Leaderboard

Hi Guys, I've just joined the forum so thought I should say "Hi!". I am Joe, I have an Exige 410 Sport in Military Grey. It is my second Exige - the first being a black 350 Sport. I am 100% smitten with my 410 and hope to keep it for many years to come. I live in Northants on the Cambs/Rutland border and i am a life-long petrol head. I have a regular column in Absolute Lotus Magazine and i am a photo hawk on Instagram @jcxmig posting tons of pics of MIG 191 my beautiful 410. I also feature on the #MyLotus page richly filled with Lotus owner stories. I recently attended the C&M meet organised by Lotus Cars and was pleased to meet a bunch of guys who I had gotten to know a bit via Instagram and i guess some may well be on here too. I look forward to meeting more of you in due course. Cheers! Joe

Cheers all and thanks Simon. She's abit of a looker

Hi All Thanks for all your feedback and as you suspected it was the battery, and thanks to Jonathan E a new battery was collected and fitted today! Here’s hoping that the weather will be good this Sunday so I can make up for the aborted drive last Sunday keep safe all Kevin

I would like to give a massive thumbs up to pjs lotus at burton on trent. My car comes come back today in 35 years of car ownership I have never known such a nice place to deal with. You can ring anytime and you never get that "its him again feeling" Prices good and work done fantastic. Workshop pristine . Paul and his team weldone mate.

An older/second hand car will always hold its value better because somebody else has taken the initial hit in regards to depreciation this bit is no different from any other car. Things get a bit different when it comes to options, touring packs are popular but add little come resale time, hard tops are great if the car is going to be used all year round, having said that, a dry and bright winters day with the roof off is hard to beat. I’ve never purchased a new Elise with a hardtop and those that came with a hardtop I’ve sold the hardtop on as a separate item, some people like them for track days but personally I think they are an expensive option which is also a bit of a faff to change over, and if your looking at newer cars the soft tops have got better over time. Most newer cars come with a stereo, they’re pretty pointless over certain speeds this will certainly be the case with the factory supplied units and most prefer to listen to the soundtrack of the car, however there are a few out there that have upgraded the head unit to Knebworth* matching standards, adding huge amps and speakers so they can drive aimlessly around their local town centre playing a choice of crap music at ear damaging levels for the benefit of people within a 3 mile radius of their car, not only does this go against the Lotus ethos, it also makes you look a weapons grade bellend to boot, and should be avoided. A/C is a real anomaly, I’ve just purchased my 10th Elise it’s the first I’ve ever had with air con, I was strongly advised to add it as an option, I don’t think it adds value at resale but it probably does make the car more desirable, I’m very much in the no A/C camp here, the car is a convertible take the roof off if it’s hot, but that’s from someone who has always been very aware of the cars power to weight ratio and in the end I figured that losing 25kg from my personal fat bastard framework and the addition of the extra bhp from my previous 111s the addition of a/c wouldn’t be noticeable and I can report it isn’t, although it is renowned for breaking so if your buying second hand check it works well. The single biggest thing in regards to Lotus ownership is the mindset, don’t expect it to be on a par with German/Japanese build quality, it will have “issues” even new ones do, be prepared to have to take a screwdriver or spanner to it occasionally, if something squeaks or falls off be prepared to roll your eyes and sort it yourself, fast Audi and Fords will beat you off the lights and probably be faster too and every Chavved up shit bucket will want to race you. Your car will probably leak too. I’m not sure what age you are or your personal situation but they are not a fanny magnet, young boys will take a very keen interest in the car, girls will think your missing something in the trouser department and give you a very wide birth. The above are just my opinion, but one thing is a given, get it onto a decent road or track and you won’t stop smiling! Hope the above helps. *age related content, google for information if required.

Let’s see them ......

I’ve been spending most of my time driving around the fantastically empty roads of Wales, very few vehicles, no scameras and beautiful views, sadly it’s in a Mercedes Sprinter rather than a Lotus🙄, delivering groceries for a well known supermarket. I did the same thing for a short time when I set up my own business three and a half years ago which is now on hold, they rang me a couple of weeks back and asked if I’d be interested in doing some shifts for them as they were desperate for drivers and I’d had the training( it’s not as simple as it looks you know). With the odd exception like the couple who were dressed in full NBC suits complete with WWII gas masks who insisted I deliver their groceries to the middle of a field and kept at least 100m away, and the old boy who threatened to shoot my tyres out because the store had substituted his famous grouse whiskey for the own brand stuff, I’m still not convinced he was joking either. Most people have been so grateful to not only get their groceries but also to see a different face, some of the customers live miles away from anyone and I’ve discovered some fabulous new roads for when my car finally gets to me, who knows when. Gets me out of the house too. Good to see your all keeping occupied and staying safe, that driving rig reminds me of my Sprinter van cockpit, Not!!

