Lotus Dream finally realised!

[Skywalker]

Hello one and all!

I am picking up my new Exige next month and thought it would prevalant to introduce myself into the community!

After my 20 year dream of owning a Lotus, I made the commitment to take on the Lotus Exige 265E that came up for sale recently.  Over the years i've had some wonderful cars ( Rover P6 3500S x 3, Mitsubishi 3000GT x 2 and several other "nice cars" like an ST24 etc lol ) but always dreamed of an Elise or Exige since my late teens.  

I just need to get my ducks in row before I pick the 265E up such as getting a temporary outdoor cover on the quick ( garage is not cleared yet lol ) and asorbing as much info on what i'm stepping into!  Oh, and most importantly..... choosing the right keyring to go with the car

Looking forward to being part of the close-knit community,

Kind regards,

Chris

[Escape]

Welcome to TLF!

Lovely car, the stripping may be a bit unconventional, but sure brings out the lines.

I hope you 2 will have a lot of fun!

Filip

[Bibs]

Welcome! Congratulations and what a unique piece of Lotus history and engineering to own too

 

 

[jep]

Congratulations.  Fabulous news. 

Justin

[mcdonaa]

Congratulations, she looks like a corker 😍

[Skywalker]

Does anyone have details / specs of the TLF outdoor covers as the Exige one looks really thin and designed for inside at a higher price than Prestige or Stormshield + covers.

Thanks everyone! 

[Bibs]

It's a new material from Specialised Car Covers. The Stormshield was a 4 layer waterproof material, this is a single layer, waterproof and breathable. I doubt they'll give out the fill specs as it's their own proprietry fabric but I'd describe it as very similar to a soft shell jacket.

That cover is for the S3 Exige btw, it won't fit your car. We can have one made in that material for your car. 

[Skywalker]

As long as it performs just as well, then that's a positive.  Certainly looks a lot smarter.  Do you know where I can get one to fit an Exige S2?  I can't find a tailor made option in the TLF shop 🫣

[Bibs]

https://shop.thelotusforums.com/collections/pre-2005-specialised-car-covers

I'll pop them an email to make sure they're happy (they've done this before for TLF members though) and get you a price

[OakMan]

Welcome to Lotus ownership and TLF.

Does your car still run on Bio E fuel ?

It was well ahead of its time.   I beleive It has also been promoted as suitable for Classic car engines too.

[Skywalker]

32 minutes ago, Bibs said:

https://shop.thelotusforums.com/collections/pre-2005-specialised-car-covers

I'll pop them an email to make sure they're happy (they've done this before for TLF members though) and get you a price

I have sent an email to the "shop" so i'll see what feedback i get.  It did throw me off sent a bit because it says pre-2005 on the tab, but i'll wait out and see. 👍

[Bibs]

Yeah, the shop is me! I did reply to you which you'd have got by email but you didn't enter a real email address! 

I'll pop you a PM when I hear back from them. 

[Skywalker]

Thanks Bibs.  Whenever I use chat function I always just add a random email to stop spam.  You have to be careful these days as chat functions are normally 3rd party and sell your email address to unscrupulous companies ( Let's just say, I know how it works ).

It would be great to get feedback on the cover, thanks again.

[Skywalker]

16 hours ago, Escape said:

Welcome to TLF!

Lovely car, the stripping may be a bit unconventional, but sure brings out the lines.

I hope you 2 will have a lot of fun!

Filip

The stripes are somewhat an aquired taste! lol!  I wouldn't have personally chosen them when I designed the car, but it's part of the Lotus Biofuel statement.  I think it made it stand out for the press tours.  Ironically, it's the same colours as Norwich City Football Club regalia, where the car is from

I'm pleased I found a "special" Exige that had spent 14 years with Lotus on world press tours and kitted out properly to boot!

[Escape]

Didn't Lotus sponsor the football club at one point? Could explain the colour choice.

A unique vehicle indeed!

Filip

[jep]

Yellow and green historically a very Lotus combination. Obvs. 

Norwich football club too. The Canaries. Which Lotus have sponsored over the years and rebooted that deal in 2021.

Justin 

[Bibs]

@Skywalker - Sadly as this is a one-off, it's a little more expensive than the OEM covers (which benefit from bulk purchase rates). Specialised will be happy to make the cover, it's £599 + delivery. 

[Skywalker]

Seems a little steep tbh.  I'll just get the Specialised Car Covers Stormshield + Outdoor I think.  It's not like it's going to live outside permanently.  If it was couple hundred £ cheaper I'd grab one over a competitors cover definitely, even though it would still be the more expensive one.

But thanks for enquiring. 

[Bibs]

No worries. I did tell them that I thought it was too much and they explained that the fabric is very expensive. If you want a Stormshield+, you can order that through our shop or order it direct yourself.