Feature: Driver's Notebook: Battle of Britain
October 1, 2006
The British motoring experience has always been defined by charismatic style and zealous handling capability. Part and parcel to the ownership experience, however, was the reputation for dubious build quality and spotty reliability.
Bucking the current trend of high-volume, high-horsepower hot rods, a car—the Lotus Sport Elise—and a motorcycle—the Triumph Daytona 675—can be considered ambassadors of a newly reinvented British sporting tradition. They are well constructed, aggressively tuned, and lithely balanced track toys that also happen to be street legal.
The Sport Elise is a variant of the pint-size roadster that so effectively embodies Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s mantra, "weight is the enemy." Tweaked by Lotus’ Sport division and limited to 50 units, the latest Elise maximizes its extruded aluminum chassis, enabling a level of responsiveness absent in supercars costing several times more.
Triumph’s Daytona 675 boasts a clean sheet design and a dry weight of only 363 pounds. Rather than incorporating a typical 4-cylinder powerplant, the Daytona features an inline 3-cylinder that contributes to the bike’s light weight and compact dimensions. From its aluminum frame to its well-integrated components, the Daytona represents a complete vision of how a middleweight bike can be optimized for speed. In keeping with the theme of exclusivity, Triumph will build only 4,000 Daytona 675s this year.
These machines represent the cutting edge of performance, but because spec sheets tell only half the story, we spent an afternoon at Road Atlanta’s 2.54-mile course exploring and contrasting their capabilities.
; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
On the track, and particularly at the challenging "esses" section, the Sport Elise feels firmer and more focused than the standard model. As with other Elise variations, a minimum of steering input produces dramatic changes in direction. However, the Sport version provides better feedback, and the suspension is more compliant during high-grip transitions. Öhlins dampers with threaded spring perches allow 60 rebound and 22 compression settings, and an adjustable front sway bar enables the Sport Elise to make itself at home on a variety of track configurations. (Click image to enlarge)
Though the Lotus is agile and communicative, the experience of driving at high speed is less physically demanding than covering the same ground on the Triumph. The biker’s boots, gloves, and armored leathers seem gladiatorial in comparison to a seat belt and helmet. A great deal of physical skill is required for maneuvering a sportbike. Not only does the ground rush past mere inches away, but the rider’s body becomes an integral part of the machinery, leaning and positioning itself to alter the riding dynamics. On the Daytona, this experience is more apparent than on most motorcycles, thanks to its lightweight, aggressive steering geometry and narrow body. Swing your hips off the small seat, and the bike responds immediately, translating your intentions directly to the pavement. More extreme input is rewarded with appropriately radical lean angles. The Daytona does not hesitate to drop as it banks into a turn, and its behavior is consistently predictable, progressive, and smooth.
While the Triumph’s aluminum underpinnings are similar in philosophy to those of the Lotus, its power-to-weight ratio is dramatically higher. Hyper-fast liter bikes may offer Formula One levels of acceleration, but the 675 cc Triumph Daytona trades outlandish speed for manageable power. Its 3-cylinder engine produces 123 hp at 12,500 rpm, and considering that the Triumph is more than five times lighter than the Lotus (and has only 67 less horsepower), the Daytona is the clear winner at the drag strip. During track laps, the Triumph’s triple offered significantly more flexibility than the Lotus’ inline-4; flick your wrist, and the engine responds with strong, low-end torque, revving easily across the power band while producing the triple’s signature exhaust roar. The Triumph’s power is prodigious and addictive, and its tremendous flexibility allows for fewer gearshifts from the slick, 6-speed transmission and easily modulated clutch.
advertisement
