Looking for first Lotus

[Glenn63]

So hopefully this is the year to final get myself into a Lotus. They’ve been one of my favourite brands for years but Iv never had the time/space/money for a second car until now.

Iv done all the reading on various models /engines/ years/the (many) limited editions etc and seems it’s very much personal preference on what people like the most/ recommend.

Exige has always been my dream and my all time favourite looker is an S1 exige but seem super rare for one to come up now and pricey when they do.
I think Im set on a Toyota engined S2 exige with supercharger, again not exactly a large selection for sale at a time but Iv seen a couple I fancy every now and then.
More than likely will be an S240 or 260 cup, some reviews say there’s not a drastic difference in performance/ drive between them so would probably come down to a spec I like.

But after some other looking and seeing some of the upgrades the likes of Hanger 111 have on offer the thought of an S2 Elise S with a supercharger upgrade had me intrigued. Roof off motoring possible, more choice of cars to choose from, how would they compare back to back? Would the Exige still be the better experience? Car will be used for weekend/sunny day drives and some track days, maybe something like the javelin sprint series but more for fun than pushed to the extreme competition driving.

Any experience/ advice would be much appreciated, thanks.

[JamieF78]

Jon Seal sportscars always has decent S2 Exige stock. If he doesn’t know it then it’s not worth knowing in regards to Exiges.

[Belle427]

A S/C conversion would probably cost you far too much money so I'd consider trying to find a car already done.
They do pop up now and again.
All depends what you want to spend really.

[keo]

I have a 410 Exige now but in many ways my 111R was a better car on the road. Roof off was great fun. I think you will be happy with what ever Lotus you get. They really are great cars and get under your skin.

[Glenn63]

JamieF78 said:

Jon Seal sportscars always has decent S2 Exige stock. If he doesn’t know it then it’s not worth knowing in regards to Exiges.

I keep finding myself looking at the current 260 cup he has for sale looks a nice example.
There’s also a very nice yellow 240 for sale on PH at the moment I really like the interior and do prefer colours to white.

As the comment above says the supercharger kits are a few quid but looking at prices I’d be saving a good £10k going for Elise over Exige so room for work for similar total outlay.
I think the looks of the Exige do it for me though.

[Edmundo2]

Glenn63 said:

So hopefully this is the year to final get myself into a Lotus. They’ve been one of my favourite brands for years but Iv never had the time/space/money for a second car until now.

Iv done all the reading on various models /engines/ years/the (many) limited editions etc and seems it’s very much personal preference on what people like the most/ recommend.

Exige has always been my dream and my all time favourite looker is an S1 exige but seem super rare for one to come up now and pricey when they do.
I think Im set on a Toyota engined S2 exige with supercharger, again not exactly a large selection for sale at a time but Iv seen a couple I fancy every now and then.
More than likely will be an S240 or 260 cup, some reviews say there’s not a drastic difference in performance/ drive between them so would probably come down to a spec I like.

But after some other looking and seeing some of the upgrades the likes of Hanger 111 have on offer the thought of an S2 Elise S with a supercharger upgrade had me intrigued. Roof off motoring possible, more choice of cars to choose from, how would they compare back to back? Would the Exige still be the better experience? Car will be used for weekend/sunny day drives and some track days, maybe something like the javelin sprint series but more for fun than pushed to the extreme competition driving.

Any experience/ advice would be much appreciated, thanks.

Hi. They do all have a slightly different take on a similar theme. I’ve not experienced all of them so cannot compare every model however fyi my Exige S1 will be for sale shortly if it’s of interest? Not sure how they compare to 240/260 cup.., ( I should think more raw ), but would think they are similar value.. Drop me a pm if you want any more info but otherwise good luck in your search.

[zasker]

Had numerous Elise from S1, S2 with rover engine and S2 111R to S2 Exige with 220, 240 and 260 and now have an Exige RGB and I keep thinking I should have got the Elise RGB instead of the Exige RGB just to be able to take the roof off. I know you can do this with the Exige but looks a bit sh!t to my mind.

