Zolfe Orange: The next Elise?

[Poverty]

Eh zolfe its been done and your design cues are old and oh wait it looks like you guys copied several differnet cars. This company is bringning nothing new to the segment with this.

 

[niky]

Yes they are... they finally made one of those open-wheeled beasties actually usable for day to day driving.

A lot of people don't give the Caterham or Radical a second glance because you can't use them as daily drivers, this one might just be able to carve a niche for itself in that market.

 

[TheCracker]

Yes they are... they finally made one of those open-wheeled beasties actually usable for day to day driving.

A lot of people don't give the Caterham or Radical a second glance because you can't use them as daily drivers, this one might just be able to carve a niche for itself in that market.

The Zolfe Orange might have a roof compared to a similar engined Radical or Caterham - but any bike engined car will be a pain in the ass to use as an everyday car due to the peaky, low torque nature of bike engines - even the mighty Hayabusa unit. The lack of 'engine braking' from bike-engined cars is often sited as a major drawback.

I've been really suprised by how 'everyday usable' the Elise's and Exige's are that i've driven. I had a go in my step bro's Exige on Xmas day, and even on cambered, pot-hole ridled back roads it rode very well with no banging or crashing. Lotus have really tuned the chassis of these cars well, even the extreme 'track' oriented versions - i doubt very much that Zolfes will ride as well, making them a less appealing proposition.

 

[niky]

True, the Orange may not be as liveable as the Elise, but it will have much more bad weather useability than any other bike engined car.

I wouldn't worry about engine braking in anything that light. But I can imagine it'd be a b*tch to drive in traffic or at 8/10ths in the wet. As for the ride... well, the new Caterham is supposedly more supple than any that have come before it... I guess we'll have to wait to find out how the Zolfe does.

I think there really might be a market for a car like this. Don't think it can steal sales from Lotus, but it just might take some from the other small manufacturers.

 

[Poverty]

Audi is planning on making a car similiar to this in association with KTM.Could come out as early as 2007.

 

[TheCracker]

Audi is planning on making a car similiar to this in association with KTM.Could come out as early as 2007.

I'd be interested in seing Audi produce something with RWD - but i still doubt they'd get it to weigh under the magic ton (1000kgs).

 

[Poverty]

Audi and KTM are jointly and secretly developing a sporty roadster.

The Audi-KTM roadster would take inspiration from the Caterham Seven, but would be more motorbike-like (it seems that a helmet will be necessary to drive it).

The weight of the roadster would be around 700 kg. If it's true that the 260 hp 4 cylinder TFSI engine of the next S3 is under consideration for this car, it'll have a power/weight ratio similar to that of the Ferrari 599 GTB! (Could be higher as the S3 has a output of 272hp at the time being.)

Audi CEO Martin Winterkorn is said to like the project, but a definite decision will be taken only in the next 2-3 months. If positive, we might see this roadster at the next Bologna Motor Show. It'll be produced in Austria and it might be on sale as soon as the start of 2007, with a price of about 35,000 €

Could be very fast.

 

[TheCracker]

Sounds interesting - could be a rival to the Caterham 260 CSR

 

[YSSMAN]

If the Orange ever came to America though, I dont think it would sell outstandingly well. Considering that it would ineed have to compete with the likes of the Elise/Exige, Caterham, Atom (US-spec), Shelby Cobra/Daytona, and hell even the Malett Solstice V8... The Shelby Crowd alone (espically the cheaper DIY Superperformance cars) is enough to cause problems.

 

[skyline speed]

Looks like a TVR Griffith crossed with Chrysler Crossfire crossed with Lotus Elise. I don't like that color, but if it goes....👍

Thats what I thought to.

 

[Wolfe]

Looks interesting, but I wouldn't call it "the next Elise."

If I wanted an ultra-trackcar with a roof, I'd drive a Caterham with one of those removable cloth roof things.

 

[Dave A]

It's meant to be a proper track car that you can use properly on the road too, a Caterham with a cloth roof isn't, belive me. The roof might as well not be there.

 

[YSSMAN]

There is a good chance that I would rather build my own Cobra replica before I ever considered an Elise or Orange... Not to say that they arent good cars (because if I was a millionaire Id have both), but the Cobra has the classic looks and sound that I like, and the V8 makes it all the more worth while.

