Today's effort is essentially Part 2 of Doing the Assignment; the assignment was to suggest some fun-to-drive replacements for a VW Thing that lives in Los Gatos, California. We'll use the 5-star rating system defined in yesterday's posting to assess the escalating level of difficulty in restoring and owing these cars, and remind our readers that concepts like fun and beauty are highly subjective. Now let's have some fun…
*Lotus Elise Series 2 (2001-11)
Experts agree; this thing is fun to drive. Not a surprise, as it was designed for no other purpose; a lightweight, mid-engined tool for carving up switchbacks that offers only enough space for two smiling people and their weekend bags…your sheepdog and those sheets of plywood will need to go in the chase vehicle or stay at home. The Series 2 was imported to the States, while the earlier Rover-engined Series 1 (1996-2001) stayed in England and Europe, with about 150 cars built for the Asian market by Proton in Malaysia. The Toyota engine offers reliability as well as smooth power, and the chassis design formed a basis for the (much more expensive, even used) Tesla Roadster. This was the most popular Lotus in the American market, eclipsing the sales of the first Elan. I interviewed an owner in Boulder, CO who uses one as her daily driver, and it's her all-time favorite.
**BMW Z-1 (1988-91)
The plastic-bodied Z-1 roadster was designed with high structural side sills for rigidity and impact protection; this led to the trademark doors which drop into the sills. The windows automatically roll down when the doors are lowered, and the car can be driven with the doors open, but not legally in the US. Never imported to the US when new, it's now legal to bring one in owing to the 25 year DOT limit. The smooth 168 hp ohc inline 6, five- speed gearbox and front suspension are stock E30 series 325, while the multilink rear and flush belly pan were novelties. Owing to the 45,000 Euro price tag and the subsequent arrival of cars like the Miata, sales were not as high as anticipated and only 8,000 were built. Wonderfully comfortable seats, and all kinds of potential for performance upgrades...
***Alpine Renault A310 (1971-85)
Jean Redele's Alpine A110 became a collector's trophy by winning the Monte Carlo Rally and the World Rally Championship. The more practical & spacious A310 has only recently generated some interest from collectors, and is an easier car to enjoy on a daily basis; claustrophobic rear seats are even provided for (smallish, let's hope) children. The original 1600cc pushrod hemi 4 (127 hp) sat at the rear of a backbone chassis clothed with a fiberglass body fronted by an impressive full-width array of flame-throwing rally lights. Late in 1976 came the 2.7 liter V-6 with 150 hp, and top speed went up from 131 to 137 but the car lost the full-width lighting. People who like the adrenaline rush provided by the background threat of animal oversteer (in other words, people who like Porsche 911s) will enjoy driving this car.
**Lotus Elan +2 (1969-75)
If you think of the backbone chassis of the Alpine Renault turned around with the engine at the front and a driveshaft going through it to the rear, you've got the concept of the Lotus Elan, possibly the best car Lotus made prior to the current run of Toyota-engined GTs. The lightweight, rigid chassis and 1600cc Ford engine block with Cosworth-designed twin-cam head made for a car that is still in my Pantheon of best-ever drives. And I'd recommend the Plus 2 because the extra 12 inches of wheelbase makes for real room inside for the front occupants, as well as the slender, elegant proportions you see below. Another advantage is that prices on the Plus 2 are not up with the 2 seater Elans, and that to compensate for the weight penalty of the longer body, a 130 hp Big Valve engine was made available in 1971. UK and European markets got the final offering, the Plus 2S / 130-5 with a five-speed gearbox, and that, along with a galvanized replacement chassis if needed, could be the best combo.
***Lancia 2000 HF Pininfarina (1969-75)
The front-drive Fulvia V4, especially in HF or Zagato form, has attracted lots of interest from auctioneers lately, but the bigger, torquey flat-four Flavias and the later offshoots, the Pininfarina 2000 coupes, would be more relaxing to enjoy on a long trip. Vignale built some Flavia convertibles and PF some Flavia coupes earlier in the series, but the object of my attention is the PF 2000 coupe which was built from 1969 on. The elegant, glassy shape enclosed a well-outfitted interior with reasonable room for 4, and the Bosch fuel- injected HF made about 125 hp, and good use of the 5 speeds and 4 disc brakes.
*Alfa-Romeo Series 105 (1962-75 for the series)
The 105 Series takes in a bevy of different-appearing cars which are all fun to drive. My favorites are the Duetto (1966-70) which Dustin Hoffman drove in The Graduate, and the Zagato-bodied Junior Z pictured below (1970-75). The series also included a run of square-rigged but very engaging sedans with the classic aluminum twin-cam 4 in displacements of 1300, 1600, 1750, and 2000cc. There was also the delightfully balanced (dynamically and visually) Giugiaro-penned GTV built by Bertone and offered in the US thru 1974. But the ones I sampled were the Duetto 1750 and a 1600 Junior Z*, and they were both so responsive it felt like they were alive. A simple chassis design with a well-located live rear axle, 4 disc brakes and 5-speed transmission made good use of the eager engine. The Junior Z was never officially imported, and the other Alfas were non-imports in 1968 and 1970 while the factory sorted out emissions, but now you could import any European market car from that period. And any of these Alfas would be fun to run...
*Footnote: The Junior Zagato was made in 1300 and later in 1600 versions, and the latter is rarer, with 402 built from late 1972 through 1973. Alfa was still selling new ones as late as 1975, so that's the date we chose. The 1300 Junior Z was considered a Series 105, while the 1600 version with 4 inch longer tail was a Series 115.
Photo Credits:
Lotus Elise: Wikimedia
BMW Z-1: carbase.com
Alpine Renault A-310: youtube.com
Lotus Elan +2S: Lotus Cars
Lancia 2000 HF: movitcars.com
Alfa-Romeo Junior Z: Wikimedia
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