It’s at all times interesting to see feature cars resurface years after they were posted on Speedhunters, especially once they’ve evolved in a roundabout way.
Frank Profera’s Lotus Elise was featured twice – first in 2012, after Larry randomly happened across it (it went on to turn out to be Speedhunters’ ‘Street Automotive of the Yr’ that 12 months) – and on the other hand in 2014, after it received its major ‘Ronin RS211′ re-imagination. In that guise, automotive media interest within the construct really ramped up and the custom turbocharged speedster made appearances all over the place, including a spot on Jay Leno’s Garage. Within the years following, Frank modified up the exterior look with a switch from Ferrari Grigio Medio to Audi Good Red, but in 2017 his run with the automotive got here to an abrupt end when it was crashed within the canyons. Ultimately, the Lotus was sold off with a salvage title – but evidently is just not the tip of its story.
It very recently reappeared, and is now up on the market, having been repaired and further modified with a brand new front end look and a fresh white exterior, all courtesy of the shop originally involved in its creation.
Given the automotive is back and our 2014 feature is now 10 years old, there’s no higher time to revisit the story of 1 man’s quest to construct his ultimate Lotus…
2014 Feature
In terms of the world of cars, what’s essentially the most satisfying thing you possibly can do? Finally buying your dream automotive after years of saving? Putting in a brand new best lap time at a track day? Successfully completing a difficult DIY project? Saving an old automotive from the scrap yard? The reply will vary for everybody, and that’s the beauty of this hobby.
It’s hard, nevertheless, to think about something more rewarding than constructing your personal automotive. I’m not talking about simply modifying an automobile to fit your tastes. I’m talking about making a one-off machine from the bottom up – designing, fabricating, and at last driving a vehicle that no assembly line could ever produce.
Now obviously this isn’t something that everyone seems to be able to. In any case, you wish a lot of cash, a whole lot of time and a few serious mechanical ability – or at the very least some combination of the three. But for those who are in a position to successfully do such a thing, the outcomes might be magical. Just ask Frank Profera – the owner of the heavily-modified Lotus you see here.
If you happen to are pondering that name sounds familiar, you’d be correct. Frank is the owner of an amazing Lotus Elise that Larry stumbled across a few years ago – a machine that went on to win our 2012 Street Automotive of the Yr award. Actually, the automotive you see here is the exact same one – albeit in a really different guise now – which begs the query: how exactly did it wind up like this?
Well, not long after our original photoshoot Frank was driving the Lotus on the freeway when he was involved in successful and run accident with a Porsche driver. The Porsche essentially clipped the Lotus, which sent it careering right into a concrete barrier. Luckily Frank wasn’t hurt, but the identical couldn’t be said for the Elise’s customized bodywork which was significantly damaged.
Given the quantity of custom work on the automotive, repairing it might not be so simple as ordering some recent parts and making a visit to the local body shop. So after surveying the damage, Frank and his friend Mike Stafford decided they’d completely rebuild the automotive into an excellent more aggressive creation.
Unlike some builders, Frank and Mike didn’t have a selected vision of what the finished automotive would appear to be. There have been no concept renderings or blueprints – as a substitute much of the design was thought up during Frank’s long drives from his home in Sherman Oaks to Mike’s workshop in Lancaster. Once he arrived on the shop, he’d say ‘Give me the saw’ and the cutting and creating began.
Version Two Emerges
The idea for the brand new look got here from Lotus 2-Eleven body panels that Frank sourced from contacts within the UK, but the ultimate shape can be far more aggressive than that. Yes, he’s someway managed to make the body of Lotus Cars’ dedicated track day special look tame by comparison.
Frank actually describes the looks as a contemporary day Can-Am automotive, and if you have a look at the ridiculously wide tail section and open cockpit body it’s hard to disagree. The custom-fabricated carbon fiber wide body is each longer and much wider than a stock 2-Eleven, and by the point Frank and Mike finished the outside work it had became hard for a lot of to discover the automotive as a Lotus in any respect.
After all, it becomes even harder to discover the automotive if you see it fly by on certainly one of Southern California’s mountain roads – and that’s where so many individuals encounter Frank and his unique creation.
In its recent stripped-down, open cockpit guise, the automotive suggestions the scales at just 1,700lbs – some 450lbs lighter than its previous iteration. At that slim figure even a modest amount of horsepower is sufficient to make for an exhilarating ride, however the engine setup Frank’s running is anything but modest…
After we last encountered Frank’s Lotus it featured a turbocharger and supercharger in a compound charged setup. But together with the outside makeover the powerplant has received some changes too, and today you’ll discover a more traditional turbo-only setup within the rear.
