@@benniekerkhof Hey Bennie, excellent build! I know many K20s in the S1 but yours is a piece of art. I‘ve actually got some questions and would like to exchange some info. How can I contact you? :o)
I‘m owning a K20 swapped Elise S2 and totally love it as well. 800kg plus 230 NA hp with noises you‘ll never gonna experience in any modern car 😍 amazing car you tested there!
Just bought an s1 elise yesterday with a k20a in it. Drove it back from Newquay to the north east of England it was 466 miles and nearly 8 hours. Absolutely love it. What a car and engine combo love it.
Awesome build - that noise is like a sports bike... Then just picks up and goes. Big respect for the builder doing most of it by himself. Love it! Oh, and thanks for slowing down for the dogs Martin!
What really surprised me was that those headlight covers make the car like 20 years younger than it really is. Crazy how they change the overall appearance so much.,
This is what a true car is, a proper driver's machine. What a joy it is just watching you drive it. What a perfect combination of lightness, power and all around driving experience. If I get a choice to drive this or some supercar, I'd choose this anyday. You really don't need a whole lot of horsepower to have fun. Just this much in a package like this is enough, and you'll come out of that thing after your drive with a big smile on your face. To the owner, Bennie, sir you did an amazing job, I salute you 👏👍
Awesome to see. His Del Sol was insane, with the engine in the back and all, but this is next level of the HONDA powered insanity he creates. Great job, Bennie !!! You're insane.
I love everything about this car! The small interiors, the huge door sill, each single vibration, the sound, the gearbox... And also no electronics, low weight This car is amazing and special!
How great is it to be told your small little rocket machine of a car is in the top 10 driving experience list of someone who has driven 1000+ cars and many of them completely insane supercars. Just shows that the fun factor and driving experience does not have to cost millions of euros 🤩🤩🤩
25 years old! Unbelievable. It looks and sounds better than when it was new and better than all but a very few new cars today. It will always be a sexy little thing. Well done!
Love it 😁 that reminds me of my partner complaining about the intake in my MR2 🤣🤣. In 2020 we did 7000km and she hated to do motorways, I didn't bother much was an amazing time. Benny if you're seeing this. Props for your built. The sound is so good, you're making me want to have an engine swap like yours 🙈
@@benniekerkhof loud exhausts save lives ^^, I had a few close calls that if the exhaust was silent I would've probably not have my car anymore. I wouldnt call mine abnoctious to the point I hate it.. petrolheads ^^,
Interich Ruivo maybe if you had let your partner learn how to drive said car I bet she would love it.Its such an underrated sports car I don't even know where to start
Fun doesn’t mean fast! It’s about the chassis and driving experience and the involvement! Great car and review Martin. Deep respect for the built, I bet it’s amazing drive!
Thanks, this is a great video, 👍. The original K-series engine was the weak point of these cars. The K20A and the Elise are a match made in heaven and this is a nice car. I've rebuilt a K20 before and they are like a rolex watch rather than the rover k series attempt at an engine which is more like a timex watch. I'm so glad to see it's N/A, these motors don't need turbocharged.
In love again.. I used to have '97 Norfolk mustard yellow Blink Motorsport converted Elise mk1 with the JDM K20A with 6 speed close ratio box and Janspeed exhaust.. The Honda Gearbox was night and day better.. I should never have sold it, it hurts me to this day!... one of the best sounding cars irrespective of how many cylinders you have..
Super cool car! My father had a few s2 111r’s when i was living at home with my parents some time ago. His last one had a supercharger built onto it, that was crazy fast. Can’t imagine what roughly the same power in a s1 must feel like! Must be wicked..
This proves yet again that you don't need massive power to have great fun in a car. 250 hp is still a lot if you think about it, even in times where stock cars have easily over 600 hp. (Especially in such a lightweight car.) Speaking of lightweight - i sure hope you get to drive the Ariel Atom 4 soon. You already seemed to love the 3.5 so i'd really like to experience your reaction to the new one. Great video as always, keep it up!
@@Saif0412 you got a point about the weight. 250 HP in a >1800 kg car isn't a lot - still, it's able to drive with this amount of power. On the other hand, my car has around 270 HP / 320 NM at about 1470 kilos and that's plenty to have a lot of fun.
@@coolguy_2997 oh yes indeed. And now imagine the 320 HP at 595 kg (curb weight) on the Atom 4 which equals about 537 hp / tonne. A 2005 Bugatti Veyron has 530 hp / tonne so one can imagine how crazy this thing must be. Can't wait to see his review if he gets the chance to drive it.