[PistonHead007]

zasker said:

Had numerous Elise from S1, S2 with rover engine and S2 111R to S2 Exige with 220, 240 and 260 and now have an Exige RGB

Out of the S1, S2 Rover and S2 111R which order would you rank them in from favourite to least and why, particularly on the road?

[zasker]

PistonHead007 said:

Out of the S1, S2 Rover and S2 111R which order would you rank them in from favourite to least and why, particularly on the road?

Difficult to chose as the S1 was the first open top sports car I’d had and really enjoyed it. The S2 rover I had in Cyprus so roof off all year around which was great but then took it to Germany where it lacked a bit especially if on the autobahn. Had a couple of 111R in Germany and this fixed the issue on the autobahn and the cam change was addictive.

So if I had to I probably go S1, 111R and then the S2 rover.

[Shnozz]

Despite owning two cabrio cars, I’m not a massive fan of roof down motoring in the U.K. - many are though. Remember though, you can get a soft top kit for the exige s2. That said, the S2 is the model where there’s little difference between the exige and a 111R if roof off motoring is your thing.

Personally I thought the supercharger made the S2 a much better car than the NA, which always felt a bit sheep in wolf’s clothing at only 190bhp.

[Glenn63]

Some interesting reply’s thanks.
Edmundo2 I’m a good few months away yet really as I’m currently in the process of building a garage for it which I’d like to be finished first but I may drop you a PM after it’s completed.
As for the roof off comments Iv never had a convertible or even been in one so it may not be for me at all, I’d have to try before I buy for sure as I’d like to experience one at some point.

[Shnozz]

Personally I think the exige looks far more road racer and, dare I say it, masculine. I loved my Elises, but the Exiges have won out.

[Belle427]

Shnozz said:

Despite owning two cabrio cars, I’m not a massive fan of roof down motoring in the U.K. - many are though. Remember though, you can get a soft top kit for the exige s2. That said, the S2 is the model where there’s little difference between the exige and a 111R if roof off motoring is your thing.

Personally I thought the supercharger made the S2 a much better car than the NA, which always felt a bit sheep in wolf’s clothing at only 190bhp.

Id agree with this, i went for a 111R last April and to be honest it fails to excite me.
I do see what the fuss is about handling wise and its quick enough to enjoy on our roads but i just cant fall in love with it.
Im already thinking of moving it on either this year or early next.

[k20erham]

Hi Glenn

Where about in the UK are you? I'm in west London.
I have a 55 plate Exige s2 with the Lotus/Christopher Neil supercharger conversion, I have just retired from Mclaren Automotive after 10 years, yes drove them regularly as part of my job so never really have used my Exige much!! plus just bought a SL65 AMG (why not)? so I'm getting the Exige ready for an MOT and keep thinking this is not going to get used so why not sell a SHARE in it, just like I did with my light aircraft, which happens quite a lot.
I will not go on about the Exige as I do not want this to be a sales posting and get into trouble but anyone who wants more info please do ask

[Edmundo2]

Glenn63 said:

Some interesting reply’s thanks.
Edmundo2 I’m a good few months away yet really as I’m currently in the process of building a garage for it which I’d like to be finished first but I may drop you a PM after it’s completed.
As for the roof off comments Iv never had a convertible or even been in one so it may not be for me at all, I’d have to try before I buy for sure as I’d like to experience one at some point.

No probs. I sent my Caterham away for respray whilst I had my garage built so appreciate your situation.. My Exiges engine cover has been away for refurb but I'm collecting it on Saturday and will advertise shortly afterwards..I'll send you a link when it goes live..

Good luck with the garage build in the meantime..

[_Neal_]

Glenn63 said:

JamieF78 said:

Jon Seal sportscars always has decent S2 Exige stock. If he doesn’t know it then it’s not worth knowing in regards to Exiges.

