600LT v Exige 430 Cup

[CTE]

How would you compare them? I`ve got a 430 Cup and had a 12c for 5 years. I do like the idea of a 600LT spyder but are they really twice the car given they`re twice the price? I`ve no doubt they are a step up in performance though...

[Rocketreid]

If you intend keeping the Cup then a better choice would be a 720s if you are buying used.

If not then the LT is infinitely better than a Cup overall. I ran my 570s TP with my Cup 430 with not a huge difference on track but the Mac was a far better road car. You can hear the radio in an LT. The LT is a great Track car but the Cup is more engaging and I often take both of mine to track but now have a 720s. Often prefer the Cup though !

The 720s is much faster than either though, has better road manners and quicker on track. Down side you would not want to over track a 720 as they are pretty expensive on brakes unless you switch out the rotors

Edited by Rocketreid on Thursday 26th November 17:09

Edited by Rocketreid on Thursday 26th November 17:10

Edited by Rocketreid on Thursday 26th November 17:11

[CTE]

I also have an Evora GT410 sport which is a relatively practical car so was thinking of p/xing the Cup...whilst I do like the 720S and it is an improvement over the 12c (although not in all ways), it is underneath it all basically the same car with similar characteristics but pumped up a few notches...and whilst brilliantly capable is a bit disconnected (relatively) unless switched onto sport or track mode and at which point its too much for the road...and whence the Evora which is not in the same league in terms of straightline performance, but it is always engaging and handles and steers as well as anything out there. The Cup or an LT would compliment this Evora, but if the Cup is more engaging, then that is the main point for me although clearly the bragging rights go to the LT! Now then where`s that Komotec brochure?
Thanks for your input.

[Rocketreid]

CTE said:

I also have an Evora GT410 sport which is a relatively practical car so was thinking of p/xing the Cup...whilst I do like the 720S and it is an improvement over the 12c (although not in all ways), it is underneath it all basically the same car with similar characteristics but pumped up a few notches...and whilst brilliantly capable is a bit disconnected (relatively) unless switched onto sport or track mode and at which point its too much for the road...and whence the Evora which is not in the same league in terms of straightline performance, but it is always engaging and handles and steers as well as anything out there. The Cup or an LT would compliment this Evora, but if the Cup is more engaging, then that is the main point for me although clearly the bragging rights go to the LT! Now then where`s that Komotec brochure?
Thanks for your input.

Yes I think the Evora is a great car and you have the best of both worlds there.

The KT475 upgrade is worth looking at, as imo where the Cup lacks a bit is on faster tracks such as Silverstone. The upgrade improves the Torque which is more useful imo than the bhp gains. A good winter project

[CABC]

i'd love to hear from other Lotus & McL owners too. i'm thinking of swapping my S1 Evora for a 540/570.
i'm a chassis man, enjoying the corners more than acceleration. i also have a lowly powered Elise and that's the car with a fixed place in the garage. small and light it's just unbeatable for simple pleasure.
The S1 Evora is lovely, though clearly a GT sports car. Before eventually switching to a 400 series i'm thinking of 2 years in a McL. i say 2 years as like many i have a fear the overall costs could be high, especially for me who cherishes the Elise so much. Anyway, love to hear of others who've owned both brands.

[justin220]

CABC said:

i'd love to hear from other Lotus & McL owners too. i'm thinking of swapping my S1 Evora for a 540/570.
i'm a chassis man, enjoying the corners more than acceleration. i also have a lowly powered Elise and that's the car with a fixed place in the garage. small and light it's just unbeatable for simple pleasure.
The S1 Evora is lovely, though clearly a GT sports car. Before eventually switching to a 400 series i'm thinking of 2 years in a McL. i say 2 years as like many i have a fear the overall costs could be high, especially for me who cherishes the Elise so much. Anyway, love to hear of others who've owned both brands.

Might be worth a wee read of my thread, I went from an s1 Evora, via a V8 Vantage to my 540C

Any questions just fire away

[CABC]

justin220 said:

Might be worth a wee read of my thread, I went from an s1 Evora, via a V8 Vantage to my 540C

Any questions just fire away

oh, i'll def take a read!
V8V also on the list of experiences too, for the usual reasons if not dynamic ability.
i wanted an S1 Evora first, and want to migrate to the 400 as it's a completely different beast and maybe the best for someone like me.

