I live by “simplify and add lightness”, both as an engineer and a driver, and the Lotus 7 has always seemed to be the purest road-legal interpretation of that philosophy. They are, however, exceedingly rare in the United States, so when the opportunity to purchase a Birkin S3 arose, I was overjoyed. Less than ten minutes after I spotted it online, the Evil Red Racecar (my much-modified S2000) was snarling north along the 5 freeway.
90 miles devoured in under an hour, I found myself at a dealer featuring an impressive collection of 356s and classic Ferraris. The owner had already pulled the car out around back, and after a short ride in the passenger side, we switched seats. Moment of truth time…
Twenty feet done, and I already hated the car. The exhaust was roasting my leg; the manual brakes had two inches of dead travel before abruptly turning rock-hard, yet produced zero bite; the dash tried to peel off my thumbnail every time I pushed the shift lever into first.
Turning out onto the 1, three lanes of nearly empty coastal highway beckoned. At full throttle, for a few seconds the car made sense. Acceleration from the 1.8 Miata motor was nearly violent. This lasted right up to 40mph, at which point the rather rectilinear aerodynamics asserted themselves and the headlong rush dwindled. Rocketing from stoplight to stoplight quickly grew boring, and my irritation with the brakes continued to build, so I turned inland, climbing away from the ocean. Serpentine corners just off the highway did nothing to quell my growing unease. Although the steering feel was lovely, the car was curiously inert; hesitant to turn in and lapsing into tire squeal early and often. The live-axle rear simply didn’t want to put down any power until the wheel was pointed straight, making quick direction changes more of a chore than a thrill.
The disappointment as I cruised back down PCH was palpable; I felt vaguely nauseous. Deep down, I’d been convinced I would be taking this car home after the first mile driven. Not only did I not enjoy driving it on the street, I had no desire to race it, ever; visions of watching cones pass at eye level and the cycle fenders leaping over apex curbs dissolved faster than the asthmatic four-cylinder accelerated. Maybe I just don’t “get” classic cars, but every Elise I’ve driven has been vastly superior to the 7.
Back in the Honda, I headed slowly south. Dimly recalling passing a Porsche dealership on the way up, I kept an eye out, and on a hunch pulled in when it presented itself.
Sitting in the front window was a gleaming black 997 Turbo. There was a Carrera GT as well, but I know my limits.
I hurried inside. The sales floor was strangely empty; Sundays must not be the holy day of the church of Hooniversalism. When a salesman approached, I enquired if there was a Turbo in stock.
“I’m afraid not, sir.” Really?
My first assumption was that he simply wanted me to leave. Wind-ruffled 23-year-olds are not popular in Porsche showrooms, but I am not easily dissuaded.
“Wait… isn’t that black car a Turbo?”
“No, sir. That is a pre-owned GT2.” Score.
Visions of a five-figure commission dancing in his head, the salesman had us on the road in minutes. The driver’s seat was utterly remarkable- for all it looked like a deep-bucket race seat and held me resolutely in place, it gripped me so perfectly its touch was imperceptible. The FIA Momo in my S2000 was laughable by comparison.
The barest touch of the throttle in neutral instantly spiked the engine over 4000rpm, yet when loaded against the clutch it was momentarily recalcitrant. You cannot make slow starts in a GT2- it wants to move.
The road down to the beach was narrow, poorly surfaced, and unpredictable- hairpins opening into sweepers, serpentine curves falling up- and downhill, past rock walls and crumbling sidewalks. The GT2 simply devoured it; perfectly weighted, feelsome and responsive steering controlling every millimetric movement of the front wheels, throttle shifting the weight over the rear axle with almost telepathic precision. A Stradale would have hammered this road into submission; the GT2 flowed, with the alacrity of a racecar and the composure of its rally-conquering ancestors.
This, though, is not what makes it hoonworthy. It is my favorite car of the year for the simple fact that it will spin both rear tires, on 315-width r-compounds, at 120mph in fourth gear.
I have never liked turbocharged cars. The useless power delivery of the Evo, Sky Redline, and others has soured me to it. The Porsche is predictable, but more importantly it is unrelentingly savage. It makes the Z06 look like a shrinking violet. Full throttle in any gear lower than fifth is like balancing on the nosecone of a space shuttle as it departs Earth’s surface. You feel the whole car wriggling around the fat rear tires, the front wheels almost off the ground, while simultaneously the world narrows to a pinpoint half a mile down the road. It is indescribable, surreal, and more addictive than a double dose of Red Bull.
The GT2 is the greatest car on earth.
Images:
911 GT2 courtesy of 8000vueltas
Lotus 7 courtesy of billhume51
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on Dec 4th, 2011 at 5:02 pm
isnt this the s2000 forum. this is crushing our dreams of the s2000 being that, our dream car.
on Dec 4th, 2011 at 7:52 pm
@wtf….ever been to S2KI Car Talk. Discussion of other cars is welcome. Don’t be an effin close-minded fanboi
on Dec 4th, 2011 at 9:39 pm
Engine in the wrong place and turbos? No thanks.
on Dec 4th, 2011 at 10:08 pm
you mean engine in the right place… Savin up for my lotus exige… =) missin my s2k. porches are too cool for me.
on Dec 4th, 2011 at 11:49 pm
My only complaint was the paragraph where you use “perfectly weighted” and referring to a Porsche in the same sentience, as by nature the cars will never be that.
