As I was just leaving work in Redwood Shores CA, there was a transporter with several cars on it. One of them was silver, and small, and said "Lotus" on the back. It sure wasn't an Esprit, so I stopped and found parking and walked over. Sure enough, it was an Elise, looking awfully darned cute, and with a black canvas top that made it look almost practical.

[Lotus Elise: euro only roadster-ette, 1500lbs, 140hp, approx $25k price in UK, makes the S2000 look like a GT car.]

This one looked used; it didn't have plates, and was setup for euro-tags only. The tires were teeny tiny 185 RE730s; maybe they were rim protectors for transport.

Anyway, it had me wondering if I'd want an Elise if they were legally available in the US. (I think this one wasn't!). At one point it would have been "hell yeah!", but I have to say I'm not as sure as I was pre-S2000.

Would you be tempted?

Should be true department: Colin Chapman was asked to make a vendor choice. Vendor As part cost some amount and would probably last a certain amount of time. Vendor B's would cost 30% more have 5 times the lifespan of A's. Which should they buy? Chapman answered, "How long is our warranty?"

I saw rust on some of the bolts visible on the undercarriage on the Elise I just saw...

-dB