Anyone seen the new Exellence?, Cool! Options

[Howard]

JP, Ya think?? (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smilie_pokal.gif) I'm a lard ass but have only gained 40 lb since 1956 (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)
Specifications Porsche 550RS
Production: 1954-1956
Engine Type: Naturally Aspirated, Air Cooled, Flat 4 Cylinder Type 547/1
Displacement: 1498 cc 91 cu. in.
Power: 125 hp @ 6500 rpm 93 kW @ 6500 rpm
Torque: 96 lb. ft. @ 5000 rpm 130 Nm @ 5000 rpm
Weight: 600 kg 1323 lb (2800+ for the Boxster)
Performance 0-60 mph: ~0-100 km/h: 8.2 s

So if I find 30 hp, lose the 40 lbs, lighten the car another 200 lbs....
But that thing was tiny!

[J P Stein]

I could have as well said how tiny the 550 is....
but that's no fun. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)
It really did shock me to see the Box in person.
My first thought was "well.... it's large".

I went & looked at a guys 'new to him' 70 911S this morning (cost him 6K....not a typo). It reminded me how pure that design is.......cept for the turbo tail some fool saddled it with.
The direct opposite of the vastly overdone Caymen thingy.

Time marches on.

[sixnotfour]

The Heat article, that is Gary Chapmans 3.2engine he is putting in his 914.

[KaptKaos]

You guys crack me up!

I'd love a cheap, elemental car that handled awesome.

The MR2 spyder, as someone mentioned earlier, never was offered with the 180 hp (later revised to 164 hp) motor because Toyota knew it wasn't worth the effort. I have a friend at Toyota Corporate and I can ask him to be certain.

Reality is that all of us; Rick and his monster V8s, Howie and his bi-polar (Suzi & Moby) disorder and all the rest are a unique fringe of the enthusiast space. As cool as a 914 is, most people look at it and wonder why we like these cars.

For me, the 914 was the only way I could own a light, simple, aircooled 4 cylinder porsche with an open top without taking out a second mortgage.

[olav]

I don't have my copy yet. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/sad.gif)

[krazykonrad]

I couldnt agree more. This might catch me the huge flamer but it is coming from a guy whose family lives ~2 km from Zuffenhausen. Anyway Porsche should get back to making real sports cars instead of heater luxo boats for the newly well to do but ignorant. (I'm a few months of from becoming a lawyer, so I can talk) Sure they go fast but what was so cool about Porsche was being the fastest with LESS! I mean it takes some real engineering skill to get a punched out Bug motor to beat Ferraris. While I wouldnt mind getting a new 993 or 997, something's missing.
Konrad
72 914/4

[lotus_65]

well, the company that's really missed the charge is volkswagen.

those dumba$$es have the engineering, experience, marketing and most importantly, the enthusiast base to justify literally recreating the 914, but they're off building $90k battleships that don't sell!

it'll be a sad day when the last tub is gone. 99% of what's been wished for on this thread can be built into a 914 tub for less than $20 grand.

[rick 918-S]

QUOTE (lotus_65 @ Mar 19 2006, 04:35 AM)

well, the company that's really missed the charge is volkswagen. those dumba$$es have the engineering, experience, marketing and most importantly, the enthusiast base to justify literally recreating the 914, but they're off building $90k battleships that don't sell! it'll be a sad day when the last tub is gone. 99% of what's been wished for on this thread can be built into a 914 tub for less than $20 grand.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/agree.gif) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/assimilate.gif) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/happy11.gif)

[rhodyguy]

boy (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/ohmy.gif) !! the "text over pictures" in the last issue meltdown is a goofy one (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/screwy.gif) . don't sweat the small stuff pete. excellence is the only car mag i pay for these days. check out the appology written in the letters section. exactly where is the "914 budget" in that 912? cool car, but...handing over the car for someone to finish, would result in labor bills thru the roof. i wish the author would have been as forthcoming with his final costs (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wink.gif) as he was mentioning the previous owners downward spiral.

k

[horizontally-opposed]

Just got back from Sebring... who's REALLY sweet silver 6 was that? Had a 914world.com sticker in the back!

