New Exige V6 Ownership.Many of you will have seen me smiling after Brandon posted on Facebook a picture of us picking up our new Exige V6 from Hethel last Thursday. Well all I can say is that the car is awesome and yes, I am still smiling.
We had owned our previous car for four years and I wish it had been much earlier on in my life of Lotus ownership knowing now how much happier driving it makes you. You all know what I mean. The reason for change was that I was thinking that driving the car on spirited runs and trackdays was putting a lot of stress on the car and I felt that a new car was less likely to breakdown or fail. It was when we broke down returning from the camping trip last spring (Mr Ian D, skinny dipping one) that I started to think about changing the car. Kathy also had a new SLK and it made sense to own just one 'sports' car between us as it was always the Lotus that we took when going away together. The problem that occurred with the car on the camping return journey was that the bolt for the belt pulley came loose, or sheared meaning that the valves were to be replaced too. The car was towed by a recovery truck to a local garage which has a good reputation, but I had slight doubts after their initial inspection and I really wanted Craig and the boys to repair it. Campbell and Ian D, that is why I never managed to do the 'speed tests in the various gears', which we had discussed sitting around the campfire. The other reason for changing both cars was that the Mercedes dealership that we were using so called 'aftersales service' was shocking and I knew how good the MMC team were after a few years experience with them. (Nothing wrong with the SLK i may add.) So we decided around June last year to order a new Elise S,(not an Exige) in time for March 2015. We were away on holiday to the Tour de France in July and it thought we could both arrange a test drive on the way back home. A quick call to Brandon and I managed to arrange for us to take out the Exige V6 too. You know whats coming eh! We both liked the Elise after the test drive and I had our spec and colour all ready prepared to put down an order. Then we took out the Exige and then everything changed before the end of Bankhead Drive about 300mts after leaving from MMC. I turned round to Kathy jokingly laughing and said, "We need to get one of these in our lives." Kathy had a little drive and was happy too. On returning from our test drive Brandon asked us how we got on 'with a little devilish smile on his face', but I could clearly see that he knew the answer himself. I told him that the Elise was good, but the Exige was so much better and that I would just wait until we had sufficient funds in place. There was no way that I was going to buy the Elise now after test driving the Exige, no matter how long it took to get one. I said to Kathy that I liked the Elise, but I loved the Exige and if I bought the Elise and that even though it was a great car, that I would always be wishing I was driving the Exige. No more test drives Brandon.
Then to my utter surprise 
Kathy turned round and said, "Why don't you buy the Exige and keep your old car for the track?" You could have knocked me down with a feather, but I knew that it would have been totally selfish of me to agree so. I said to Kathy, "No. One Lotus is more than enough for me thanks." I turned and looked at Brandon and he was giving me this look with his eyes wide open , as if to say 'go on then', but I said something like "that we will have to go away and think about it". What was I thinking eh??? 
Brandon just stood there chuckling away along with Kathy as they could see that I was in a dilemma. He then turned and told me that, "You are the first person to be given permission by your partner to buy a new Exige but have not signed there and then on the dotted line." Who needs forgiveness when you get permission, Kinger. 
I said, "We will go away and think about it." It then transpires that my ideal spec was sitting in the showroom and I could have it in a few days if wanted. Salesmen eh!!! The car was then reserved but unfortunately it was not possible due to other circumstances at the time and ideally we wanted the car for March 2015 as described earlier. (Another reason for me deciding to agree to the Exige was that two of my work colleagues had recently passed away due to ill health at a relatively young age and it made me appreciate what short time that we all really have. (One life…………...…)Our order was placed for a new Exige in September, just as we were driving over towards Arisaig for the Camaganza. We specced Premium Pack with Black leather, Yellow contrast stitching, Convenience Pack, Reversing Sensors, Heated Seats, Air-Conditioning, Race Pack, Diamond Cut wheels and red coloured brake calipers, so pretty much everything apart from the Trofeo tyres and uprated brakes, as I had read that the tyres were quick wearing and they were not cheap either. I decided that i could also upgrade the brakes later if required. Now that was the easy bit, colour choice was not so simple. I basically knew which colours that I liked and which ones I didn't. Kathy said that she was not too bothered, but anything apart from GREEN or YELLOW. A few emails to Brandon asking for quotes on a couple of non-standard Lotus paints and we decided on going for the standard Ardent Red, as I had seen this colour on a previous Exige V6 in MMC and it suited the car really well. Upon arrival at MMC to place our order I looked over a new Evora S in Solar Yellow sitting in the showroom and it looked stunning. A change of heart from Kathy and Solar Yellow was the new choice. That's the short story.
