>Subject: Re: Re[2]: Digest lotus-cars.v002.n748
>Sent: 12/18/97 11:16 AM
>Received: 12/18/97 1:46 PM
>From: Mike Causer, mikec@cam-ani.co.uk
>To: rebean@CCGATE.HAC.COM
>CC: chapman-era@autox.team.net
>Mornin' all. As this is my first post to this list I suppose I
>ought to introduce myself. But then I don't think I've seen any
>names here that are not already on the Lotus-cars list, so I guess
>you already know me.
>
><Fx: cries of "Boo", "Gerroff", "Go away" etc>
Well, for any of you who don't already know him, I'm happy to introduce
Mike Causer as a very knowledgeable Lotus Excel driver with racing
experience and a gut-appreciation for the essence of good sports cars. He
races a Lotus 6 in the UK.
If any of you ever wonder about some obscure Brit-car (especially Lotus)
fact or need ex-factory info of some kind, chances are, Mike will either
know it or be able to pull it up in a moment from his vast database.
Welcome to chapman-era, Mike... not as busy as lotus-cars but then the
technical discussions are worth archiving when they happen.
Mike wrote:
>rebean@CCGATE.HAC.COM wrote on Thu, 18 Dec 97 -
>>
>> But plodding around in snow isn't quite what most of us think of as
>performance
>> driving. And even in just rain, I would much rather have a little less pure
>> traction if I can have balance.
>
>Rod, I can assure you that there are some fwd cars with balance. And that
>driving on snow can be performance driving. You can drive to a much higher
>fraction of the limit without anyone really noticing, and I consider a long
>journey on snow or in heavy rain to require as much attention as circuit
>racing, and to give good rewards when you do it right.
>
>On snow an fwd with the weight over the driven and steered wheels is
>potentially a lot faster than a fe-rwd, and probably faster than a re-rwd
>(although my experience of those is limited). I am amazed how slowly people
>go in their fwd cars and how much they hold me up in the Excel. The Excel is
>fun, no doubt about it, but those sideways overtakes tend to worry the
>overtakee a lot ;-)
>
>You really, really ought to try a decently set-up Cooper S, preferably with
>a fly-off handbrake. If I had one, and someday I _am_ going to have another,
>I'd say come on over, there's snow on the ground, try it.
Mike,
I think I'm having difficulty with diverse definitions, all of which are
correct for their own situations. I do understand and agree with
everything you said (except that by "balanced" I meant mainly weight
balanced... that would be an odd, and probably not very effective, fwd
car indeed).
I can definately relate to the fun and sport involved. I actually have
enjoyed this sort of thing from my days in the snowy places and I fully
appreciate it (only once in a Mini Cooper S ... I see your point that
they can be a ball in the right conditions).
My comments to Kieth, however, reflect what I took as his view of driving
in the snow (or rain, for that matter) as a safety hazard more than an
opportunity to go out and have fun. Making an argument for performance
driving in slippery conditions to someone who considers his +2 scary in
the rain may only have the effect of convincing him that I'm a maniac.
Whether or not this is actually true is, of course, immaterial. ;-)
>BTW, for those who don't know me, I'm mainly in the rwd camp. I bought an
>M100 Elan new, didn't like it, and sold it as promptly as I could.
To all:
As someone who appreciates good sports cars, understands performance
driving and has owned an M100 Mike has been a valuable source of insight
as I've attempted to understand the nature of the M100. Before talking
to him a couple of years ago, all the information available seemed to be
marketing hype so it was very helpful to finally get an informed,
unbiased opinion.
But watch him. Just when you think he's being serious..... ;-)
Rod Bean
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