Er, why not just do the frames, you'll use alot less paint! 🤔

Dean your going to have to stop playing with yourself 🤣

I really hate that Gav @ Unit 4, thinks he know it all... HE REALLY DOES 🤣 So service no.2 since he got it running 600 miles run in found a few little niggles....2 little oil leaks, tiny and minor. Rear offside bearing, which TBH I thought was tyre noise and the sill coolant pipe is weeping. Luckily reachable. A days work he says.... I say fricking awesome. All in all I'll take that and I'll tell you What, it's running like an Arabian bloody stallion. My car is MEGA 😎

Spotted on Instagram JF 👍

Picked up my first Lotus today, absolutely love it....

Evening all, Having sold the 190 earlier in the year with some possible changes at work I've had a few months off whilst everything got sorted. Today I'm pleased to say my user name is back to being applicable as I've just collected a 240pp exige and Im in love all over again. Of course an obligatory photo of it tucked up in its new home. P. S thanks to those who knew for keeping it hush hush 😁

Just wait until ALDI or Lidl have them for a tenner! Mine have been spot on 👍🏻

Knob.

Welcome back mate. i look forward to seeing it in 2020... 😉

This seems to be quite a common theme with people who spend ages restoring / building cars! Maybe the fun and interest is all in the building and that's what you love doing. The OH thinks I'll be the same with the Stratos and once it's built I'll not want to use it. A couple of fellow LB builders have sold very soon after completion. Either way someone will get an amazing car Jonny!

Thx @Neilshannon27 I share 1 in 20 or 30 pics taken. I find if it take enough pics i manage to capture a few worth sharing.

Welcome mate, I have seen your car on tour on Instagram. Love car and you sure know how to take a picture. Be great to see you and your car at a meet one day. 👍🏼

Hi Joe, welcome to MLOC. As soon as I saw the photo of your Exige I thought I've seen that car somewhere before and after reading on realised it was in Absolute Lotus. The Exige looks stunning in military grey and obviously worthy of a second glance from the feline fraternity by the looks of it 😄

Especially if he’s following you!

New acquisition agreed with collection next Saturday. As it’s covered c300miles and described as new/mint my expectations are rather clearer than the last purchase attempt. For those like me who enjoy the geeky lotus build specs, for some reason this car has the door cards (arm rest/pocket) belonging to the Phil popham gt410 (or 400), yet it was built after the 400 ceased production and prior to the launch of the gt410🤔.

Alex, It it looks and sounds great, The strap holding the car on the rollers looks a bit fragile I hope to see it on track sometime in the not too distant future.

Is that the same plane, or is it a couple of jugs?

When you get to my age Dean and getting up at some ungodly hour on a Sunday for a raz around the Peaks is out of the question, if you have a TVR in your stable, for some strange reason you are quite happy to rumble around in 5th gear in the midst of the Sunday drivers just listening to the sound of the exhaust.

It's taken a while but Phase 2 is now complete, we have a shiny new kitchen floor (reclaimed maple) and all fully insulated underneath. Decorating and new kitchen cupboards next!

Seeing as I can’t drive the proper one, I decided to pimp my mower (in hope for June)...

Hi if you contact paul at pjslotus.co.uk on monday 01283 500428 he can still contact aftersales on your behalf. Best wishes Louise Shipley

Sheldon, i may well have a part (front) or full (both front and back) cl5 if you want to try those first in my garage. Let me know. I have never had a set fail and its all i used for years. Not quite as good as cl6 but still more than good enough for the odd trackday.

I think he gets a little bit of a bad coverage ? How many 6 times world champions have we produced here in the last 50 years ? if he does go on to equal and surpass MS record doesn’t he deserve all the praise and accolade the title of the greatest F1 driver gets ? also surprise he hasn’t been given a gong in one of honours list ? Certainly there been given for a lot less ?

I've used Performance Autocare on the way to Knaresborough ..Not in Teesside obviously but worth the drive down They looked after me so i would use again and recommend Cheers

Thanks Neil, if you find yourself in Sutton mate, give me a shout.

The Titles says it all, he has done the impossible and outdone Botham!!!!!! we now have got a chance at the Ashes sorry guys but I had to share it

Well a rivnut would explain the spinning. Pretty sure the S1 is tapped directly into the subframe, but maybe they changed it on the S2. A loose rivnut can be a pain to get off, but if you can get something behind to jam it then it is possible. Even pulling on it to get a bit of friction can work in marginal cases, or jamming a screwdriver under the washer or bolt head (possibly protect the diffuser surface). It can get pretty corroded so anything you can do to get some decent releasing fluid into it will help. WD40 isn't the best. I like Plusgas. Spraying from underneath, through the diffuser, won't be the most effective. If you can get anything onto the top of the rivnut, it would be a big help, then leave it for a few hours at least. Rivnuts can at least be replaced if you can get the old one off, and you'll want to replace it so you don't have the same problem next time. It can be bodged up with a bolt and some nuts, but best to use the right tool.

Went today, liked it. Didn't take the S1, I even spent the morning cleaning it. I'm getting PPF fitted tomorrow. Anyhoo had a beer and nosebag with a few friends.

Very nice indeed - definitely a keeper mate! Congrats, and enjoy all the "new car" excitement. It has finally worn off for me, must be about time for a change....!