The Elises are like a proper racing car experience on the road. The light weight makes them super responsive. Look how quickly they respond to to throttle inputs with no wheelspin or anything. The old ones are scary to drive fast though. No driver aids, no airbags etc, have to be really careful when cornering fast as you cannot lift off.
I've seen one of these (with the same swap) crash right in front of my father and myself years ago, at the Linas-Montlhery Autodrome. Fiberglass everywhere, the driver was safe thankfully. They got close to hit us but didn't damage the Exige S1 we were sitting in
ahhhh, the Elise. I had two of these; a standard mark 1 and a mark 2 with a set of fast road cams in it and a remap. Best car i've driven for that driving experience, although they leak like hell in the rain and are as practical as a something not very practical.
I Love it! It only desperately needs a 6th gear though, it's go at least 270, it has enough power, just not enough gears/ratio to reach its true topspeed
Pretty sure this car has the NPQ3 Honda gearbox, not the original Rover one. So you also could have used the 6th gear ;). The problem here isn't the gearbox, it's the gear linkage. I think Benny used the whole swap-kit from STARK Automotive. There are some better linkage-kits, for example from HPE. Wheel size should also be 15" in the front an 16" in the rear. Later S2 models use 16" in front and 17" rear. Awesome car!!
@@joe125ful Mehh. More power isn't always better. 500/600 hp on 800kg would be way too much. Loads of wheelspin and not easy to drive fast on a track. Maybe as a drag car, yes. In my opinion it needs to have emotion. And these VTEC engines do someting for the total package. Atmospheric high revs.. Feels like a racecar..
@@TheVeenmeister Too much? Realize cars like Caterham have 612 HP/T as stock road car. And probablly N/A engine fits better for those light cars but you know why not go for owerkill:)
@@joe125ful haha yes.. Depending on the goal, you can have too much power. I drive a Panda 100HP myself. It can handle more power then the 100hp, so people swap a T-Jet in it. In Italy they have one with over 300hp in it, on the front wheels. So if you have a circuit, or a nice bendy road, you get loads of understeer and wheelspin in corners if the turbo kicks in. Tough understeer is quite easy to compensate. Think around 220hp is the way to go at max. And that on about 1000kg. So for road use and a bit of fun that is enough. And keeps it reliable as well. Tough mide engined cars like this Lotus, the Opel Speedster, or Toyota MR2 might be such a handful to drive with much power and big torque. The car can react so much more twitchy. And with those cars it is pretty hard to compensate. Like the older 911 turbo's(RUF YellowBird) were called "death coffins". They were even worse then the MR cars. Caterham is a different story. Like the Ariel Atom, or Donkevoort D8-GTO. It is a real RWD front engined car. So balance is different. They are more predictable to handle if setup the right way. Long story.. but it explains the best what I mean.
If the worst thing about it is a vague shifter , then it'd be pretty easy to either buy or make a gate for it . You don't need to buy a car that comes with a gated shifter . If you have a drill and some files you could make your own .
This is my car! Thanks for all the nice compliments I read in the comment area :)
Thanks for trusting us with your baby! ✌️
nice work mate
gj
Bro seriously it's a master piece thanks for letting us see it , this video made my day.
Even though I'm in the states. Wanna trade for my corolla hatchback?😂
The sound of the k20 is epic
This is how fun is supposed to be when you are driving a real sports cars 👍
Real sport car?
I rather choose BMW but lotus is good too.
@@joe125ful BMW often too big and too porky for a sport car
@@tobycyril780 Depend what model you buy..M3 CSL or 4.0 V8 are good or older M3 models.
But if you want real sport car try Caterham:)
@@joe125ful yes i agree
@@joe125ful you can’t compare whatever bmw with this 770kg curb weight lotus, the feeling in handling is way too different.
This is a good engine swap done by the owner. This engine sounds better than the stock engine in my personal opinion.
Can't pass up on a K swap.
Power per litre and it's power curve is awesome for its size.
Well engineered
For sure
Now it's fast AND reliable
Thank you!
@@benniekerkhof Hey Bennie, excellent build! I know many K20s in the S1 but yours is a piece of art. I‘ve actually got some questions and would like to exchange some info. How can I contact you? :o)
I‘m owning a K20 swapped Elise S2 and totally love it as well. 800kg plus 230 NA hp with noises you‘ll never gonna experience in any modern car 😍 amazing car you tested there!
Do you have Honda transmission or the Lotus one?
@@Chandroth i am running the Honda transmission.
Just bought an s1 elise yesterday with a k20a in it. Drove it back from Newquay to the north east of England it was 466 miles and nearly 8 hours. Absolutely love it. What a car and engine combo love it.
