Exige picture & video thread

[Nathan]

3 hours ago, stephenwhyte said:

I remember seeing this on Pistonheads and thinking it was a real opportunity for someone. Lovely spec - these early roadsters with silver wheels really do suit a Metallic grey body😎

It is a great spec and I love the grey/red leather combo but my daily driver is virtually identical so I was really wanting something a bit different for a change (my 111r was also grey!)

At the moment I'm stuck between leaving it fairly standard (but definitely adding wing and splitter) and then maybe moving to a 380/410 in a couple of years or going the whole hog and changing wheels, suspension, more power etc...  The project threads on here really could lead to serious upgrade-itis!!

[RoflOnMyWaffle]

5 hours ago, Nathan said:

My latest addition... Replaces a 111r which I had for 8 years and thoroughly enjoyed.

A grey Roadster wasn't my first choice by a long shot but it was such a nice example that I couldn't miss it. I am however already thinking I should maybe have hung on for the red or orange coupe I always planned on getting!

Hopefully once I've added the wing and splitter I might feel a bit different..

You weren't wrong...

I got my orange one after 8 months of looking and only seeing it, 2 days later a better one appeared and sold within a week.

[Daveb99]

Hi Nathan - nice looking car you have there - the previous owner has clearly cherished it 😉.   I’m not missing it too much as I didn’t drive it enough anyway!

Your choice of course, but a couple of things to think about.   If you add a wing, you might need to tweak the setup to suit - I think Lotus altered the rear ARB on the Roadsters to compensate for the reduced downforce, but I could be wrong.

If it were me, I’d enjoy the car as it is for a few years (unless you’re tracking it, then you might want to tweak it a bit, dial out the understeer perhaps).  Spending ££££ on spoilers, suspension (Nitron 3 way?), forged wheels etc won’t come cheap and at the end of the day it’s still grey - it sounds like you really wanted the brighter colour of red/orange after all 😮

I think as it was the Exige bargain of the decade you could run it for a year or two, work out what you really want to change, then sell it without losing hardly anything.....assuming Brexit doesn’t affect values any further....

EDIT - In summary, and this is just my opinion of course - let Roadsters be Roadsters, don’t modify it - they appeal to people who want sleeker and more subtle lines and a more road-orientated V6 - which you did say you was your preference!

Edited August 18, 2019 by Daveb99

[21gg]

Daveb99, have you replaced it with another lotus? 

Gav 

[Nathan]

1 hour ago, Daveb99 said:

Hi Nathan - nice looking car you have there - the previous owner has clearly cherished it 😉.   I’m not missing it too much as I didn’t drive it enough anyway!

Your choice of course, but a couple of things to think about.   If you add a wing, you might need to tweak the setup to suit - I think Lotus altered the rear ARB on the Roadsters to compensate for the reduced downforce, but I could be wrong.

If it were me, I’d enjoy the car as it is for a few years (unless you’re tracking it, then you might want to tweak it a bit, dial out the understeer perhaps).  Spending ££££ on spoilers, suspension (Nitron 3 way?), forged wheels etc won’t come cheap and at the end of the day it’s still grey - it sounds like you really wanted the brighter colour of red/orange after all 😮

I think as it was the Exige bargain of the decade you could run it for a year or two, work out what you really want to change, then sell it without losing hardly anything.....assuming Brexit doesn’t affect values any further....

EDIT - In summary, and this is just my opinion of course - let Roadsters be Roadsters, don’t modify it - they appeal to people who want sleeker and more subtle lines and a more road-orientated V6 - which you did say you was your preference!

Hi Dave, it certainly is a beauty, got a lot of compliments at the LDC meeting last weekend

I get what you say about let roadsters be roadsters, but I bought yours because it's such an immaculate, pampered example, not because it's a roadster. I actually passed on the red coupe mentioned above, I was offered it before Oakmere got it and I won't go into details on here other than to say that despite the colour and spec being my preferred choice, that particular car definitely wasn't for me. 

I'm sure I'll stick with it, I had similar feelings about my 111R until I made it my own then ended up keeping 8 years! It'll be nothing major, well not yet anyway and certainly nothing that isn't reversible! 

I'm already on my 4th tank of fuel in a week so it think it's fair to say I'm very much enjoying it so far

[Daveb99]

2 hours ago, 21gg said:

Daveb99, have you replaced it with another lotus? 

