GT2

If you are the type who hates slippery, soapy behaviour in a car, avoid the S4! Try watching the Italian National replays, and the Rome Short Clubman race to get a gander of how this car handles with stock tires, then go for slicks if this isn't your thing. Small size and light weight make the Elan handle just like you think it would in this game: predictable, but tempermental.

Sometimes the Elan is highly maneuverable, at others it is highly unstable. When driving at some courses you'll have to remember where every bump is, because if the Elan runs over one, it may fly; and when it lands, counter-steer and appropriate throttle response (or brakes) are frequently needed. In other words: this car's unpredictability can be very predictable, and its spontaneity comes thru even in a videogame. That deserves an honorable mention.

Something you can do to help is put some medium grade slicks and a 1.5 limited-slip under the Elan. This will do wonders to cure this car's quirkyness, but also kill most of the fun. The normal street tires on this car don't have very good lateral traction, making oversteer a serious problem at times. If the car's track-width were a bit wider, all of this could be solved easily!

....But this is the appreciation one must have for vintage cars--and this particular automobile was made for narrow, twisty roads. The line between road, car, and driver is reduced a lot in such a small vehicle; one can feel every bump and sway when driving this car is what I mean to say, in real life as well as the game. No, the handling isn't the best, but for drift lovers, a Lotus S4 is heaven.

The beauty of this car is the balance between under and oversteer--albeit the S4 (or earlier S2) will predictably understeer towards a corner at times. Apply a bit of throttle, and it will pleasantly oversteer and position the little auto just where it needs to go, if the driver's got the skill, that is. Like the Viper, this car is constantly needing a little adjustment, but hell, it's a ball!

 

Completely different story here. In this game, the Elan isn't so wild. If you think

 

...If you think...what? Hey, things get complicated in Parnelli's world. Such a shame that one never got finished though, I'm curious what the Elan in GT4 (a game famous for lack of proper oversteer) would be like.

 

So for GT5, I decided I'd choose a '62 Elan S1 to compete in this game's Clubman Cup. At 102 horsepower to start, this one rates just perfectly for the Clubman in this game, since the Clubman Cup doesn't require much horsepower.

 

Drove around Tsukuba while the car was completely factory-stock. Got its engine rebuilt, and oil changed, that is all. Seems a 52 year-old should get its valves replaced or reground, its gaskets swapped for new ones, and so on. First impressions at this track: definitely a shocker. The thing about this car, this true sports car, is the way it's always on the verge of something. To drive it fast is to bring it to this verge. The Elan feels like a small boat which often feels like it's about to tip over, yet it rides many waves without doing so IF the driver does not want this.

 

It's a car which is comfortable with borderline behavior, and whether this behavior is good or not depends on who is driving it. Some people will hate this car, they will hate the way it never feels entirely confident. But for those of us who enjoy where this one is at, there are many delightful things to behold.

 

Braking, steering, and throttle, always make some sort of difference. Not just with slowing, turning, and speed, but also with the entire car, and the entire way this car's orbiting through some turns. Sometimes, the Lotus Elan feels happily confident, but most of the time, it's not entirely so. Most of the time, it's feeling more 'iffy' than confident. Small measures of braking, steering, and throttle can change the car's turning arcs in subtle ways. EVERYTHING, every little thing, makes some sort of difference.

 

For instance, a lot of cars, you nudge their gas-pedals while turning, and they go a little faster. In an Elan, the same thing is true -- you nudge, you go a little faster. But the Elan always likes to throw a little extra surprises in there. You go faster, but the rear will also step out a little bit. Just a tad. Just to show you that your request has been received, but the way it's being processed is being given a little extra flair. If you desire something more drastic, this can also be served up. Brake late into one of Tsukuba's hairpins, crank that steering a bit, and give some gas ... 1, 2, 3 ... and the Elan can also put on a little show, as its rear breaks traction, and tire noise overrides this car's grumbly exhaust.   

 

Some people, like I said, might hate all of this. They might see the constant dance that's going on as they drive as more of a struggle than a dance. Because you always have to be aware of what's going on with this one, and make some sort of reply or adjustment to it. Lots of countersteer, but also sometimes, just a nudge of countersteer. All depends.

