Extruding the New Elise

[RWebb]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-TiFKr2yb0&t=5863s

well worth it for Loti, for those interested in sport cars, materials, and engineers you'd allow to test your extrusions to failure

[Bob Kontak]

Two hours twenty minutes but I'm gonna do it.

[RWebb]

it's worth it - in 2 parts or just hit pause

[unclebilly]

The lack of planning seems endemic in British cars. My 80’s jags were other examples of cars that were designed by those who couldn’t arrange a pissup in a brewery...

[petrolhead611]

Lack of planning resulted in an agile economical best driving car . Planning results in idiotically huge vehicles in the USA.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by petrolhead611

Lack of planning resulted in an agile economical best driving car . Planning results in idiotically huge vehicles in the USA.

No, it is the federal laws that make all cars huge in the modern era. In the 1950s when the USA was booming and the British were still recovering from a devastating war and money was tight they had no choice but build small light cars. Materials were hard to get, and the taxes were high.

I forgot which TV show it was about historical cars but a British car guy was talking about coming to America in the late 50s from Brittan. He was used to small European cars, and was just floored with the American cars, and the people that picked them up at the airport arrived in a 1957 Cadillac that was bigger than three cars from back home. Of course it is covered in chrome, and dripped luxury.

He was just stunned that everything was bright and new and booming in America and people could easily afford a large comfortable car and large houses.

[oldE]

"It is the federal laws that make all cars huge in the modern era. In the 1950s when the USA was booming and the British were still recovering from a devastating war and money was tight they had no choice but build small light cars. Materials were hard to get, and the taxes were high. "

I can't agree with your first statement. There are lots of small, light cars around. The real reasons manufacturers are selling huge vehicles are partly due to the belief that a large vehicle will protect them in a crash and partly to the "supersize me" mentality.
Most people do not need a SUV in which to ride around.
Perfect case in point, my niece in Lubbock TX. She is 5' nuthin and drives a Chev Suburban. She darned near needs a ladder to climb into the thing, but that's her 'car'. Waste of space and gas. (The Chev, not my niece. She is a nurse.)

Best
Les

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by oldE

"It is the federal laws that make all cars huge in the modern era. In the 1950s when the USA was booming and the British were still recovering from a devastating war and money was tight they had no choice but build small light cars. Materials were hard to get, and the taxes were high. "

I can't agree with your first statement. There are lots of small, light cars around. The real reasons manufacturers are selling huge vehicles are partly due to the belief that a large vehicle will protect them in a crash and partly to the "supersize me" mentality.
Most people do not need a SUV in which to ride around.
Perfect case in point, my niece in Lubbock TX. She is 5' nuthin and drives a Chev Suburban. She darned near needs a ladder to climb into the thing, but that's her 'car'. Waste of space and gas. (The Chev, not my niece. She is a nurse.)

Best
Les

Zero doubt, the market is driven by the consumer. Most people prefer a HUGE fancy car with heated and air conditioned seats to a minimalist sports car. Right or wrong, the manufacturers make what will sell the most.

[aschen]

I do think design by committee gets you pretty boring cars.

The Elise is one of the great modern sports cars in my biased opinion, but clearly it's not what American consumers wanted to buy. Sales dropped like a rock after the initial excitement wore off.

[petrolhead611]

The car was never aimed at the American market as it was understood that most Americans wouldn't understand what the car was about .Sales did not drop off in the countries which appreciated the car for what it was. And now they are collectors' items .

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by RWebb

well worth it for Loti, for those interested in sport cars, materials, and engineers you'd allow to test your extrusions to failure

The adhesive bonding was pretty cool.

Early in the development they put a few rivets in strategic places to supplement the bonding strength but I did not pick up if they continued that into production.

I can't wrap my head around how light they are.

Edit:

An innovative combination of adhesive and rivets is used to join the chassis of the new Lotus Elise which is made primarily from aluminum extrusions. The bonding technique was developed by the UK sports car company in partnership with Ciba Polymers of Switzerland and Hydro Aluminium, of Denmark.

http://www.sandsmuseum.com/cars/elise/information/technical/asauto.html