Gav 

Hi Gav, afraid not, having moved house late last year we need to put (some of) the funds to better use right now, and I really wasn’t using the Exige anywhere near enough to justify keeping it, as I don’t really have the time to get the best out of it.   So as we only had one daily (which was fine most of the time) we’ve picked up a nice 18 plate Cooper S Works 210, the last one they made, with the trick JCW Pro exhaust amongst £12k of options, so whilst it’s obviously no Lotus it’s good fun and a nice place to be.

We do still have the Scandal Green Elise S160 though, it ticks most of the boxes, and I have to say it’s a lot more fun to drive at slower, safer speeds than the Exige was - the only downside is that we need to keep the mileage down (it’s on just 12k) as it’s a minty minter..

[Daveb99]

1 hour ago, Nathan said:

Hi Dave, it certainly is a beauty, got a lot of compliments at the LDC meeting last weekend

I get what you say about let roadsters be roadsters, but I bought yours because it's such an immaculate, pampered example, not because it's a roadster. I actually passed on the red coupe mentioned above, I was offered it before Oakmere got it and I won't go into details on here other than to say that despite the colour and spec being my preferred choice, that particular car definitely wasn't for me. 

I'm sure I'll stick with it, I had similar feelings about my 111R until I made it my own then ended up keeping 8 years! It'll be nothing major, well not yet anyway and certainly nothing that isn't reversible! 

I'm already on my 4th tank of fuel in a week so it think it's fair to say I'm very much enjoying it so far

Fair play Nathan - really glad you’re using it loads, at least you’re getting lots of practice getting it in and out of the garage too, it’ll seem as narrow as the 111R was soon 😉

i know what you mean about the spoiler, they can look a bit lacking without, but I actually preferred it that way.   Do you have to drill the clam to fit the spoiler though (presume so)?    I guess that’s still reversible with a bit of Isopon, sandpaper and a rattle can 😆

Enjoy it matey, I look forward to reading about the mods...

[Daveb99]

Of course I meant the boot lid, not the clam 🙄

[Edinburgh 111s]

13 hours ago, Daveb99 said:

Hi Gav, afraid not, having moved house late last year we need to put (some of) the funds to better use right now, and I really wasn’t using the Exige anywhere near enough to justify keeping it, as I don’t really have the time to get the best out of it.   So as we only had one daily (which was fine most of the time) we’ve picked up a nice 18 plate Cooper S Works 210, the last one they made, with the trick JCW Pro exhaust amongst £12k of options, so whilst it’s obviously no Lotus it’s good fun and a nice place to be.

We do still have the Scandal Green Elise S160 though, it ticks most of the boxes, and I have to say it’s a lot more fun to drive at slower, safer speeds than the Exige was - the only downside is that we need to keep the mileage down (it’s on just 12k) as it’s a minty minter..

Scandal Green S160 on 12k miles... that’s a keeper! I am on the look out for a S160. Low mileage completely standard examples are hard to come across. I am sure you’re not planning on selling... but if you are 😀

[Markymark]

Hi Nathan,

 

Just joined the forum and hoping to buy an Exige Roadster next year (my wife doesn't like the coupe spoilers).

Saw that one on Pistonheads and was seriously tempted to bring the purchase forward!!

If you do leave it standard and want to change to a coupe next spring, I would be tempted!

 

Atb,

 

Mark

[Nathan]

I'm considering changing the wheel colour so plastidipped them satin black to see what it'd look like.

For those who aren't familiar it's sold as a "liquid wrap", basically a liquid rubber coating and can easily be peeled off if you don't like it. I've used it before and it's very durable (even survived around the exhaust on the diffuser of my 111R). Quite happy with the sleek and stealthy look...  

 

 

 

[Jcx]

The wheels look fab!  I do like the clean lines of the roadster and black wheels on a grey car look superb!

[Daveb99]

Wow Nathan - I see you are preferring the sleek and stealthy look to the red/orange option already 😉

I thought about black wheels and side scoops/mirrors with red calipers and never got round to it.  I found some photos of a coupe in this combination so I’ll post them up when I get a chance.

Are you still thinking of adding a spoiler?

[Daveb99]

On 19/08/2019 at 12:50, Edinburgh 111s said:

Scandal Green S160 on 12k miles... that’s a keeper! I am on the look out for a S160. Low mileage completely standard examples are hard to come across. I am sure you’re not planning on selling... but if you are 😀

Sorry I didn’t see this.   It is indeed a keeper, they only made 7 full fat SVA S160's in Scandal Green and it’s by far the lowest mileage one - and standard factory spec other than the Emerald ECU (we have the original GEMS unit) and replacement Janspeed exhaust (due to a loose baffle in the original).

The challenge is to use it just enough so it isn’t a garage queen but also keep it nice.  

