What kind of Lotus Elise is this??
 

Spotted at a local high end car dealership: Looks like a cross between a dune buggy/super 7 and a Lotus Elise.

I am guessing it is a track car, also has one of the hood panels removed for better ducted air cooling??

Pretty neat!

Re: What kind of Lotus Elise is this??
 

I believe it is the Lotus 340r,Yes track car only-very light ,very fast.
Micahel Garibay-2001 Lotus Esprit V-8 (chrome orange)

Re: What kind of Lotus Elise is this??
 

Thanks, did an internet search for the 340R, got lots of info I would not have had otherwise. Really neat car, never heard of it before, I must be slipping since it has been around since 2000 or so.

Looks like the perfect economy car to me. <gg>

Re: What kind of Lotus Elise is this??
 

i believe that was the pre-cursor to the elise. they closed the top and made it more of a useable car

Re: What kind of Lotus Elise is this??
 

The Lotus 340R was first introduced in 1999, they took an Elise and stripped it down. It is streetable (in Europe for sure, don't know about here), is way cool, and you are not likely to see yourself in the mirror! 0-60 in about 4.5 seconds.

Re: What kind of Lotus Elise is this??
 

The Elise is only being sold in the U.S because Lotus received a Temorary Excemption for not having to comply with U.S bumper standards! With this excemption the Elise is barely legal an when it's up for renewal they may not get it again, so that model will be gone as well. Means no more Lotus in America, unless they design a new model for America.

Re: What kind of Lotus Elise is this??
 

So if you buy an Elise, I am assuming it is street legal and always will be, right? I am guessing the 340R is not street legal as per Garibay above.

Interesting fact!

Re: What kind of Lotus Elise is this??
 

If you buy it during the excemption will always be street legal. Lotus claimed the bumper standard law was too costly for them and agreed only to import one model for U.S roads.

Re: What kind of Lotus Elise is this??
 

The Elise and Exige are built in low numbers (2500+ las year which is high numbers for Lotus)and they are famous for exemptions.My '01 esprit has a sticker on the windshield showing this because they didn't pass safety standard on a head on collision .The problem was that your head is like 3" away from wacking into the windshield.Lotus clamed that there were no recorded injuries and redesigning the car would cripple the company.With only a hundred or so cars sold a year they got their exemption for a few years.
mike