I keep finding myself looking at the current 260 cup he has for sale looks a nice example.
There’s also a very nice yellow 240 for sale on PH at the moment I really like the interior and do prefer colours to white.

As the comment above says the supercharger kits are a few quid but looking at prices I’d be saving a good £10k going for Elise over Exige so room for work for similar total outlay.
I think the looks of the Exige do it for me though.

The overall looks thing is what tipped it over for me between Elise and Exige. I also drove an S2 Elise Sports Racer and an S3 supercharged Elise beforehand and preferred the non-supercharged power delivery (and revs) but liked the torque and power of the S3 car so the supercharged Exige seemed the way forward.

I ended up buying a "Triple Pack" Solar Yellow S240 from Jon Seal (my first Lotus) and have not been disappointed

[NeilPot]

I’m prob selling my S2 SC shortly. 2006 56, factory standard car, 34k miles. Had it for 8 years.

Drop me a PM if you’d like some details.

[BenGB]

Glenn63 said:

So hopefully this is the year to final get myself into a Lotus. They’ve been one of my favourite brands for years but Iv never had the time/space/money for a second car until now.

Iv done all the reading on various models /engines/ years/the (many) limited editions etc and seems it’s very much personal preference on what people like the most/ recommend.

Exige has always been my dream and my all time favourite looker is an S1 exige but seem super rare for one to come up now and pricey when they do.
I think Im set on a Toyota engined S2 exige with supercharger, again not exactly a large selection for sale at a time but Iv seen a couple I fancy every now and then.
More than likely will be an S240 or 260 cup, some reviews say there’s not a drastic difference in performance/ drive between them so would probably come down to a spec I like.

But after some other looking and seeing some of the upgrades the likes of Hanger 111 have on offer the thought of an S2 Elise S with a supercharger upgrade had me intrigued. Roof off motoring possible, more choice of cars to choose from, how would they compare back to back? Would the Exige still be the better experience? Car will be used for weekend/sunny day drives and some track days, maybe something like the javelin sprint series but more for fun than pushed to the extreme competition driving.

Any experience/ advice would be much appreciated, thanks.

Well, it seems we are in the same position! I've been thinking about an Elise for a long time and have had friends who have owned them. I also decided I'd need an SC as my daily driver is an E63 AMG and many things feel flat/slow after driving that (e.g. a BBR200 MX5 I drove last year). So, yesterday I bit the bullet and test drove a series 3 SC. It was ace - like a go kart and fast enough to be fun. The deposit was paid and I'm hopefully getting it next week after it's had a fresh service. I would say go and drive one - you'll love it!

[Glenn63]

Good man! Very similar to me as I had a C63 which I did love but certainly no track/B road blaster. Sold a few years ago but I actually quite fancy another estate as a daily and an exige for the toy, that would do me nicely.
Stick a few pictures up when you’ve collected I always like to have a nosey

[BenGB]

Glenn63 said:

Good man! Very similar to me as I had a C63 which I did love but certainly no track/B road blaster. Sold a few years ago but I actually quite fancy another estate as a daily and an exige for the toy, that would do me nicely.
Stick a few pictures up when you’ve collected I always like to have a nosey

Cheers! Had the car for a month or so now and absolutely loving it. Goes like a scalded cat when you rev it but has the torque to waft along in traffic without having to spank it to extract the go. Best described as a big go kart down the lanes where it is just hilarious. Turns out it has Nitrons so quite stiff but nothing unusable. I probably overpaid a bit but it has every bit of paperwork from new so it's good to see things like a recent clutch and the a/c pipes replaced so it blows nice and cold.

I've been daily driving for the last week as managed to crack an alloy (presumably on a pothole) on the E63. Now I've managed to work out the technique for getting in (fall elegantly) and out (unfold yourself while bystanders laugh) then it's very usable even for a "powerfully built" chap like me!

Here are some of the advert pics from Barry Ely where I got it (local to me) - it's much dirtier now! Try one out - you won't regret it