Practice English Speaking&Listening with: Lotus Elise Club Racer Review | Lightweight Sports car & Heavyweight Fun (English Subtitles)
Today, I'm driving the savior
of a car manufacturer
an English sports car manufacturer
called Lotus
and this Elise has saved them from the abyss
it's the embodiment of the concept
of the basic lightweight sports car
not adding more weight than necessary
they started with the Lotus Elise series 1
and it was an instant success
when sales started in 1995
people were very interested
it became the ultimate track day toy
but most successes don't last
this one didn't either
because in 2000
because of European legislation
they weren't allowed to build it anymore
it was deemed unsafe
and although it had been a success
at least for the scale on which Lotus can produce
they weren't able to deal with that blow
they didn't have the resources
to build a new one
and so the little one went
to the big brother for help
and they got it
GM offered to co-develop the new platform
but there was a catch
they also had to build the Opel Speedster
and the similarities between the two
are quite obvious
today, we have the purist version
the basic 1.6 in Club Racer trim
what does that mean?
well most unnecessary things are left out
like isolation, floor mats, you name it
this adds up to a weight reduction of 25 kg
and the nice thing about this engine
i mean it's not a lot 136 hp
it's a 1.6 from Toyota
and you really have to rev it
to get the 136 hp out of it
but that is what's fun about it
you have to work for it
change gears a lot
rev the little engine
and this specific car has another feature
it has the optional "speed pack"
which means you get a different exhaust
and a different intake
which also boosts power with 7 HP
but it's mainly the sound that improves
because other people who drove the CR
other journalists
complained about the fact
that you couldn't really hear it
but this one does not suffer from that
it sounds fantastic!
and the throttle response is also great
from the outside
when I hear Max driving past me
it almost sounds like
and this might sound a little weird
like a small Ferrari 458
I know it's weird from a 1.6
but pay close attention
it seems that the speed pack
is an essential package
which you really should have
and of course the Club Racer pack
which against the trend
you don't have to pay for weight reduction
which you do with Porsche, Ferrari
and Lamborghini
you always have to pay extra
if you want the lightest version
but with this one you get a 3K discount
the steering feel also is extraordinary
Biggest clich: handles like a kart
but it really does
and then this specific one
with that beautiful grey paintjob
and 17" black wheels
it looks fantastic
you often see a blue or yellow Lotus
which is fun as track toy
but I think it looks a bit cheap
and in this color
it becomes more of a real car
I have rarely
or actually never
seen a Lotus this beautiful
and other people feel the same way
because they keep asking us
where do you buy something like this?
where is the Lotus dealership?
well, we didn't get this one from Lotus
but from our friends at Vaartland.nl
I think it's clear that
they have some pretty cool cars
with interesting prices
you can also get the Elise with more power
with a supercharger you can have 220 hp
and of course the coupe version the Exige
which you can have with a V6
but this is the one with which Lotus scored
simple and cheap parts
combine those parts to build a fun car
because it has been a while
since I've used all gears on this road
and used all of the power
without thinking
I'm about to lose my license
because this is what the car does to you
find a great road
smile on your face
on a day like this with the roof off
fantastic
what a car