[CABC]

justin220 said:

Might be worth a wee read of my thread, I went from an s1 Evora, via a V8 Vantage to my 540C

Any questions just fire away

many macca posts from you, i guess "Residuals, Man Maths and a 540C" is the big read for the weekend.
how do you see your 172, Exige and VX as cars? i ask because whilst there's clearly an appeal to fast cars i always come back to the slower lightweights as being my true home, hence the Elise being my perfect car. there's still joy in Evora/McL/Aston of course, but i will always have a 'small' car in the fleet.

[justin220]

CABC said:

many macca posts from you, i guess "Residuals, Man Maths and a 540C" is the big read for the weekend.
how do you see your 172, Exige and VX as cars? i ask because whilst there's clearly an appeal to fast cars i always come back to the slower lightweights as being my true home, hence the Elise being my perfect car. there's still joy in Evora/McL/Aston of course, but i will always have a 'small' car in the fleet.

Thats the one, its a long read, once I finally get my car out again I'll update it.

If you like the Elise/Evora... You'll love the 540C/570S. Seriously.

Loved the 172/182 for what they were, great fun, a right hoot to drive along a back road. It was my first proper hot hatch.
Exige, once the honeymoon period was over I quickly grew tired of it. For a car that was double the cost of the VX220T, IMO it wasn't double the car. Looked great but can't see me buying one again.
VX220 was fantastic for the money. Plenty power, sounded great. I wouldn't have one as a daily though

[Rocketreid]

justin220 said:

Thats the one, its a long read, once I finally get my car out again I'll update it.

If you like the Elise/Evora... You'll love the 540C/570S. Seriously.

Loved the 172/182 for what they were, great fun, a right hoot to drive along a back road. It was my first proper hot hatch.
Exige, once the honeymoon period was over I quickly grew tired of it. For a car that was double the cost of the VX220T, IMO it wasn't double the car. Looked great but can't see me buying one again.
VX220 was fantastic for the money. Plenty power, sounded great. I wouldn't have one as a daily though

Can’t agree about the Exige,

The Exige is far more involving particularly on track. I have owned 3 Exige V6’s and 3 Macs.

Everyone to their own but I have regularly tracked my Exige in the morning and my Mac in the afternoon and the Exige is just more fun and enjoyable.

Yes the Macs are brilliant and for road trips far quieter, comfortable and practical but for track fun, Exige all the way!

[justin220]

In fairness, I never took the Exige on track. Mine was the NA 190hp aswell which probably didn't help. It needed rev'd a lot to get any sort of progress out of it

[CABC]

Rocketreid said:

justin220 said:

Thats the one, its a long read, once I finally get my car out again I'll update it.

If you like the Elise/Evora... You'll love the 540C/570S. Seriously.

Loved the 172/182 for what they were, great fun, a right hoot to drive along a back road. It was my first proper hot hatch.
Exige, once the honeymoon period was over I quickly grew tired of it. For a car that was double the cost of the VX220T, IMO it wasn't double the car. Looked great but can't see me buying one again.
VX220 was fantastic for the money. Plenty power, sounded great. I wouldn't have one as a daily though

Can’t agree about the Exige,

The Exige is far more involving particularly on track. I have owned 3 Exige V6’s and 3 Macs.

Everyone to their own but I have regularly tracked my Exige in the morning and my Mac in the afternoon and the Exige is just more fun and enjoyable.

Yes the Macs are brilliant and for road trips far quieter, comfortable and practical but for track fun, Exige all the way!

this is why i asked the question! no right answer of course, but you need to understand someone's own preferences when assessing their reviews. i like MX5s after all supercars are never worth a multiple of 'lesser' cars but we still want to experience them, for differing reasons.

[AstonExige720]

Looks like we’ve had similar tastes in cars. I had a V8 Vantage, then went to a V12 Vantage. I’ve got an S2 Exige and a 720s. I had originally put a deposit on a 570s but covid hit and I bottled it.

My Exige is / was predominately a track car:



My advice, you need to drive them. Everyone has different opinions and looks, sometime subconsciously, for different things in cars to enjoy them. I haven’t and don’t intend to take my 720 on track, but if money was no object, I would use it instead of the Exige on every occasion other than the small circuits, and even then I’d be having a dilemma.

So if it was me, a 540c with steel brakes would be an upgrade from an Exige for track use. My hesitation is you are coming from the top of the pile, a GT430, the gap is less, is it worth the additional cost? Depends how loaded you are as to whether that matters

If you can, keep the Exige and get a 720s, perfect two car garage in my opinion.