three cars: lotus 2-eleven. honda crz. hybridtech rush

even though i don't drive, i am still fascinated by cars. their design is what interests me more than their performance but there is something alluring about a well-designed car that also has high-performance stats.

so here are three cars i've seen recently. not entirely unconnected in some respects - they are all on the smaller side of automobiles. cutting edge design is another commonality. beyond that, this is a classic case of apples and oranges and mangoes. which one would i pick?

i’ll organize the threesome by fuels - starting with the gasoline-consuming lotus 2-eleven. not at all appropriate for street use, the 2-eleven hearkens back to a time not that long ago when lotus made cars that were stripped down barebone pocket rockets. an absolutely barebones interior tells more than half of the story.
here's the other half . . .

supplied with a 1.8-liter supercharged toyota engine with variable valve timing, the 2-eleven’s motor is good for 252 horsepower and a zero-to-60 time of 3.8 seconds. that makes it quicker than a porsche 911 gt3 rs and a tiny bit slower than a ferrari f430. the 2-eleven clocks a respectable 12 seconds through the quarter mile, topping out with a speed of 150 mph.

want to know more and see more . . . here’s the place to visit.

next up is the honda crz concept. okay sure, it’s a concept so some of what you’ll see and read is conjectural showroom glitz at best. but, the design and the thinking are what you should focus on first. here’s what honda boss takeo fukui says about the proposed crx replacement:
“the cr-z is a model that symbolizes honda’s hybrid technology,the cr-z features a dynamic yet sharp exterior design that makes people want to get in and drive.“

beyond that it’s a gasoline-electric hybrid which makes it a nice piece of honda’s plan to introduce a ‘global hybrid’ family car by 2009.

next on my list is an interesting company named hybrid tech. hybrid tech retrofit vehicles to accept lithium batteries. these vehicles range from mopeds, to choppers, to cars, and hybrid tech. even outfits houses! i’m going to focus on one vehicle that hybrid manufactures named the “rush”.

with speeds up to 193 km/h, 0-60 (mph) times of 5.9 seconds and a range of 160+km, the rush is carving a niche for itself in the stylish sports car end of hybrid technology. popular mechanics has a turn with one of these cars right here . . .


hmmmm it’s hard to choose from these three so i think that in the spirit of crass consumerism . . . . i’m gonna hope for them all to be parked on my driveway when i win the lottery!!!