No words ... I love it 🥰
Thats 5
@@BobbyDazzler888 lmao
So why you write words?:)
Awesome build - that noise is like a sports bike... Then just picks up and goes. Big respect for the builder doing most of it by himself. Love it!
Oh, and thanks for slowing down for the dogs Martin!
Yeah it's amazing how much more revvy this famously eager engine is with so little weight to move around
Amazing swap, Bennie! Just so clean and nicely build in. Stunning car!
Very agreed he done great work.
This is best car review I have watched in years and it’s over a year old!!! Well done sir
What really surprised me was that those headlight covers make the car like 20 years younger than it really is. Crazy how they change the overall appearance so much.,
Holy shit, what an awesome build!
That induction sound is straight from hell!
from hell? its positively heavenly!
@@opvask Yeh from hell,something like mounting very loud supercharger on LS engine:)
The vtec kicking in never gets old
That induction noise when hits vtec is beautiful
That VTEC kicks like a monster
This is what a true car is, a proper driver's machine. What a joy it is just watching you drive it. What a perfect combination of lightness, power and all around driving experience. If I get a choice to drive this or some supercar, I'd choose this anyday.
You really don't need a whole lot of horsepower to have fun. Just this much in a package like this is enough, and you'll come out of that thing after your drive with a big smile on your face. To the owner, Bennie, sir you did an amazing job, I salute you 👏👍
Probably one of my favorite lotus builds/car builds ive ever seen
Awesome to see. His Del Sol was insane, with the engine in the back and all, but this is next level of the HONDA powered insanity he creates. Great job, Bennie !!! You're insane.
I love everything about this car!
The small interiors, the huge door sill, each single vibration, the sound, the gearbox...
And also no electronics, low weight
This car is amazing and special!
so close to 3 million subs , i want to say congrats. watching the chanel since years. amazing how much output and great videos came since then
How great is it to be told your small little rocket machine of a car is in the top 10 driving experience list of someone who has driven 1000+ cars and many of them completely insane supercars. Just shows that the fun factor and driving experience does not have to cost millions of euros 🤩🤩🤩
25 years old! Unbelievable. It looks and sounds better than when it was new and better than all but a very few new cars today. It will always be a sexy little thing. Well done!
Love it 😁 that reminds me of my partner complaining about the intake in my MR2 🤣🤣. In 2020 we did 7000km and she hated to do motorways, I didn't bother much was an amazing time. Benny if you're seeing this. Props for your built. The sound is so good, you're making me want to have an engine swap like yours 🙈
Thank you! Haha yes it's extremely loud! But atleast it's a nice sound 😍
@@benniekerkhof loud exhausts save lives ^^, I had a few close calls that if the exhaust was silent I would've probably not have my car anymore. I wouldnt call mine abnoctious to the point I hate it.. petrolheads ^^,
Interich Ruivo maybe if you had let your partner learn how to drive said car I bet she would love it.Its such an underrated sports car I don't even know where to start
@@darylvanderford4307 she is afraid of driving, feels uncomfortable to be a passager and is too low for her. 🤣🤣
The best engine match for a Lotus and should've been used from the factory
I can't even imagine how much fun a lotus tweeked k20 would be 👀🔥
Oh really?You want give that engine to Lotus?:):)
@Man in Dandism how does 1997-2001 = 6yr? 😂k20 was introduced 2001
I am a Honda fan so I am in love now..❤️ Best 4cylinder sound when it naturally aspirated and when it get a supercharger😁
I couldn’t get enough of a car like this....
That VTEC at 8:45 was awesome. I don't really look into JDM cats but this is probably my favourite! 👍💯
This has blown me away more than most other much more expensive cars
5:26 this has to be the hardest vtec hit ive ever heard
The timeless Elise with an gem of an engine! 😍😍😍
That's the proper engine for this car. Benny please keep it NA. That power in a light weight car is perfect. Nice job you did!
K20A/B16/F20 are the best 4 cylinders. Real race engines.
Elise K20 + compressor is totally insane
My kind of swap...those Honda engines are AMAZING! 😍😍😍
Fun doesn’t mean fast! It’s about the chassis and driving experience and the involvement! Great car and review Martin. Deep respect for the built, I bet it’s amazing drive!
Road 2 three million🔥
when i first saw the opel speedster and this i thought eew. now i absolutely love both cars thanks to you!
