I do not blame them for wanting to build their own engines. How many niche builders died when their supplier dried up? Look at what happened to the Tiger when Chrysler decided that no more ford engines would go into that car... or what about Lotus and their ever changing roster of engines.
At least if they can build their own engines (either their own design or under license) they have complete control over how many they get and the ability to get more in the future
1g Insights with ~63 hp hit 112mph, but i actually suspect they have BETTER aero than the Elio, and i dont think the weight difference is consequential in top speed.
I actually think they will need a little more than 50hp to make it drive non-crappily. The Insight, remember, had 100lb ft of torque to go with its 60-something hp and even so, couldn't spin stock 165s that were probably even shorter than Elio tires, and it had a 0-60 of like 11 seconds. Dog E36 M3 by modern standards.
In reply to Vigo: as far as aero, the bulk of the elio is only 1/2 as wide as a normal car, utilizes a cam back body, and the front wheel pods are enclosed.
Well, i guess we will find out when the Elio, having similar overall power and half the frontal area, is able to go well past 112 mph, eh?
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