In a corral full of overpriced iron (and carbon-fiber, including a C-GT with $64,000 in options -- $16,000 in stitching, $7700 for calipers in black, and $8000 for "paint-to-sample" white), that silver 914 was the only car getting the once-over in the paddock by a couple of guys. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smilie_pokal.gif) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smilie_pokal.gif) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smilie_pokal.gif)

I hung with them for a while and they had both owned 914s and wanted one again. Of course I directed them here...

Point of the column, for those who didn't read it, wasn't so much an immediate call for 2,500-pound Porsches (a well-sorted 914 is WAY nicer to live with than an Elise at roughly the same weight).

I was just thinking how cool it would be if Porsche would take the lead and impress us with how much weight it shaves with each new car instead of how many horses (and "extra" features) it's added. Could they target, say, 50 pounds per iteration?

If the years went by and the horsepower stayed roughly where it's at, we could end up with faster, more enviro-friendly sports cars that are more fun to drive, own, and race, too.

pete

[zymurgist]

I like the idea of an "elemental" sports car. My 911 was built by the PO as a street/track car. He started with a '70 no-sunroof coupe and added nothing but power. 190 horsepower at the wheels (dyno'd) in a car thatweighs in pretty close to 2000 pounds (never weighed it). Why do I like this car so much? No power steering, no power brakes, no electric motors to power the windows... it's almost as light as it can be and still be driven on the street. (OK, it does have an interior.) I feel more in touch with the machine when I hae to pay attention to everything myself.

The experience with Babydoll ('74 2.0) is much the same, only without the push-you-back-in-your-seat acceleration. That's OK, though, I love driving on curvy mountain roads without having to hit the brakes.

Personally, I don't really see much of a point in buying current Porsche models... they weigh about as much as a Corvette with less power and presumably higher maintenance costs, and the sticker price is much higher. It seems to me that Porsche has decided that the only way it can sell sports cars is to sell luxurious cars that happen to be decent track cars.

Oh well, Babydoll lives... maybe this coming weekend she'll go out on the road for the first time in a year!

[Joe Ricard]

Yea 914's forever,
There was a Boxster at the event yesterday, don't think he even got a 2nd look from anyone.
big attraction was the pair of Elises. and my teener because I drove it there. 300 miles one way. The comments were look the engine is in the middle and the trunk is so little.
As I packed 4 tires and about a ton of crap in my car and drove away.

On the way home I blew by the Boxster at triple digits. for a fleeting 5 seconds he moved out to take chase and then backed off and moved to the right lane again. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/rolleyes.gif)

If I get to old to let common sense over rule my thrill for the car I drive just shoot me in the head. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/ar15.gif)

[vortrex]

QUOTE (horizontally-opposed @ Mar 20 2006, 12:51 PM)

(a well-sorted 914 is WAY nicer to live with than an Elise at roughly the same weight)

how so?

the elise has a warranty, AC, a motor without tons of torque, 30 MPG, and no rust problems. if you keep an elise below 6200 rpm it's a very tame daily driver type car that you can jump in and do a cross country trip without a worry in the world. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)

also, isn't a well sorted 914 (bigger motor, bigger wheels, bigger tires, bigger brakes, etc) more around ~2200 lbs?

[smdubovsky]

Cross country trip in an elise? Only if you don't bring a woman;) If you can find a girl that can pack a weeks worth of stuff in her 1/2 of the 4 cuft luggage space, marry her (though she'd probably look like a man). I can get 4cuft of stuff packed on my sportbike riding 2-up if shes willing to wear a small backpack. But in all honesty, its not what the elise was meant to do. If it was designed to comfortably take LONG trips it would be a boxster.

Im impressed w/ the Elise, just not at the track YET. The only ones I've been w/ on track were being babied. It'll be nice to eventually see one driven in anger.

My -6 w/ a 3L (200rwhp), big brakes, and a full cage supposedly weighs 2040lbs (POs corner balance measurement). A glass hood and trunk would pare it down a little more. But, no AC... My 911SC used to get ~27 mpg, so I don't think that is much different (though my -6 has carbs which SURELY guzzle gas but just because they are stone age technology) FWIW, you can get 911s down in the 2200lb range w/o getting crazy (a friend has a ~300hp all steel RS replica that weighs that).

