Paul Foster wrote:
> And just a car??? Shame on you! Lotus as a marque has a racing heritage
> that is untouched by any company of it's size.
Hey, we're talking about little fiberglass road cars, not F1 rides. ;<)
Seriously, I believe that no manufacturer has ever had as many rules
changed to prevent them from winning as Lotus did. Although Audi came
close in Trans-Am. Anti-Lotus whining isn't limited to Solo II
competitors. The F1 crowd did their share.
> I thought they could do
> no wrong until they created that FWD 'Elan'.
That was after Colin's death and while Lotus was owned by (shudder) GM.
> But then again Porsche is
> building an SUV so anything is possible. <shudder>
Worse yet, Porsche got Japanese automotive consultants to help them make
their manufacturing processes more efficient.
> You can argue that Loti are unsafe on the highway
Only if you hit something. =8<0
>but you cannot successfully argue the RWD Elan and Europa are
> not the dominant car in ASP over time.
I can argue that. When I look at the last ten years of Nationals winners
in the rules, here's the tally:
Lotus: 6
Mazda: 2
Porsche: 2
Over the last five years, the tally is:
Lotus: 2
Mazda: 2
Porsche: 1
Neither of the above lists is evidence of class dominance. Miatas in BS
or Neons in DS are much closer to dominating their respective classes,
yet I would claim that neither of those cars should be reclassed.
Neither should the Elan or Europa.
Maybe the Elan is the best ASP car to have. It is not, however, so much
better than the other two cars that they cannot win. And it's been more
than 10 years since a Europa won. The results speak for themselves.
> I'll always remember Dwight
> Mitchell crying in frustration at the '89 Solo II Nationals when he
> realized he could not win over Ron Babb.
Yet, according to somebody's earlier post, Dwight's car didn't have the
optimal 3.2L motor. So, even if Dwight couldn't win in his car at that
event, it doesn't mean his car didn't have the potential to do so when
developed to the limit of the rules.
> Don't get me wrong. The Loti have every right - nay obligation - to show
> up in parking lots and spank our collective asses.
Well, I wish it were that easy. I've still got a ways to go in mine.
Jay "OK, it's a pretty good car and really fun, too" Mitchell
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