 

[JohnBM01]

Well, the Shelby or AC Cobra is a classic automobile in every respect, and it's one of my all-time favorite cars. But to an enthusiast, I sort of think there is nothing like a lightweight British performance coupe. It is a very nice machine. You all say it's bike-powered, right? Aren't some Caterhams bike-engined as well? It looks like a very nice car regardless.

I also agree that I don't think this will be the next Elise. For this thing to be the next Elise or better than the Elise, it will have to be as praised as the Elise and Exige have been for years. There has to be a good enough following to support it like it was Radical or Caterham. If Zolfe wants to be the next Elise or the new Elise, it will have to simply for for the Elise's juggular and go for that haymaker. You know, take the fight to it, much like what Pontiac's Solstice wanted to do with the Mazda MX-5.

 

[kikie]

I want a Zolfe white or a Zolfe black.
You can easely tune the hayabusa engine.

 

[YSSMAN]

Well, the Shelby or AC Cobra is a classic automobile in every respect, and it's one of my all-time favorite cars. But to an enthusiast, I sort of think there is nothing like a lightweight British performance coupe.

Ive always had a soft spot for the Triumph TR6 and the Austin Healey 3000 MKII, and of course the classic Jaguar XKE, but they arent nearly as radical as the Cobra. There are a few folks who live near me who have real and replica Cobras, and I have to say that they are some of the most bad-ass cars I have ever seen or herd, even if they run on Ford bits and pieces.

 

[Dave A]

The AC Cobra is a great classic, but I always found the Jag E-Type coupe more appealing. Wouldn't say no to a Cobra though, but a good 427 costs about £500k, a bit out of my price range, take a 0 off.

 

[YSSMAN]

You can build your own Cobra for fairly "cheap." Most of the parts can be shipped to your home and you can assemble them, or you can go to an authorized dealer and they can set you up with a rolling chassis (complete interior, paint, etc.) for about $39,900 (£22,500)... You of course need to add your own Ford 289, 302, 351, or 427/428 and your choise of transmission. Personally, I would go for the Ford Racing 302ci V8 (345hp) that retails for about $3,400 and match that with the Ford Racing Tremec-5 5-speed manual transmission that goes for $1,700... So total cost (and its really rough here) is about $45,000 (£25,500)...

You can see that they do go into pretty good detail with the car.

The next best thing is the Superperformance Coupe, a replica of the Shelby Daytona Coupe.

Prices arent listed, but expect them to be a bit higher than a completed Cobra depending on engine choises.

The big news with replica sports cars is the new Superperformance GT40 replica that will be available later this year and will cost in the neighborhood of $80,00 to $90,000 (££45,300 to 51,000) when completed.

 

[niky]

Nice replica... a bit too close to the price of an official Ford GT, but then again, those don't exactly go for sticker, right?

Wild, you can get a 302 for under $4000? And there's a glass Cobra body being sold near here... damn, I wish I still lived in the US.

 

[Wolfe]

It's meant to be a proper track car that you can use properly on the road too, a Caterham with a cloth roof isn't, belive me. The roof might as well not be there.

I don't care about the noise or anything. The weather-proofing is the only thing I would need.

I'm one of those crazy blokes who would drive around in the snow in my Caterham, if I had one...

 

[Dave A]

That's what I mean, they don't keep the weather out.

 

[eliseracer]

I don't care about the noise or anything. The weather-proofing is the only thing I would need.

I'm one of those crazy blokes who would drive around in the snow in my Caterham, if I had one...

He's talking about weather proofing. Drive it while it's raining and you'll still get soaked.

And I'd also be out there in the snow, no matter hwat the car is. 👍

 

[YSSMAN]

...Oh yeah, you can pick up most baisic American V8 crate motors (ready to run) for less than $5000 here in the states. Ford Racing made a big deal out of the GT40-head 302 crate motor a little while ago, and they are doing it again with their "twin cam" 302 crate motor as well. The Chevrolet 350 is still the standard issue crate motor, and I belive the baisic turn key model starts around $5000 and puts down 330HP. As far as Mopar products go, I'm not sure...