SMD

[rhodyguy]

anyone else notice PMB's mention on p.154?

k

[horizontally-opposed]

Wouldn't want ol' PMB to fail to feel the love... (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)

As for the Elise, I've driven them -- both on the autocross in anger and on the freeway in commute mode -- and LOVE them!!! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smilie_pokal.gif)

The power to weight ratio is superior, it handles incredibly well, and it's just a better performance car in stock form -- as it should be for $50K and three decades of automotive engineering later.

BUT the 914 is still a better dual-purpose sports car.

A 914 offers far more interior space, less noise, better ride quality (though the Elise I drove on the freeway did have the sport pack...) and is just comfier all the way around.

Also, the 2006 Lotus was buzzy, had rattles, and squeaks, too -- with only 3,000 miles on the clock. My lowered 1973 914, with 250,000 miles, has 'em too -- but not as many and not as bad and not as often.

I'll grant you the A/C, but the Elise is awfully focused. It's the car I thought I always wanted -- and if I was JUST going to autocross/track days with my fun car, it'd probably be my pick. Warranty, no rust worries (again, agree with you on this...), class eligibility, etc. all make it attractive.

After that autocross, I was sold on the Elise. Then I drove one on the street. I'd rather build a $50,000 914, frankly...

But then, that's just ME. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wink.gif) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/beer.gif)

pete

[jgara962]

STILL waiting for my copy! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/headbang.gif)

[olav]

me too!

[vortrex]

QUOTE (smdubovsky @ Mar 22 2006, 08:21 AM)

Cross country trip in an elise? Only if you don't bring a woman;) If you can find a girl that can pack a weeks worth of stuff in her 1/2 of the 4 cuft luggage space, marry her (though she'd probably look like a man). I can get 4cuft of stuff packed on my sportbike riding 2-up if shes willing to wear a small backpack. But in all honesty, its not what the elise was meant to do. If it was designed to comfortably take LONG trips it would be a boxster. Im impressed w/ the Elise, just not at the track YET. The only ones I've been w/ on track were being babied. It'll be nice to eventually see one driven in anger. My -6 w/ a 3L (200rwhp), big brakes, and a full cage supposedly weighs 2040lbs (POs corner balance measurement). A glass hood and trunk would pare it down a little more. But, no AC... My 911SC used to get ~27 mpg, so I don't think that is much different (though my -6 has carbs which SURELY guzzle gas but just because they are stone age technology) FWIW, you can get 911s down in the 2200lb range w/o getting crazy (a friend has a ~300hp all steel RS replica that weighs that). SMD

I will be doing a cross country with the GF in mine from philly to the bay area this summer. I have already done 8hrs non stop and it was very comfortable. the truck is plenty big enough for 2 duffle bags.

how could your car weigh 2040 with a big 6 and cage, unless you stripped out other stuff?

[vortrex]

QUOTE (horizontally-opposed @ Mar 22 2006, 09:45 AM)

Wouldn't want ol' PMB to fail to feel the love... (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif) As for the Elise, I've driven them -- both on the autocross in anger and on the freeway in commute mode -- and LOVE them!!! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smilie_pokal.gif) The power to weight ratio is superior, it handles incredibly well, and it's just a better performance car in stock form -- as it should be for $50K and three decades of automotive engineering later. BUT the 914 is still a better dual-purpose sports car. A 914 offers far more interior space, less noise, better ride quality (though the Elise I drove on the freeway did have the sport pack...) and is just comfier all the way around. Also, the 2006 Lotus was buzzy, had rattles, and squeaks, too -- with only 3,000 miles on the clock. My lowered 1973 914, with 250,000 miles, has 'em too -- but not as many and not as bad and not as often. I'll grant you the A/C, but the Elise is awfully focused. It's the car I thought I always wanted -- and if I was JUST going to autocross/track days with my fun car, it'd probably be my pick. Warranty, no rust worries (again, agree with you on this...), class eligibility, etc. all make it attractive. After that autocross, I was sold on the Elise. Then I drove one on the street. I'd rather build a $50,000 914, frankly... But then, that's just ME. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wink.gif) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/beer.gif) pete

I am with you on the rattle and buzzes! mine has a ton of them at 3k miles. I've heard the non sport pack cars are a little better in this regard. changing out the A048s on my car to a street tire helped a ton. it is however a very good daily driver. it's like driving a civic if you stay below 6200. there are plenty of people who have them as only cars and even drive them in the snow all winter long!