Even though it was extremely responsive, the compound charged arrangement produced an excessive amount of low-end torque for the 1.8-litre Toyota 2ZZ’s rod bearings to handle, so Frank decided to remove the blower and permit the Precision Turbo 6262 ball bearing turbo to handle forced induction duties alone. To counter this modification, he installed a Kaaz close-ratio gear set which helps keep the automotive in its powerband at the associated fee of reduced top-end speed. Removing the supercharger also shaved weight within the engine bay and reduced the load on the motor. The present setup makes 680 horsepower to the rear wheels and Frank says the automotive is smoother and more responsive than it’s ever been.
One in all the really interesting touches in relation to the engine is the fuel system. It actually uses a staged injection system which pulls an alcohol mixture from a separate tank at high boost levels. This essentially serves as on-board octane booster that converts pump gas to 104 octane on the fly. This is vital because the automotive was built with street driving and road trips in mind, and everyone knows race fuel isn’t easy to return by roadside.
After all, a well-rounded construct is about greater than just the ability to weight ratio, and the Lotus is supplied with Nitron 46mm race shocks with Eibach springs together with custom A-arms and bushings.
Getting all that power all the way down to the bottom coming out of tight corners was one other challenge, but 345-width DOT slicks mounted on 18×12.5-inch wheels definitely assist in the rear grip department.
1,700lbs is just not an entire lot of weight to decelerate, but with a lot power available the AP Racing calipers and rotors are a really worthwhile upgrade.
Nothing Compares
A part of the rebuild also included the installation of an integrated rollcage that not only helps in the security department, but provides additional reinforcement between the front and rear sections of the chassis.
Elsewhere, the cockpit is more like that of a racing automotive than anything you’d expect to see on the road. There’s a custom dash panel with all of the instruments Frank must keep watch over the automotive’s vitals, and the seats are raw carbon fiber buckets, which I’m told are surprisingly comfortable when you strap-in with the Takata harnesses.
You’re probably pondering that this automotive would make for a fully wicked track weapon, but Frank actually has no real interest in lap times or other performance figures. As an alternative, he uses the Lotus exclusively for sunny weather weekend drives within the hills. The Lotus has racked up hundreds of miles on the open road, which is where Frank finds essentially the most joy.
Driving such a radical and heavily-modified machine on the road, I used to be curious if Frank receives much unwanted attention from law enforcement. But he says the one times he’s been stopped by cops is once they’ve simply want to examine out the automotive.
And that’s just about the identical response Frank gets from everyone. Despite the incontrovertible fact that the Lotus is painted in relatively subdued shade of gray, each time he stops for gas or a bite to eat, the automotive is immediately surrounded by people – most of them attempting to work out what exactly they’re . Frank wouldn’t have it every other way. There’s nothing he loves greater than sharing his creation with others, be them fellow enthusiasts or simply strangers on the road.
The list of Frank’s lifetime of automotive adventures include all the things from being a Latest York City cab driver to owning and racing Group B rally cars, but there’s nothing that may compare to the satisfaction he gets from this machine. For Frank and his Lotus it’s been a protracted journey stuffed with ups and downs, but it now it’s hard to imagine that this automotive began life as a bone-stock US market Lotus Elise nearly a decade ago.
He’s broken rules, he’s broken parts, he’s built and rebuilt – and he can’t consider every other vehicle he’d somewhat have, at any price.
Why buy your dream automotive when you possibly can construct your dream automotive?
Mike Garrett
Instagram: japanifornia
Photos by Larry Chen
Instagram: larry_chen_foto
Ronin RS211 Lotus
Numbers
680whp (36psi boost pressure)
Engine
1.8-liter Toyota 2ZZ-GE, Darton sleeves, Carrillo rods, Wiseco 9:1 pistons, Ferrea valves, ported head, stage 2 cams, custom intake manifold, custom charge cooler with 4 Pro Alloy heat exchangers, two water pumps, custom exhaust manifold with equal-length runners, Precision billet ball-bearing 62/62 turbo, Precision 46mm wastegate, 3”-inch stainless exhaust, AEM Series 2 ECU tuned by Mitch Pederson, custom staged alcohol injection system, Pro Alloy fuel tank, two fuel pumps, 1,000cc injectors, one alcohol fuel pump
Driveline
Modified Toyota MR2 E153 gearbox, close-ratio Kaaz gears, custom axles
Suspension/Brakes/Steering
Nitron 46mm Pro Race shocks, Eibach springs, custom A-arms, custom bushings, AP Racing calipers/rotors
Wheels / Tires
Custom forged wheels 17×9-inch front, 18×12.5-inch rear, Kumho V710/BFG DOT slicks 245/40R17 front, 345/35R18 rear
Exterior
Custom hand laid carbon fiber wide body by Mike Stafford and Frank Profera, blown rear diffuser, front splitter, NACA ducts, racing mirrors, Paint by AR Auto Body in Lancaster, California
Interior
Custom-built roll cage, custom instrument panel, carbon fiber bucket seats, Takata harnesses
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This Article First Appeared At www.speedhunters.com
