Motorheads

[karl]

Change the body and change CD a and lose mileage, there is enough stuff on the market that is all about the look. For me the Elio is all about how it works.

 

[Craig]

Since we're dreaming. How 'bout the new 3 cylinder MINI Cooper engine. 1.5 Liter, 134 HP, 170 lb ft of torque at a mere 1250 rpm, turbocharged, and direct injection. Already used for a front wheel drive vehicle. Probably fit right in.

Will put this on the list.

 

[Craig]

Should probably bring along the transmission from the MINI as well. I'm thinking that tripling the torque may have dire consequences for the standard tranny.

Will put that on the list.

 

[mike171]

Power-to-Weight Ratio: 263 hp / 1,115 lbs = .235
0-60 mph: 2.88 seconds
Top Speed: 150 mph

What the F12 achieves through sheer power, the Caterham R500 does even better with just one thing — weight, or rather the lack thereof. Essentially an updated version of Colin Chapman’s Lotus Seven and the embodiment of his saying, “Adding power makes you faster on the straights. Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere,” the Superlight R500 comes with a relatively microscopic 2.0-liter Ford Duratec four cylinder that provides just 263 hp at 8,500 rpm and 177 lb-ft of torque at 7,200 rpm. This high-revving little hornet will ricochet through corners so fast your passenger will be scared sh*tless and your face will be permanently welded into a bug-splattered grin.

I put this here because it is about the same weight as an Elio and is representative of how little horsepower it would take to make the Elio a fast car.

 

[Craig]

Power-to-Weight Ratio: 263 hp / 1,115 lbs = .235
0-60 mph: 2.88 seconds
Top Speed: 150 mph

What the F12 achieves through sheer power, the Caterham R500 does even better with just one thing — weight, or rather the lack thereof. Essentially an updated version of Colin Chapman’s Lotus Seven and the embodiment of his saying, “Adding power makes you faster on the straights. Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere,” the Superlight R500 comes with a relatively microscopic 2.0-liter Ford Duratec four cylinder that provides just 263 hp at 8,500 rpm and 177 lb-ft of torque at 7,200 rpm. This high-revving little hornet will ricochet through corners so fast your passenger will be scared sh*tless and your face will be permanently welded into a bug-splattered grin.

I put this here because it is about the same weight as an Elio and is representative of how little horsepower it would take to make the Elio a fast car.

Sounds cool, however, I don't want to end up like Steve Austin if you know what I mean. How much torque and speed do you think the car could handle without having to beef it up, or it desintegrates in mid flite?

I’ve had that grin before. I was skiing in the alps in Germany, going down hill so fast, I looked over and this skeleton in a black robe was skiing right a long side and he had a big grin to.

 

[mike171]

I've gone 150mph in a car and my dragbike does 140mph in the 1/4 mile so I guess it's safe to say I'm a speed junkie. Without knowing the full chassis specs on the Elio I can only speculate as to how much power it could handle. FWIW, with about 125 HP, the Elio would have comparable performance to a Mustang GT. Someone is surely going to turbocharge the AIV motor to get more power. 125HP will likely be attainable and probably the streetable limit for the AIV. At this point a brake and suspension upgrade would be mandatory to handle the increase in power. With the Elio being classified as a motorcycle there will be more freedom to modify the engine than with a normal car since motorcycles are not subject to the same emissions laws as cars. Building a hot rod Elio is not going to be for everyone. Anyone building a hot rod knows full well that it is at the sacrifice of economy. I do expect to see a few pretty wild ones before too long.

 

[Craig]

I've gone 150mph in a car and my dragbike does 140mph in the 1/4 mile so I guess it's safe to say I'm a speed junkie. Without knowing the full chassis specs on the Elio I can only speculate as to how much power it could handle. FWIW, with about 125 HP, the Elio would have comparable performance to a Mustang GT. Someone is surely going to turbocharge the AIV motor to get more power. 125HP will likely be attainable and probably the streetable limit for the AIV. At this point a brake and suspension upgrade would be mandatory to handle the increase in power. With the Elio being classified as a motorcycle there will be more freedom to modify the engine than with a normal car since motorcycles are not subject to the same emissions laws as cars. Building a hot rod Elio is not going to be for everyone. Anyone building a hot rod knows full well that it is at the sacrifice of economy. I do expect to see a few pretty wild ones before too long.

Damn the MPGs, full speed ahead.
I use to drag race in the mid-late 70s. Nova with a 1970 Lt1 350ci/420 hp

 

[mike171]

Damn the MPGs, full speed ahead.
I use to drag race in the mid-late 70s. Nova with a 1970 Lt1 350ci/420 hp

Nice, my bike gets about 1 MPG at full steam but what a ride!

 

[Kuda]

I agree very cool: http://motusmotorcycles.com/motus_dealer/
To listen to it paste link into Google Chrome and go to 'how does it sound'.....

 

[ST13Fred]

My age is showing with my response, but........increasing the power in anything comes with a price; reliability, cost (there goes the budget),
resale value (from stock), MPG (the heart of what Elio is about) and resale (a clean running bone stock will sell much easier than a modified vehicle).

I'm naming my Elio, E-Rod, so the name alone has modification connotations........so have at it, boys and girls.