I am experiencing 2nd hand joy. I am smiling watching you enjoying that absolute masterpiece
Thanks, this is a great video, 👍. The original K-series engine was the weak point of these cars. The K20A and the Elise are a match made in heaven and this is a nice car. I've rebuilt a K20 before and they are like a rolex watch rather than the rover k series attempt at an engine which is more like a timex watch. I'm so glad to see it's N/A, these motors don't need turbocharged.
I can actually feel how fun this car is to drive out of my screen, ohh goddd ❤️❤️❤️
Then we did a good job 😅
@@AutoTopnl Absolutely, thanks for the amazing content! And also kudos to Bennie 😍😍😍😍 What a car...
Crazy little machine!
I like that you respect animals 👍
In love again.. I used to have '97 Norfolk mustard yellow Blink Motorsport converted Elise mk1 with the JDM K20A with 6 speed close ratio box and Janspeed exhaust.. The Honda Gearbox was night and day better.. I should never have sold it, it hurts me to this day!... one of the best sounding cars irrespective of how many cylinders you have..
My 340R was one of the Blink development cars for the engine swap after the VHPD was foobar.
one of the best cars on this channel yet!
I like the fact that you're not only doing commercial monsters but also domestic builds
Since a kid I loved this car. Amazing!
Awesome cars (obviously). I had to make mine quieter with a Carbon airbox as it was legitimately hurting my ears on track even with a helmet 😂
Super cool car! My father had a few s2 111r’s when i was living at home with my parents some time ago. His last one had a supercharger built onto it, that was crazy fast. Can’t imagine what roughly the same power in a s1 must feel like! Must be wicked..
That engine bay is pure gold!
This proves yet again that you don't need massive power to have great fun in a car. 250 hp is still a lot if you think about it, even in times where stock cars have easily over 600 hp. (Especially in such a lightweight car.)
Speaking of lightweight - i sure hope you get to drive the Ariel Atom 4 soon. You already seemed to love the 3.5 so i'd really like to experience your reaction to the new one.
Great video as always, keep it up!
250hp in a lightweight car like the else is, in a normal saloon which weighs twice or more, it's barely enough.
@@Saif0412 you got a point about the weight. 250 HP in a >1800 kg car isn't a lot - still, it's able to drive with this amount of power.
On the other hand, my car has around 270 HP / 320 NM at about 1470 kilos and that's plenty to have a lot of fun.
This Elise’ curb weight is 770kg, so a power to weight ratio here is about 326hp per tonne which is quite a lot
@@coolguy_2997 oh yes indeed. And now imagine the 320 HP at 595 kg (curb weight) on the Atom 4 which equals about 537 hp / tonne. A 2005 Bugatti Veyron has 530 hp / tonne so one can imagine how crazy this thing must be.
Can't wait to see his review if he gets the chance to drive it.
That is SWEET! Superior lightness of first gen Elise, plus some of the best of Honda I4 power?
Noice!!!!!
Love me some K-swap content!! Please keep it coming! Lovely sound😍
i really really want one, ever since the Elise was out this was the dream idea to do , and he did it amazing
Man this is what I have always thought about doing if I ever got a Series I Elise. Thank you AutoTopNL for this and all your other videos!
Thank you! ❤️
The Elises are like a proper racing car experience on the road. The light weight makes them super responsive. Look how quickly they respond to to throttle inputs with no wheelspin or anything. The old ones are scary to drive fast though. No driver aids, no airbags etc, have to be really careful when cornering fast as you cannot lift off.
AutoTopNL is so close to reach 3Million Subscribers 👍
I really really love your pov reviews
I've seen one of these (with the same swap) crash right in front of my father and myself years ago, at the Linas-Montlhery Autodrome. Fiberglass everywhere, the driver was safe thankfully. They got close to hit us but didn't damage the Exige S1 we were sitting in
ahhhh, the Elise. I had two of these; a standard mark 1 and a mark 2 with a set of fast road cams in it and a remap. Best car i've driven for that driving experience, although they leak like hell in the rain and are as practical as a something not very practical.
Lotus made my S1 not leak 😊
Honda and Lotus, a match made in car heaven.
Love the VTEC Crossover, reminds me of the FN2 i had....
sounds like an kaburator intake, loving it, sounds like a true beater :)
The Elise is such a timeless design. You said 1997 and about spit my drink because that looks brand fuckin new
wow! I have now an Elise S2 111R with the Toyota 2ZZ-GE and 200 bhp. Its thrilling, but this one looks like...WOW. must be a bullet!
That sound is insane
Omg that a pure machine !!!! Holy moly !! Not the most powerful but how lovely it is, that engine screams out of hell !!
I Love it! It only desperately needs a 6th gear though, it's go at least 270, it has enough power, just not enough gears/ratio to reach its true topspeed
You are correct. We tried this out with a drag race at Elvington airfield. I really should dig out the video footage & upload it.
