Cup 430 Club

[Troyboy]

15 hours ago, Bispal said:

Lotus made and sold 3,350 cars in total from 2017-2021 when the 430CUP was available. So any Lotus is rare as they have only averaged about 650 cars a year for the past decade.  Usually the UK market share for sports cars is 10% of global, that works roughly for every manufacturer. However USA and many other markets did not get the 430CUP, or any Exige. There were around 50 sold in the UK so 150 world wide sounds about the right number including Europe, Australia and some far east markets? 

3350 units over that period of time is not many at all. No wonder I rarely see a Lotus. 

[pete]

https://www.theoctanecollection.com/cars/lotus-exige-cup-430-type-25-for-sale/

[Nathan Pitman]

4 hours ago, pete said:

https://www.theoctanecollection.com/cars/lotus-exige-cup-430-type-25-for-sale/

My car. Miss it already. 

[Bibs]

I'm not surprised, they're a beautiful car

[Citizen]

Why did you sell? P/xed for something else?

On 21/04/2022 at 00:00, Nathan Pitman said:

My car. Miss it already. 

 

[Mitch Foden-Clarke]

On 21/04/2022 at 00:00, Nathan Pitman said:

My car. Miss it already. 

What a car 😍

[Nathan Pitman]

23 hours ago, Citizen said:

Why did you sell? P/xed for something else?

 

I’ve bought a McLaren 570s Spider. I did have a deposit down for an Emira but fancied a change (and something with a removable roof!). :)

[Citizen]

Top choice! 
 

May I ask how you compare the driver engagement between the Cup and the McL?

(Not asking about speed, build quality, comfort or maintenance costs as I know the answer to those 🙂)

[Nathan Pitman]

The first thing I noticed was how familiar the steering and interaction with the road feels at speed. It’s obviously less analog but the paddle shift is very rewarding. A few weeks in I don’t miss the Exige as much as I feared I would.

The Cup 430 still holds a dear place in my heart but the 570 is a worthy replacement and an equally impressive piece of automotive machinery. 

[Tex]

A well trodden and logical step as so much Lotus DNA in McLarens which is partly what Ron Dennis wanted.

I did similar but have managed to hold onto my 430Cup.

My 570s was a Track Pack but moved to a 600LT , then 720s. 
 

The 570s was imo the most rounded and I enjoyed it more. Hopefully you will to 

[Gordon S]

You enjoyed the 570 more than the 600LT?

[Tex]

The 570s was my first Mac Gordon and so was a bit special but sold it in haste and on rebound bought a 600LT which did not really complement my Lotus.
 

They were too close in comfort, and dynamics, although the 600LT was overall an easier road package. I think though,  had it been Napier Green I would probably have kept it.

I think regular track folks would find the 600LT a better buy and some prefer the more aural noise it makes but anyone who has a Cup430 knows it can’t compete with the Lotus Ti exhaust 

The 570s is an excellent car which offers daily driving and of course some track days if required 

[Citizen]

That is very insightful actually! 
 

A couple of last questions for the McL guys. What would be the extra maintenance and running costs in terms of £££ per year?

Also I have seen some in the market and they tend to have way to many prior owners.. why aren’t people sticking with them?

[Bispal]

I have a 430CUP and a 675LT.  

To answer your first question my 430CUP has cost me nothing more than services, around £300pa, and that's it.  I did buy a warranty this time as I thought my cats had gone, and they had, so that was £800.  But that's all I have spent on my 430CUP in 3 years.

The 675LT is exactly the same, owned 2.5 years and its cost me £1k pa for a service and £5k pa for a warranty.  I have needed nothing else in 8k miles.  

So in terms of running costs you are really looking at the warranty for a McLaren.  Around £3kpa for a sports series and £5kpa for a super series.  So the warranty cost is the only real difference.  However there are a few good independents now and reliability on the McLarens has settled down.  I have only had a broken coolant hose on mine.  So you can use 'V' Engineering and probably average £2-3kpa.  I only have a warranty so I sleep easy but might pass next time (I just bought 2 years for £9,600)

If you can budget for the warranty or an extra £2-3k pa over and above a 430CUP into a slush fund that should do it. 

