Take a Lotus Elise, tear off the roof and make it French. What you are left with is, essentially, the Renault Sport Spider.
Comprised of an aluminum chassis fitted with composite body panels, the Spider weighs in at a hair over 2000 pounds.
Power comes from a 1998cc inline-four rated at 148 horsepower, with a five-speed manual handling the gear …
Saw that down in Christiansburg a few months ago, also recognized the accord wagon that'll be sold too.
The Lane Motoring Museum has ones in its collection.
I have been driving something like that for 13 years. 2000 MR2 Spyder Hardtop with 2ZZ and 6 Speed from Celica GTS, weight about 2250Lbs. Great little ridge runner or canyon carver. The roof, roll up windows and air conditioning may make it a bit more practical than the Renault. I guess the Renault Spyder would be a little more exclusive though.
I remember when they were new. The Elise seemed to have the edge in dynamics according to contemporary tests/comparisons, but they're the same concept of minimalism. Both the original Elise and the Renault are 25 now so they can be imported.
This oddly looked ahead of its time. As mentioned, with the 25-year rule, it's now fair game to import into the U.S.
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