7:11 oof that was close
It's the ultimate nice weather Sunday drive car..
This car looks MEGA FUN!
I like your description very much and I hope that the specifications of the car appear on the screen as we are used to, your brother from Egypt.
That V-TEC realy kicks in
What an amazing sound Love it 🔥🔥
Wow ... This car is spectacular ... I'd love to drive it around or better yet own it
Love the constant yelling in the cabin XD
1997? Why does it look so ageless? Especially the outside, just wow. The design cues are still quite relevant...
Love the enthusiasm Max
Great job 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
It's Martin this time ;-)
@@200sx16v Sorry
Thought I said Martin 👍🏻
Awesome review as always! Does the S2 have a better gearbox?
This car feels like 50% faster than it should be, awesome!
Looks and amazing driving experience that sound man get just gets my hairs up beautiful
K is the right fitment for the Elise - they're a perfect match.
That's a beautiful K swap. I love hearing that engine rev out.
Though I imagine it might make your ears bleed after a while.
What an aircraft🤣 unbelievable. Great job man. I would love it.
love your video's your excitement shines through ,keep it up son😜
Video of a run with top off please!
And top removal too :)
Loved this video!
Lotus are so sick! I imagine the engine swap was almost a must because I know they lack a little in the performance area.
Pretty sure this car has the NPQ3 Honda gearbox, not the original Rover one. So you also could have used the 6th gear ;). The problem here isn't the gearbox, it's the gear linkage. I think Benny used the whole swap-kit from STARK Automotive. There are some better linkage-kits, for example from HPE.
Wheel size should also be 15" in the front an 16" in the rear. Later S2 models use 16" in front and 17" rear.
Awesome car!!
this is literally how vtec should sound. Just heavenly.
K series
Elise chassis
No driver assistance
Damn!!!!!
Perfect
that vtec sound is mad
Great reactions in this video I have to say!!
JDM is just K20A 🇯🇵
Benny build a masterpiece just like his del sol RWD turbo 💯
Now i will be thinking about this car for weeks...
the window flex on the side view mirror though lmfao
Wow. That VTEC crossover sound thooo....
Bloody Hell I loved it!!
Good I wish it had been me driving it...more then likely I'd poo myself but what a way to go! Many thanks for the demo.
K-Swap the world! Love these Lotusses swapped with the K20A. HondaExige is another one that is so amazing!
Nope,there is - better - engine options,realize some crazy guy swap to lotus EVO engine with 500-600Hp:)
@@joe125ful Mehh. More power isn't always better. 500/600 hp on 800kg would be way too much. Loads of wheelspin and not easy to drive fast on a track. Maybe as a drag car, yes. In my opinion it needs to have emotion. And these VTEC engines do someting for the total package. Atmospheric high revs.. Feels like a racecar..
@@TheVeenmeister Too much?
Realize cars like Caterham have 612 HP/T as stock road car.
And probablly N/A engine fits better for those light cars but you know why not go for owerkill:)
@@joe125ful haha yes.. Depending on the goal, you can have too much power. I drive a Panda 100HP myself. It can handle more power then the 100hp, so people swap a T-Jet in it. In Italy they have one with over 300hp in it, on the front wheels. So if you have a circuit, or a nice bendy road, you get loads of understeer and wheelspin in corners if the turbo kicks in. Tough understeer is quite easy to compensate. Think around 220hp is the way to go at max. And that on about 1000kg. So for road use and a bit of fun that is enough. And keeps it reliable as well.
Tough mide engined cars like this Lotus, the Opel Speedster, or Toyota MR2 might be such a handful to drive with much power and big torque. The car can react so much more twitchy. And with those cars it is pretty hard to compensate. Like the older 911 turbo's(RUF YellowBird) were called "death coffins". They were even worse then the MR cars. Caterham is a different story. Like the Ariel Atom, or Donkevoort D8-GTO. It is a real RWD front engined car. So balance is different. They are more predictable to handle if setup the right way. Long story.. but it explains the best what I mean.
@@TheVeenmeister Yeah Its just different style also i like light and cheap cars too.
This looks very fast! I love Lotus cars!
I really miss my Lotus Elan +2 S130 which I bought in 1973.
If the worst thing about it is a vague shifter , then it'd be pretty easy to either buy or make a gate for it . You don't need to buy a car that comes with a gated shifter . If you have a drill and some files you could make your own .
Lets reach the 3 million!!!
Hyundai Santro Xing spotted at 9:55
Love from India❤️