will be Dec. 28. By the time our cars are ready for delivery (perhaps as early as April, maybe not until June), Lotus Cars USA in Atlanta promises to have its franchise network expanded from 38 stores to 50 to better meet demand and service needs. Volume breakdown based on a goal of 4200 Elises (the two engine specs combined) in the first full year is 2200 for the United States (Canada gets nothing as of yet, but talks are ongoing) and 2000 for the rest of the planet. Lotus already has 2000-plus orders to fill in the United States and foresees 3000 by April.

Here is where reality bites. For years, Lotus USA has barely existed, and of late has relied exclusively on its few dealers and one model, the capable but dated by any measure Esprit, now with a 350-hp 3.5-liter turbocharged V8. U.S. sales last year amounted to 125 Esprits at an exoticar list price more than double what is foreseen for the Elise.

So exactly how well will Lotus USA, between June 2004 and June 2005, suddenly be able to handle 2200 Elises and all those customer service needs and parts inventories? And all that new maelstrom of prompt distribution to wherever a customer lives? If the next Exige (an even more hard-core racer for the road) with Toyota power comes here-and both the American office in Atlanta and the home office in the U.K. hope to make that happen-that will mean around 500 more units to shuffle around per annum. That would make for a sales increase of, oh, 2160 percent in a short period.