- Kit Car Builder June 2003 includes an overview of the spectacular Xanthos cars, including the 23 Extreme.
- Kit Car January 2003 showcases the blindingly fast Xanthos in an article titled "Lotus Position," calling the Xanthos 23 "a truly unique driving experience" that can "corner over 1 G." On the historical significance of the Lotus 23, Kit Car writes:
The original Lotus 23 was turning heads in disbelief in 1962 when it was introduced to the racing world. In its debut race at the Nurburgring in Germany, World Champion Jimmy Clark lapped the 14-mile, 180-turn track 30-seconds-a-lap faster than the Ferrari and Porsche prototypes that had larger engines. The Lotus 23 was not allowed to run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans the same year because the 1.5-liter, four-cylinder, 150-horsepower mighty-mite embarrassed the German and Italian factory entries with its speed.The review notes that the Xanthos starts as a blueprint copy of the Type 23 that Jimmy Clark raced in 1962, with the original chassis design duplicated then strengthened by adding structural support in a few key places. The Xanthos suspension exactly duplicates the race-winning Lotus 23's.
- Patrick Paternie calls driving the Xanthos 23 "like riding a four-wheel motorcycle" in the August 14, 1999's San Diego Union-Tribune Wheels.
...how many cars have you been in that can draw applause from bystanders while rounding a corner during the rush hour commute?Of course, that's what you might expect from a car with such a famous racing heritage. Designed by the legendary Colin Chapman and driven by the even more legendary Jimmy Clark, the original Lotus 23... knocked giants such as Porsche and Ferrari on their ears at racetracks all over Europe....
Curvy bits of road are even more fun. Keep the revs up and power your way through the twisties, remembering not to turn too much or too early with the tiny steering wheel. Once you have built up a bit of confidence and experience with the car, you can experiment by using your throttle foot to steer.
Lift off the gas, get the rear end to slide and then catch it by going back on the gas and applying a little opposite lock to the steering. Don't worry about being Jimmy Clark to master this technique. Whatever edge he had in talent, you have the advantage over the Flying Scot in tire size....
Life with the alfresco Xanthos means you don't have to stop to smell the roses, you can smell them on the fly....
- Don Schroeder enjoys the Xanthos 23 Sports Racer in the December 1998 Car and Driver:
The Lotus 23... quickly established itself as a giant killer.... Like the Ford GT40 and the Ferrari 250GTO, the Lotus 23 was conceived as a purpose-built race car....Our bright red test car is... an accurate rendition of the Lotus where it counts. Lotus drawings were used to duplicate the welded tube-frame chassis. As in the original, there's room for an inline four-cylinder mounted amidships, and it drives the rear wheels. There's also the same control-arm suspension up front and multilink setup in the rear, with solid disc brakes....
Drive the Type 23 Sports Racer, and it's instantly clear why the original 23 was so competitive. This is an amazingly agile car with steering as quick as a go-kart's and strong but sensitive brakes. The handling is surprisingly neutral and balanced, too.... Cornering grip was 0.90 g on Avon street tires. With sticky Hoosier racing rubber, it soared to 1.06 g.
The Sports Racer is tame enough for street use. The [full-sized] windshield limits cockpit buffeting to tolerable levels, and the exhaust is loud but not punishing.... The Type 23 Sports Racer offer[s] a lively, right-now driving experience that few street-legal machines can match.
- See Tim Considine's full description of driving the Xanthos 23 in December 1998's European Car magazine:
A unique and tremendously fun car... In a car like the Xanthos, the human/machine dialogue is intense and thrilling--at any speed.Anyone who's climbed into a fairly modern race car will feel at home... Very direct linkage back to a strengthened VW gearbox, mounted upside down as it was on the 23, yields short throws and positive, lightning quick shifts... the gearbox is a joy to use....
Once underway, [the steering] couldn't be more responsive and communicative... Wish a change of direction with the slightest movement of the wheel and you're there. Wiggle it back and forth and you're carving turns like an Olympic slalom skier....
No surprise, the car has impeccable balance and excellent grip. When cornering at the limit, there is oversteer, but it is predictable and easy to control. In slower turns, one can fling the tail out by lifting off on entry, then steer with the throttle on the way out....
Even after 20 minutes of literally inching along, bumper to bumper on the Pacific Coast Highway after a landslide, I had no overheating... You just touch the throttle and the Xanthos jumps. Even from low revs, the little Lotus pulled easily, but above 4000 rpm it's a screamer. Literally....
The best part is, whatever speed you're going, this car is so tactile you feel like you're going twice as fast.
- Sports Car International (415-382-0580) Editor D. Randy Riggs writes in the August/September 1998 issue:
It's a kick in the ass, a sports car in the purest sense... Essentially a race car for the street....It eats up sweepers and decreasing radius turns with ease.... Just enough drift in hard going to make a serious run on a challenging road extremely entertaining....
The steering is instantaneous and acceleration is eye-opening. The 4-wheel disc brakes are just as impressive, hauling the 1120-lb. car down from high speeds with relative ease.
- In the May 25, 1998 AutoWeek, Editor Mark Vaughn recalls some Lotus 23 glory and samples the Xanthos 23:
When Jim Clark lined up on the grid for the 1962 Nürburgring 1000 kms, his tiny Lotus 23 appeared dwarfed by the competition.... Phil Hill had won the pole with a lap of 9:25.5 in his mighty Ferrari, more than 20 seconds ahead of Clark. But Lotus founder Colin Chapman believed smaller and lighter would triumph and... he was right.... Clark was able to fling the 23 into the lead before the first turn and stay ahead of the field for almost two hours.After a few warm-up laps, we are enjoying the car's easy throttle steer.... positioning the car for corners is a matter of lifting off the throttle to bring the rear out on the entrances and getting back on the gas to power past the apex. The amount of lift-throttle oversteer is easily controlled and there is plenty of warning about what the car is doing. No sudden snap oversteer here. It's fun....
Short of vintage racing in a pricier original Lotus 23, this is the best way we've found to play Jimmy Clark.
- "This thing flies! The acceleration is something one has to experience, especially since it is an open car and you have the onslaught of wind adding to the thrill."... Jack Dardagan - British Marque
- "We tried it, it was a blast, probably the most unique street sports car out there."... Dan Davis - Victory Lane (The Vintage and Historic Racing News Magazine)
- "We were most impressed by the reproduction of the Lotus 23 and can anticipate the excitement of driving this car particularly on the road!"... Tony Shute - Lotus Engineering Elise Product Engineering Manager
- "From just about any angle, you know it's all race-car fast, sensuous, a ball of fire, and plenty of fun to drive."... David Fetherston - KIT CAR, The Car Builder's Authority
- "Build Quality is better than the originals"... Gary Anderson - British Car Magazine. (See the August-September 1998 issue for a full review.)
- "Assembled with first-rate workmanship."... Douglas Kott, Executive Editor - Road & Track, Ampersand, July 1998
- The July 1998 Road & Track also contains a comparison test seeking The Best All-Around Sports Car. Included are the BMW M Roadster, Acura NSX, Porsche 911, Corvette Convertible, Ferrari F355, and Dodge Viper. The Ferrari won slightly ahead of the Porsche, but Editor-at-Large Peter Egan prefers the Lotus 23B over all of them:
If money were no object, I wouldn't buy any of these cars. I'd buy a Lotus 23B and go vintage racing. If I had a ton of money left over, the Ferrari would be my first choice, easily. With half a ton of money left over, I'd buy the Porsche.... [p. 69]