Greetings

[Frosty]

Hello all,

Thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Frosty (Simon Frost), I'm 24 and serve in the Royal Air Force as an Operations Officer. I'm currently stationed at RAF Marham in Norfolk. I currently drive an Audi TT however I have decided to sell up and buy an Exige. I will hopefully have my mind made up over the next few weeks as to which edition I buy, Exige S with performance pack or the all out Cup 260.

I'm looking to buy the car new and therefore have a lot to think about. If anyone has any useful advice about insurance, options and maintenance of an Exige I would gratefully receive any comments. I have heard lots of encouraging things about the forum and those who contribute to the topics and news, I hope to get to know you all over time.

regards,

Frosty

[andydclements]

Hi Frosty, I cannot offer any advice the Exige, but from a fellow Norfolk resident , welcome to TLF, I hope it fulfils what you need in terms of advice etc.

Andy

[neill1607]

Nice to be getting such a varied range of cars on the site now.

Welcome - I'm you won't be disapointed by the help & advice on here.

Neill

[USAndretti42]

Welcome to the forum, Simon. I admire your taste. The Exige is a very different car from the TT. I had a TT after owning an MR2 Spyder and I was extremely surprised at how heavy the TT felt. Not that the controls were heavy but the car itself felt heavy as it went down the road. You'll be going the other way and you should love the light feeling and responsiveness of the Lotus.

Which model you go for depends on personal preference, how you plan to use the car ( trackdays or not) and how raw a car you can live with. I'm sure you'll make the right decision.

Good luck and enjoy your Exige.

[ifly]

Welcome and good choice on the Exige S. Drop us some pics before/after you pick her up.

[Bibs]

Welcome on board

[Frosty]

Thank you for all the replies. It's nice to receive such a warm welcome from a forum as large as this one.

Just an update really; I will hopefully be trying out an Exige cup 260 back to back with an Exige S in March. This should give me all the time and feeling I need to make a decision. All that will remain will be to decide trim/colour options and extras. I should be good to put an order into the dealership by the end of March. It's all very exciting.

What I would like to ask from people who have owned a lotus Exige or other is:

How have people found living with "Ardent Red" paintwork over a few years, easy to keep looking clean and tidy?

I quite like the alacantara / Suede / Microfibre interior. Does it retain a quality finish for long?

How do people feel about the A-frame and harnesses but with a radio+speakers. I understand that the A-frame is right in front of the speakers anyone think this could be an issue?

The cup 260 has a fair amount of Carbon Fibre parts which have various accents left naked to contribute to the styling. If any one has seen this before is it likely to degrade though due to UV and or our road conditions?

That seems like all for the moment. Once again many thanks to all who can help me make the right decision.

Regards,

Frosty

[wayneb911]

Welcome to the forum.

[Guy Munday]

Hi Frosty,

Welcome aboard!

I'm sure you're in the right place to seek the best advice.

Good luck!

Guy @ Stratton

[richardvg]

Good choice Frosty - either one you can't go wrong with.

Richard

[Kimbers]

Hey Frosty

I've lived with my Exige S now for a year, after selling my S4 Esprit (piccy below). I'll try and answer your question.

1. Isn't the ideal Cup 260 in BRG with a Yellow Stripe? Ardent Red...are you sure? I always think that if you are going to get something as special as an Exige...Shout about it! (see my colour). The only problem I see with Ardent Red is that it shows the stone chips. Mine was parked next to another identical but in red and though mine had chips they were no where near as visible as they were on the red (I had the front spoiler painted anyway).

2. Mine has the Sport Pack with the seat upgrade, the only problem I have is the leather wearing in just 1 spot on the driver seat where I get in and out. The way you drop into the car this will be impossible to avoid I think.

3. I can't hear my radio anyway as I have the race exhaust upgrade (it's a factory option you can order through the dealer) it has 99db output (thats 1db below track limits) and sounds absolutely amazing...but you can't hear the stereo when you on full chatter.

4. Carbon Fibre doesn't fade.

Like Andy I am just down the road from you just south of Norwich, so you are more than welcome to come have a look and listen to the exhaust.

On another note, at the same time and if you aren't already talking to him, Guy Monday is our local Lotus dealer andI could take you down there to see him and you get a ride in the beastie.

[DarrylV8]

Hi Simon,

Just waiting till the 1st March to collect our Cup 260 from Strattons (not far from your base), we wanted the Cup version 260 with the associated carbon fibre;

Ours is not standard however we have gone for the chrome orange and deleted the complete fire extinguisher system, electrical cut outs and the A frame and have added the following; Air con, central locking/alarm/immobiliser, cd/MP3/IPod/radio, carpets + sound deadening, mud flaps, driving lamps, rear tailgate strut, cup holder all carried out whilst on the production line, and as we are hoping to do a fair amount of touring we have got the dealer to relocate the accu-sump unit.

We also went to the factory to see the car on the production lineDH 10 SJH.pdf

Hopefully we will see you soon in an Exige Cup

[Frosty]

Many thanks again to all.

Plenty of great info there and another step forward in the right direction. I have been introduced to Guy at Stratton and will be happy to do business with him as there are a couple of Lotus owners here at RAF Marham.

Darryl, I was at Stratton Lotus last Friday and had a quick peek at your Cup 260 in the workshop. It's looking very nice. That was the first time I had seen the 2010 spec/model in the flesh. The relocation of the Accusump unit seems like it will bring back some more practicality to the boot. Please keep us all informed of the progress and I hope to see lots more pics when you pick her up.

Regards,

Frosty