Well that was nice...

I will give you the numbers, but first you have to give me ~£80k in cash.

Nope: it means that on that particular track, on that day and with those drivers that specific MX-5 was only a tiny bit slower than that specific Boxster for reasons which we may or may not know at this point in time.

I quess you see I spent some time today with a lawyer ;-)

Sorry for the MX-5-affectionados: the Boxster (S) is a bit higher up, performance-and pricewise.

But then again: if you put a race prepared MX5 against a streetdriven Boxster, things could even up quite nicely. And if one put a compressor fitted MX5 or a V8 powered one next to a Boxster, the German girlie would be sucked into the induction and blown out through the exhaust.

But chanches of this happening are about the same as the margin during that Sprint . :-)

Tom De Moot

Bugger, that's not easy. But what about the winning numbers of those from last week?

Hey, we could split the earnings!

Tom De Moor

PS If you want a 911 4S, you can have it. But some things you have to want very, very badly. ;-)

Best of luck!

Dan may use his V6 every day, but I've met people who actually use their boxster for repping, up and down the country, hundreds of miles per day, with samples and overnight bags and things. Not something you can do in many sports cars (luggage space - you gonna suggest an MX5?)

The lotus's lower resistance comes from its lower weight, the boxster I drove (an early S) had that feeling of instant response that is rare in a car, maybe it was a good one.

It has also a proper engineered roof, isn't made of plastic, and has a six cylinder engine and an optional autobox. And I would expect it to be far more crashworthy though I don't think either have been compared in testing.

Except the shape is its worst asset, it's ugly.

No but a BMW M3 would do that very nicely indeed ... and if you'd take a

330d idem on one tank of fuel.

What's a sportscar? Is a Subaru Impreza Turbo a sportscar? Is an Audi (R)S4 one?

I presume you know what to compare it too. Can you compare the throttle response of an M3, a Boxster, a Mercedes C with the V8-engine? Or do you compare the Boxster to normal shopping trolley?

Resistance in my list of three is not linked to weight: it is air resistance, drag.

There the Lotus with its completely flat undertray and *working* diffuser is far superior to the Boxster whose aerodynamics are so bad that the Porsche factory opted for a moving spoiler in order to keep the car stable at speed.

Yep: a proper engineered roof, a six cilinder engine with autobox. I presume you call those the sportscars ingredients? The Porsche six- potter is indeed a work of art and very innovatif: it's been around for how many decades?

Personaly I don't give a toss what engine is in a sportscar as long as it delivers the power needed. Nor do I give a damn if the car is made out of steel, wood or plastic as long as the materials choosen do the job.

Finally the crashworthyness: both cars passed them. It should stand to reason that the Lotus with its lesser weight and aluminium structure (which absorbs energy more efficiently than steel) is superior to the Boxster.

Imho you base your opinion on the dynamics of the Boxster on feelings not on actual facts. As stated before: the Boxster is made up using obsolete Porsche parts, it is shape before fonction and its technical design is nowhere innovatif nor dared but that was (is) quite OK for those people who buy it.

Lotus customers however are the exact opposite: lightweight and sporty. They even kept up with (former Lotus) cars and their bad to worse reliability. Go to any trackday and count the Lotusses compared to the Boxsters...

So you say... but when the Boxster was presented as a prototype at the

1993 Detroit Motor Show, it caused such a enthusiastic response from the public that it was put into production.

The Detroit proto was a mockup: it had no engine, you couldn't sit in it. What other criteria than shape and overal appearance made around

3000 people to put an upfront payment down to have one?

Tom De Moor

OK, let's make the phrase Roadster, or 2 seater convertible car, or whatever you want to call it. The only RS4 I've been in was an estate, previous type (2.7), full on MTM + nitrous - fast yes, but fun? Not from the passenger seat.

Ahh drag. So small frontal area, which means small car, for small people, with small luggage. And I think the elise has an integrated spoiler in its rear edge. So what? It's the way it's designed.

Used lotus in the UK -

Couldn't care less about the Elise vs Boxster debate, but I was discussing seats with a mate the other day. He's got a VX220, so similar seats to the Elise I'd guess (so on the floor buckets with no adjustment (apart from fwd/bkwd)), and he's also got a dodgy back. The VX has been one of the only cars he hasn't had backache in. And on the longish journeys I've been with him neither have I - apart from the lack of space width-wise I actually found it quite comfortable. Weird.

Anyway, carry on.

Here too - VX220 is a very comfy place to be a long trip, even better with a hard top. Unless it's really warm I imagine heh!