That’s all..
-Gavin
on Dec 4th, 2011 at 11:59 pm
so wait a sec, you didn’t buy it?
on Dec 5th, 2011 at 3:53 am
“isnt this the s2000 forum. this is crushing our dreams of the s2000 being that, our dream car.”
how about if mine has s2000 engine instead of a lotus 7 with anemic miata engine ?
will mine qualify?
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/5060/may92010013.jpg
on Dec 5th, 2011 at 5:20 am
Nicely written though!
I prefer my S2K to a Porsche any day.
on Dec 5th, 2011 at 7:33 am
This was a great article! Something I am aspiring to, owning a Porsche and definitely that Lamborghini.
The vivid imagery had me cruising by that Porsche dealership in Newport Beach, CA only to stop and go for a test drive
on Dec 5th, 2011 at 3:08 pm
I really don’t prefer the rear / mid engine arrangements. The S2000 has a great front/mid setup, and if you prefer lightness and lots of feedback I would suggest a Ginetta G20. We just sold ours to get into an S2k. Miata drivetrain, but in a 60′s styled flowing racer body. No doors, no roof. About 1450 pounds. Decently slippery in the wind, and simply faster than a Ferrari 360CS in the mountains. It is pretty close performance-wise to an Elise, but in a front engined arrangement. The price is good too, at around $20k (We sold ours back to the dealer we bought it from for a good bit less). There is lots of heat and gasoline smells, and you don’t want to get caught in a heavy rain, but otherwise, it is awesome!
The Birkins usually have pretty solid reviews, maybe the one you tested was a dud? I’m not a big fan of the 911 series, they just don’t do it for me. That’s why they make chocolate and vanilla though!!!
on Dec 5th, 2011 at 8:13 pm
Sounds like you drove a pretty poor lotus clone. Too bad.
on Dec 6th, 2011 at 6:37 am
This is a great article! I experienced nearly the exact same turn of events and now own a 996 GT2 myself! Along with my 80mm turbo S2000…I couldnt be happier!
on Dec 6th, 2011 at 11:33 am
Could that sorry brake exp with the Birkin S7 have to do with the fact that it has very little nose dive or boosting devices to aid braking, as a proper race car should. Drive your S2000 followed by any FWD car and it will seem like the FWD car has better braking because of the nose dive.
Another thing is that the Lotus 7 is a momentum car that requires a certain compromise from the user. The 911 is a luxury suite in comparison. Is it fair to compare the two?
on Dec 7th, 2011 at 9:29 am
You drove the wrong 7.
on Dec 8th, 2011 at 4:21 pm
GT2s are great cars. I wouldn’t buy one.
My last daily driver/track day car was a Z06. It was an awesome race car. My certified, 14,000 mi.’ 06 S2000 is a more fun, and better street car.
I have more fun with my S2000 than I would have with a GT2.
It’s just a matter of priorities.
on Dec 9th, 2011 at 8:01 am
Hi, I will admit, I had to look up S200 to find out what it was. I stumbled on this post while trying to figure out why I was having so many hits on the photograph of my Caterham 7 which heads this article.
So, I now find myself in the midst of a discussion regarding the respective merits of a Lotus 7 clone and a Porche something or other on another car’s forum.
I can only tell you why I drive the Caterham (Caterham took over production of the Seven, when Lotus discontinued it).
I live in Scotland where it’s cold and wet for much of the year so the 7 is hardly the most practical of cars. It’s cramped, noisy, cold and a handfull to drive. It has suspension which can dislodge the fillings from your teeth and on wet roads it’s decidedly tail happy.
On the other hand, it’s FAST, can out corner nearly everything else on the road and EVERYBODY likes them. People let you out of side streets, pedestrians wave to you and other drivers will give you a flash of lights when they see the car.
Drive a Porche…..and everybody hates you.
I don’t know what this Birkin thing was which you test drove, but I can assure you it’s nothing like my Seven which has great brakes and rocket like acceleration which continues long after my courage runs out.
I love the Seven for what it doesn’t have…
No power steering, power brakes, traction control, ABS, sound system, doors, roof, carpets…..the list goes on.
Oh yes, and the models I work with, love doing location shoots with the seven. Keep clicking on the pic at the top of this article guys and maybe have a look at some of my other Flickr stuff (including some of the models with the Caterham.
Kindest regards to you all (and your S2000s) from Scotland,
Bill H.
on Dec 9th, 2011 at 4:13 pm
The S2000 with the same money spent on as a GT2 would be much better
on Dec 13th, 2011 at 5:51 am
@Zebidi…I don’t know if that’s true. There’s only so much you can do to a car without completely redesigning it to conquer tracks the way a GT2 is.