Sorry for the slight thread hijack.

[Nathan]

21 minutes ago, Daveb99 said:

Wow Nathan - I see you are preferring the sleek and stealthy look to the red/orange option already 😉

I thought about black wheels and side scoops/mirrors with red calipers and never got round to it.  I found some photos of a coupe in this combination so I’ll post them up when I get a chance.

Are you still thinking of adding a spoiler?

Yes haha orange is a distant memory now! Can't believe the difference the wheel colour makes, I think the silver draws your eyes away from the colour of the bodywork and now with satin black it looks even more stunning than ever in the sunlight  

The plastidip gives a pretty nice finish too considering it comes out of a can..

Whilst I had the wheels off I went to town and deep cleaned under the arches/tub and all the suspension, then finished with ACF50 on all the metal bits and Autoglym rubber care stuff on the plastics. Oh, and polished the brake calipers too I've also considered painting them, I really like yellow against the carbon grey but I think it'd have to be red to avoid clashing with the interior.

Regarding the spoiler, yes I'm looking to add one but thinking of getting hold of a second engine cover so I don't have to drill the original and can revert back at any time

[Wilbert Camshaft]

Looks great!

I recently traded my incredible Lotus Exige Sport 350 in Metallic Grey for a new Exige Sport 350 in Vivid Green (I was bewitched by that amazing colour at first sight....) - when it's delivered by KomoTec I'll certainly post pictures!

The picture of the Sport 350 in vivid Green was recently taken in the show room of BF Sportwagen in Villingen, Germany,  that's not my future car, just a good example for the the stunning colour.

The picture from my former Exige was taken before the handover to KomoTec a few weeks ago.

[Jcx]

Vivid green is spectacular isn’t it?! 👍

[Wilbert Camshaft]

beyond words, you have to see it in real - overwhelming to my eyes...... but definitly not everybody's liking.

When I showed the picture of the Vivid Green Lotus to my Mom she said "You'll have to keep that car for a while  cause there's no secondary market for a colour like this...."

 

 

 

Edited August 22, 2019 by Wilbert Camshaft

[RoflOnMyWaffle]

Vivid green was top of my list but being a new colour wasn't going to be in budget

It's got so much shine and depth - enjoy it.

Please read up on detailing, swirl marks will ruin that so fast

[Nathan]

Vivid green really is stunning, also a colour I'd like to own one day (the list is growing!) 

[Daveb99]

That isn’t vivid.....😜

(this is the Elise S1 Picture thread, right?)..

Edited August 22, 2019 by Daveb99

[Jcx]

1 hour ago, Wilbert Camshaft said:

beyond words, you have to see it in real - overwhelming to my eyes...... but definitly not everybody's liking.

When I showed the picture of the Vivid Green Lotus to my Mom she said "You'll have to keep that car for a while  cause there's no secondary market for a colour like this...."

 

 

 

What do mums know? 🤣

28 minutes ago, Daveb99 said:

That isn’t vivid.....😜

(this is the Elise S1 Picture thread, right?)..

Yum. 

[Edinburgh 111s]

11 hours ago, Nathan said:

Yes haha orange is a distant memory now! Can't believe the difference the wheel colour makes, I think the silver draws your eyes away from the colour of the bodywork and now with satin black it looks even more stunning than ever in the sunlight  

The plastidip gives a pretty nice finish too considering it comes out of a can..

Whilst I had the wheels off I went to town and deep cleaned under the arches/tub and all the suspension, then finished with ACF50 on all the metal bits and Autoglym rubber care stuff on the plastics. Oh, and polished the brake calipers too I've also considered painting them, I really like yellow against the carbon grey but I think it'd have to be red to avoid clashing with the interior.

Regarding the spoiler, yes I'm looking to add one but thinking of getting hold of a second engine cover so I don't have to drill the original and can revert back at any time

Nathan, what product did you use to clean up the inner arches and suspension etc?

[Nathan]

2 hours ago, Edinburgh 111s said:

Nathan, what product did you use to clean up the inner arches and suspension etc?

Sprayed with Flash (as good an all purpose cleaner as anything else for such jobs) and after it had soaked for a few minutes I agitated with an old wheel brush before rinsing. This brought off most of the road grime then went over everything with a good old magic sponge. I also used Autoglym Magma on the brakes (and the inside of the wheels too) before cleaning the bells with the magic sponge and polishing the calipers with Meguiars Scratch X, brought them up a treat 👍

[GFWilliams]

Nice little perk of doing a shoot in a hangar, managed to get a quick snap of my car after I was done