Filed under: Convertibles, GM
Elfin MS8 gets green light from Aussie authorities
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After a year's worth of regulatory difficulty, Australia's Elfin Sports Car Company will finally start production on the stunning MS8 Streamliner. The Holden-styled roadster promises stunning performance, with its 325-hp 5.7L V8 reacting against only 2,315 lbs, but difficulty was encountered getting the vehicle through the Australia Design Rules (ADR) certification process. Particularly, the General Motors GenIII V8 was reluctant to perform within the prescribed noise limits, but a work-around was found that does not cause a reduction in rated output power.
Hanging from a tubular space frame, the suspension has all the adjustability one would expect from a racecar, and 13.5" front brakes with six-pot calipers (the rears are an inch smaller and shy two pistons) promise fade-free performance during lap sessions. Far from being a stripped-down track-only device, though, the ES8 provides features such as cruise control, traction control, and ABS, and the interior appears to be livable enough to make setting the idea of setting the cruise somewhat plausible.
As everyone should have guessed by now, we shouldn't expect such a vehicle to make it to the US. Those living Down Under can place an order with Elfin and expect to receive a vehicle in about three months, and with a price tag starting around $120K AUD (that's just shy of $90K USD).
More photos after the jump...[Sources: Carpoint Australia and Elfin]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ernie 4:09PM (7/05/2006)
The car looks fantastic. For $90,000 it's not really that bad considering it weighs so little. I would be this car could run a high 11 second quarter mile with that 325hp. The flip up doors make this car that much better.
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Carluver 5:17PM (7/05/2006)
nice. really nice. lets hope there isn't limited production. i think it looks like a softtop-if they made it a hardtop, that would be nicer.
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gary 5:56PM (7/05/2006)
Why not use GM's lightweight all aluminum 505-horsepower LS7 7.0-liter V8 engine? Or if needed just retune it by simply swapping the camshaft for 100 hp less or more horsepower.
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gkz 6:36PM (7/05/2006)
perhaps because 505 hp in a 2315 lb car would be unusable in any situation short of a closed, high speed test track. 325 is probably overkill as it is, 505 would be pointless and would only serve to jack up the price
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Chris 7:23PM (7/05/2006)
Plus the fact that this car is already around 2 or 3 years old so they just had the LS1. And from magazine tests I've read, it already oversteers more than an old 911 Turbo, so a 500hp engine would just be stupid.
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Felix 12:20AM (7/06/2006)
I realize these small car companies probably don't have the development budget, but I'm tired of these sculpted car bodies with holes cut out so headlights can be shoved in. boring.
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serpentor 1:59AM (7/06/2006)
oversteering is caused by suspension setup and weight distribution. horsepower has NOTHING to do with it. People mistakenly think power over steer is a handling fault, these are the same people that stick to front wheel drive cars because they are scared of big horsepower. Power oversteer is caused by the (bad) driver. You can never have too much power and too little weight. Even 505hp in a 2315lb car is average compared some street legal sport bikes I've ridden.
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Tim 2:17AM (7/06/2006)
Serpentor, that's just nuts. There certainly is a thing a too much horsepower. That's why F1 cars have traction control. A street car with that much power can easily overpower the rear tires, especially in the wet. Think 427 Cobra. Many of them end up wrapped around a tree or into the wall on a track. And that's with a good driver.
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gkz 11:45AM (7/06/2006)
#6 - the ONLY benefit for having that much more horsepower is top speed. in any other situation, the power will overwhelm the available grip. therefore, the lesser horsepower engine would be just as good in any real world situation. now, if you have access to monza or indianaplois then feel free to get the overkill engine. also, if you're such a good motorcycle rider that you can use wide open throttle in low gears with high-power sport bikes, why isn't your name atop the motogp rankings?
excessive power is nice for burnouts and showing off, but that's about the only use for it if the tires can't handle it.
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desertkarma 12:46PM (7/06/2006)
- I think it's kinda funny a motorbike example was used, because from riding a motorbike, I find a lot of UNDERsteer when i'm under hard throttle and still have traction.
- Horsepower can definitely affect it, but I think torque is more accurately the quality that gives you the ability to lose traction/burn tires.
Back to the car we're posting about... that looks pretty sweet, and i wonder if it its power-weight will make it pretty agile. Does anyone else think the headlight and tail configuration (plus some of the hood styling) look alot like the recent TVRs?
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