If I had it my way... with a 13B Turbo II rotary engine powering it.

It would be dangerous, utterly torque-free and ridiculously ugly and fun.

The Europa is an ugly thing, but it's ugly in an endearing way, which is what will prompt you to waste money on it time and again. It's endearing in the same way as a Volvo 240, but unlike the 240 which will be as loyal to you as a golden retriever (and play every part the family pet), the Europa will be that puppy that incessantly shits on the fucking carpet, no matter how many times you teach him otherwise. But you love the little bastard anyways.

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But the Europa is the real monster here. It doesn't run but "have all the body parts"--explain again how that makes it run? Or is that supposed to distract me from the rest of the horror? I see those body parts, mister, they're pinned and tacked and glued onto it.

The Renault engine probably blew many ks of miles ago. Who knows what's in there. And does it really matter? Because the effer ain't running.

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That being said, who the hell did they hire to design the ass end of their cars in the late 60's and early 70's?

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Lotus Elise / Exige: Toyota ZZ engine

Lotus Evora: Toyota 2GR-FE

I can't speak for Ssangyong, but Sony (outside of their product lines designed for professional markets) isn't known so much for their quality and reliability anymore (outside of the PS3 being more reliable than the XBox 360, but that speaks more of the 360's legendarily [in the true sense of the word] high failure rate).

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They could be the best-driving cars on the planet, but that doesn't change the fact that one's a Triumph TR7 with the rear half of an AMC Gremlin grafted on, and the other is the unholy demon child of a Porsche 912 and an El Camino. This poll needs a "neither" option.

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I'll tell you what, the Elite really does look Gremlinish, with a touch of GTV6. But it's also a lot less of a pain in the ass. Rust? Not much. Engine/transmission worries? Not many. It'd be difficult, for sure, but it'd be possible.

You need a Europa. Styling of a Baja rally truck? Check! Questionable status - and existence - of horrible, awful drivetrain? Check! Fiberglass somehow rusting? Ch- what the fuck?!

Europa for the hell factor. Definitely.

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I can't speak for everyone, but I certainly do. Unfortunately, neither the Europa, nor the Elite are high on my list. As a matter of fact, the only Lotus that I want is an Esprit. Any year will do, but I'd prefer 1988-1995 (post facelift, pre-OBDII)

Sure, like any good jalop, I would love to have a se7en, but I'm unwilling to pay the premium for a true Lotus. It is one of very few cars that I can forgive for being a copy.

I guess if I were to choose between the two presented here, I'd have to go with the Europa. It's more endearing in its funny appearance than the Elite.

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