Does the engine determine a car's character?
Of course, the engine is a defining element of a car. But it takes much more than that to capture the essence of a vehicle. I was able to experience this firsthand in the last few days when I had the chance to drive a Lotus Elan and a Ford Cortina Lotus within 24 hours.
Both are equipped with Lotus's dual-cam four-cylinder engine, both feature generously sized carburetors, and both transmit power to the rear axle via a four-speed transmission. The two are also quite similar in terms of sound, producing attractive intake notes.
Beneath their respective bodies, however, the two cars are quite different. While the sports car features a separate chassis in typical Lotus fashion, with four independent suspensions ensuring the wheels' contact with the ground, the Cortina is a unibody sedan with a rigid rear axle.
Above all, however, it is the suspension tuning, weight, dimensions, and steering that make the two cars feel very different despite their similar powertrains. 842 kg versus 558 kg (dry weight each)—that alone makes a huge difference, just as ball-and-socket steering versus rack-and-pinion steering does. The seating position also has a significant impact on the driving experience; in the Lotus, you sit lower and more reclined than in the Cortina sedan, where you assume a fairly upright position.
So no surprises there—after all, we're comparing two different cars here: a sedan and a sports car.
But in the end, it's worth noting that both can be a lot of fun to drive.