In terms of driving my 675LT is from another universe compared to the 430CUP and many other cars, its is so quick, totally planted & stable with very good interior quality.  The 430CUP would not know which way it went.  However that's not the full story, the Exige has the manual box and offers equal levels of engagement and even more reward for less than half the cost.  They feel similar in ethos but on the road are very different.  They compliment each other very well but are not competitors.  That's why I can justify both and adore them equally,

To answer your second question there are 3 types of supercar owners.  The ones who want the latest toy and own for 12 months. The ones who want to 'tick a box' and own one once in their life for a year or two and The ones who are enthusiasts and generally buy the cars they like and keep them long term.

There are plenty of McLaren owners in the enthusiast camp but by the time they have bought them they have usually been through the initial trinket owner, the second trinket owner and then a tick box owner.  So by the time the first enthusiast buys one they are around 3-5 years old with as many owners.  This is standard across most supercar brands.  Lotus are mostly enthusiast cars from day one, you have to be a single minded fan to buy one, its not a golf club / spa hotel / Sloan street cruiser. 

If you have the additional £3k pa to run a McLaren on top of the outlay then you won't get a faster or more rewarding car but if you can't justify the extra expenditure over the Exige then I wouldn't be too despondent and just revel in the glory that is the Exige.

[Citizen]

Thank you Bispal! Exactly the context I was looking for. Appreciate you took the time 🙂

[Troyboy]

Great post Bispal. Interesting comparison between the 430 Cup and McLaren. 

[Bispal]

Oh and there is only £200 difference in insurance (Mc being the more expensive one) and the McLaren uses slightly less petrol (36mpg on the m-way 'v' 32mpg for the Exige)!  And it can use 95 E10 in it, if you want,  but I only do in emergencies.  The Tax on the 430 is slightly less, around £100 or so.  You will need a tracker on a Mac, around £200pa subscription.  And any tradesperson that comes to your house to quote for work will add 50% supercar tax onto your bill as they think they can get away with it!  That's why I drive a 26 year old MX5 and 16 year old Subaru Forester as dailies and that's all you will see on my drive.  

[purso]

Love that bispal!! I am due to collect my first mclaren shortly (excited a tiny amount), can I ask  who you insure with please as have had some strong quotes

[Bispal]

Lots of McLaren owners used to use NFU as did I and they are amazing, great customer service. But prices shot up so many switched to Admiral, as did I. So far all OK, customer service seems better than average and they are very reasonable on premiums.  What macca are you getting? 

[purso]

A 675 lts, excited just a little bit!

[Bispal]

Oh wow that's fantastic, there is quite an active owners community you can join. Which one did you get? Congratulations👏🏻

[purso]

Thank you Bispal, it was an off market deal and I picked up an orange spider which I am literally still pinching myself about!

[blindside]

On 21/04/2022 at 00:00, Nathan Pitman said:

My car. Miss it already. 

I’ve had a massive crush on your 430 Cup since seeing it brand new “in the flesh” when I picked up my GT430 at Levens in Edinburgh a  couple of years ago. For me it’s the perfect spec & colour combination for a hot Exige. Timings not right for me otherwise I’d be in there like a shot with an offer.

[Nathan Pitman]

I think that was the “other” type 25 here in the UK, the one that ended up on Collecting Cars. Mine was sold as new by Bell & Colvill here in Surrey.

[Jedifar]

Hey 430 fellas, 

An American budding in here. Apparently, the US govt has allowed the exception to import Exige Cup 430 final editions to the US for street use under 'show and display' exception, which basically allows you to register the car and drive it within 2500 miles/year. Given this info, I've been really interested in pursuing this but realizing that it'll be extremely expensive and hard to find one to buy. So I figured I'd start out in the forums here to see if I have any luck. Any idea where I could start on my search, what the best place would be to find one and what price I could expect?

Thanks