[dd74]

Considering what mark-up will be, especially in L.A. where anything new is trendy and there are those with the "means" to buy new stuff, I'd bet $60K is the price. Minis here were going for $30K until we completely overdosed on them.

I'll take nothing away from the Elise, however. When I spoke to the head engineer at Lotus three years ago, he was hush-hush about the engine, though at the time, he stated the K-variant that comes in the ROW model was more than adequate, though other sources say there's cylinder head trouble with those engines. I don't know. The To-yo engine seems like a good bet. 190 reliable hp.

Daily driving this thing shouldn't be too hard when considering those who drive gutted P-cars are probably used to (and enjoy) a lack of anemities.

Traditionally, resale value for Lotus' have been horrible. The only Lotus car anyone seems to want is the Elan. I've seen the Lotus supercar, whose name slips my mind, sell for $10K. I don't know if the Elise with a Toyota motor will fair that well.

I only mention resale because who knows how long anyone can actually stand the no-frills attitude (and attitude in general) of a car like it in rush-hour traffic. For most, it's not a daily driver, really. So that's asking a lot of the money spent and a lot of the money one will ask for it when they eventually sell the car.

Personally, I'd wait three to five years, and buy one used. Lotus will increase production probably, because other companies will follow suit with stripped-out four and six cylinder high performance "little" cars. Patience is a virtue with this one, I believe.