 

But one thing that I'm really digging is the way this car's power, even though it is low, perfectly matches the way this car sways and rocks and slightly, constantly slides (assuming I want it to slide). There are no grandiose burnouts as full throttle is given, this car excites in other  ways, you see. The way it twitches and rolls and simply reacts is what makes a driver like me smile. Its lack of rear-end messiness is a result of power being just perfect for this car's narrow tires. And who needs a limited-slip at this point?  Let's not kill any fun.

 

At Route 246, we get to see how much lift-off oversteer and throttlesteer make a difference, as the Elan is being flung through this track's giant curves. Throw this one in, and it's leaning on its side, slightly understeering. Release those brakes, and the understeer steps aside fully, as the front-end starts to progressively dig into the turn, causing the car to lock-in. Give a cautious amount of gas, and the rear begins to step outward; those tires screeing with some delight. 

 

Everything mentioned, all of these behaviors, is subtle, by the way. The car slowly goes from pushing to lift-off to a light rear sway. Once this one is really moving, some of the twitchiness we saw at low-speed Tsukuba goes away, you see, and is replaced by movements which are more gentle. When people talk of old sports cars, one of the opinions which comes up is that they make you feel as though the line between car and driver is blurred. That definitely happens in an Elan, even virtually.   

 

Suffice it to say, this is a very fun car while its stock, with unaided power, and cheap tires underneath. But what happens when it's finally racing?  And do you have anything bad to say about this car at all?

 

Well yes, there are some 'bad things'. Driving over rumble strips makes it feel as though an earthquake has struck. Lack of ABS brakes is not noticed much at Tsukuba, but at a track with greater speed, occasionally it's possible to get this one to slide uncontrollably. And though it is easy to take this car right to the verge, right to its very limits, bad things can happen if we're not too careful, especially at high speed, and we finally pass this limit!  My British Green-colored Lotus broke traction finally during one of Tokyo's latter curves (the ones which are below those overpasses), and it took all my concentration not to hit a guardrail. Amazingly, the Elan did not do so, probably because it's such a small car, I was able to just miss that rail, avoiding an expensive set of repairs!

 

Still, even at high speed, the Lotus Elan manages to give us a whole list of cornering options, more than some modern 'sports cars' would ever dream of. Many moderns, as great as they can be with cornering, simply hone into a turn, but don't offer up any sort of flair while doing so. *vamp*

 

While racing against some modern cars during the Clubman, I chose some medium sport tires at Tsukuba and Route 246. With these in place, our ability to take on turns multiplies. A lot of this car's former slight sliding is gone, and is replaced by pure Miata-like grip. Some of the Elan's 'personality' goes with this tire transition, but it's not a major loss, now that we're racing.

 

The car jerks and bucks over small, unseen bumps. Its ability to maintain traction & grip makes it feel more like something from an amusement park, halfway between a merry-go-round and a roller coaster. And some modern car ass, with their stupid traction & stability controls, can also be firmly kicked, and kicked hard. The Elan's agility around these luggards is amazingly fluent, as it takes corners in all sorts of fashions. Its small size often guarantees it will fit between that dopey Peugeot, and that clueless Primera. The main thing to watch for is not to get too hot out of turns. The rear might break traction, as the car is twisted and turned more extremely as I tried to hunt for some outlandish racing lines. If so, it's important to get that traction back, ASAP, just so the race is won.

 

That first race at Clubman (Tsukuba) was crushed by this car, at this track, mostly because the Elan can do so many things with its ultra-flexible handling. It took some wrangling to make it to the leading Peugeot hatch during this race, which was caught and passed during Lap 4, but that's where this one's flexibility really comes in handy. Limited-slip device? Um.. no.

 

 At Route 246, I did opt for one though, mostly to keep the Elan from getting too squirrely when braking from high speed, and this turned out to be a very good decision!  For once, I tuned a car the right way on my first try. Some understeer showed up during 246's larger curves, but it was easy to make it go away. With my setting of 5-25-45, I could use this car's 'accel' setting (25) to safely put all the power down out of turns, even if the car was starting to slide, its rear would stay rock-solid with stability. Unfortunately, the Elan only rated 3rd place here. This track's rumble strips are brutal, tossing this lightweight around like a pancake. Though my Elan could often inch by guardrails and walls, I finally tagged one a little too hard, and a BMW 1-series won this race. On the other hand, the Elan took this track's super-fast S-curve with no brakes. That has to be a first.       

 

7). Cramped interior!  And no side mirrors.