Well a quick update, no images. Ran it in over the back end of summer. Took it to Gav for an oil change, found two very minor leaks from the gearbox and oil pump. May need a new rear off side bearing, not completely sure but on the whole a few more miles wouldn't hurt. Honestly it drives beautifully, it's so bloody lovely but I fear I will be selling it next year once I consider it perfect. I won't go mad with the price but I don't want to be the guy who never drives it, nor do I want to be the guy that clocks up the miles. So a bit of a catch 22 I guess. I'm going to leave it to someone else to make that choice. Exciting though because I'll get to find another Lotus and enjoy that too. I will end this thread a some point with some really classy images as I want all the memories fully intact.

Wow Jonny cant wait to see it I might have to pop over to GAV’s ( I can’t go wrong with GAV) to have a cheeky look as I need to collect something from him anyway i think you should arrange a Simba night to celebrate but have a drink this time 😂😂😂 regards colin x

As Chris says, it's an astoundingly stupid decision on their (Photobucket's) part.

Solution found. Custom valve retention caps. £12 each. 2-3 weeks.

This is a mod that I have been thinking about for a while now. Doing my research over the years, it seems that there several options out there, made from various materials, ranging from carbon fibre to plywood. Now, having choices is a good thing, but one thing I struggled with was the cost. Hence me trying to come up with a solution of my own. The Design I was keen to design something that looked good, looked functional ( you can never test these things unless you have a proper wind tunnel I guess) and given that this was to go on an S1, it had to look elegant and not over powering. The other design consideration was how much the skirts should potrode out. I really didn't want something that came out so far that I would have to remember that it's there everytime I stepped in/ out of the car. So, it had to be a simple design. With these considerations in mind, I went for curvy lines, taking a nice line to the form of the car, linking the front to the back. Worked pretty well. Mounting This was always going to be a headache. I initially considered using existing bolts, holding the undertray, but I discounted this as this would mean having to remove the side skirts every time you need to remove the undergrays. That, to me, is not going to be practical. So, next was to bolt the boards to the underside of the sills. This seemed to be the best option and the decision was more around whether to go with large bolts, with less mounting points or smaller bolts, but with more mount points, which would inevitably mean more holes to the underside of the sills. After consulting a good friend of mine (its always useful to know an Engineer ) He advised me to go with the larger mounts and keep the number of holes to be drilled down. Material As noted above, the choice is vast and the limit seems to be cost, ie you could end up with very complex shapes and forms using carbon fibre, with the added manufacturing cost or you could go with a simple shape and material. As money always matters, I went for the simpler material. So, what did I end up with. Well, after some research, I ended up with an aluminum composite that is not only very strong, but very light. In fact, each side only weigh 700lbs! I think that's pretty good. CREDIT: Although I came up with the design, using cardboard, I was lucky enough to have had the service's of my Friend's Dad, who is an absolute wizz when it comes to using CAD. He took my cardboard cutout and turned it into a digital masterpiece! Thank you Dad! Manufacturing Or shall I say cutting. I manage to find a good engineering firm in Birmingham who were willing to take the CAD drawing, load it up onto their system and cutout the side skirts to spec. They did a great job. For future runs, I will add the mounting holes now that I know where they should be. Installation Installation is pretty straight forward and it would be even easier if I had a ramp. Anyway, in the absence of a good ramp, I used my trusted jack and pushed the car up enough to get an axial stand under the car, whilst allowing me enough room to work on the sills. TIP: If you are going to use a single jack, please, please ensure that you use axial stands, and get some chocks on the other side, ie on the wheels that are on the ground. I also use a bit of wood to ensure that I don't end up damaging the underside of the car with the jack. Mounting Points As this was the first time offering the skirts up to the car, we (yes, another pair of hands would be advantageous) spend some time locating the skirt board and deciding where best to mount the holes. We ended up with 5 mount points that given the size and the weight, was more than enough for what we are looking to do. We marked the points on the boards, taped them together and drilled the holes. Once done, we then placed the board on the sill, taped it in place and once happy, drilled the sills using a 2mm drill. We had to drill very slowly and deliberately as we weren't sure where the coolant pipes were. WARNING: If you are going to drill into the sills, please remember that you have coolant pipes running through there. My car is also CC, with additional pipes running to the front radiator. Be very, very careful how you do it. You are warned. By taking the drill slow, when it broke through it, it was easy to feel whether or not there was something on the other side. Either way, you would have to be very careful. Then, slowly enlarging the holes by using a larger drill. I finally used a wood tool to curt 16mm hole for the M8 rubber well nuts. (note the jack position and the bit of wood ) Then once all the well nuts were in place, it was just a simple matter of bolting the boards on. The end results - well, see for yourself. I am rather pleased... That is a job well done! Cost Well, I am yet to workout the total cost, however it was significantly less than £200 for the pair. If there is enough interest, I may get a few made (which should drive the cost down somewhat). So, if you like what you see, let me know and I am sure I could sort something out, again, depending on the numbers. Now available on www.111racing.co.uk