I loved Neil's car in Motorsport Black which looks stunning but I also wanted a bright colour for safety reasons travelling on our back roads and when out on 'spirited runs'. With the Elise/Exige being a small car, I felt that others would see me, (or Kathy for that matter) more prominently on the road with the car in a bright colour, especially after friends being involved in some very unfortunate accidents. Also the addition of some extra safety features on the car were an added bonus compared to our previous Lotus.With the order now placed we just had to wait until March 2015. A small change in the plans was in order after Lotus introduced the 'Handmade in Hethel Experience' and this was a welcome bonus in becoming an owner of a brand new Exige. Brandon duly organised this for us and it was then only a small matter of the passing months. There is only so much time you can be spending time watching YouTube clips such as the Chris Harris video; https://youtu.be/Y_X-cyhk63I Scotsman newspaper; http://www.scotsman.com/motors/reviews/ ... -1-2656563 Evo magazine; http://www.evo.co.uk/lotus/exige/6221/l ... track-pack and Autocar; https://youtu.be/rl1nLCZ46YM reviews were all watched or read to appease the waiting time. Even some of our own members posts after the MMC demonstrator was first delivered stayed with me. Andy G's review http://www.scottishelises.com/phpbb/vie ... ch#p409087 had me imagining that I was there in the car and the reviews all had me eagerly waiting for March.
The wait for the new car was nicely split either side of the festive period. Christmas and a New Year cycling training holiday to Lanzarote (to try and help me from being the straggler at the back when cycling with Hendeg
) helped with what seemed like a never ending wait until pick-up day. I even got a new pair of Puma Future Cats as a present from my sister which I had chosen a few weeks earlier, but they would have to wait until March too. 
I also received a much appreciated present from Kathy of a Bell Motorsport Helmet for the track days that i intend to do and it's not true that I was eating my Christmas dinner pretending to be a 'tame racing driver'
Finally March was here and on the Wednesday night I was busy packing a small overnight bag and thought to myself, 'I wonder when I will feel really excited inside?' I knew it would happen, but when? It was not going to be tonight as twenty-seven flights leaving from Aberdeen had been cancelled for the Thursday morning. A quick check via the Internet and our flight was still on, but only just. Our plane must have landed on the Wednesday afternoon before the fog had arrived. Plan B,C,D,E and F were all thought about just in case. Train and bus times were checked. Flights from Edinburgh to Norwich also. Enticing our family about coming down with us with the promise of an overnight stay in a hotel, before taking our car back home. Obviously in the daily hack and not the new Exige, but they did try it on.
This was the view of the monitor that greeted us when we arrived at the airport early in the morning. Our flight number was BM1310.
Kathy away to board the plane.
There were only a few of us on the flight and it seemed like a private plane just for us, instead of a regular normal flight. Landing directly at Hethel instead of Norwich would have added a touch of class, but a helicopter journey with Tut at the controls would have even topped that. A short taxi ride to Hethel and a game of spot-the-Lotus on route for a bit of fun. No spotting was to be done though, but my excitement was starting to build slowly. Kathy kept on laughing as she kept catching me smiling to myself. However as soon as we turned in to Potash Lane and past Classic Lotus, it started to all feel more real and exciting. We met Rob Borret at reception/security who took us round to where our car was situated inside the Lotus shop and it was covered with a black polyester cover hiding the colour and 99% of the car and with a personnel welcoming message displayed in front of the car. Kathy spotted a touch of Yellow and we could see a small portion of the Diamond-Cut wheels too, but there was no sneaky looks under the covers, we would just wait for the car to be revealed. We were also introduced to another member from Lotus, who was called Guy Mowbray and he was our factory tour guide for the day. Also in attendance for the unveiling of the car was a professional photographer to record the moment. These photographs would eventually be added to the 'Hethel Experience Photograph Book' which contain pictures of the car from start to finish. It's a nice touch indeed. A quick cup of coffee and a glass of fresh orange for me along with the dainty jam scones and other treats before the revealing of the new toy. As you can see I am clearly excited by now with obviously a 'B' road run at the back of my mind.
We passed the test of getting inside the car smoothly according to both Guy and Rob and they commented on how they could tell we had been previous owners of the Lotus mark. After some more pictures of us and the car, Guy lead us around the various buildings indulging us of little stories all the way back from when Colin Chapman bought the site after it was used as an airfield during the war, to other things which are happening at present. If you want to know what happened at the very first 'Handmade in Hethel Experience', then ask me when I see you. Unfortunately today it was stocktaking time at the factory with very few employees actually building cars. Just lots of counting for the day. At least the temporary Lotus shop assistant got a break for a couple of hours from counting nuts & bolts to attend to any assistance which we required. It was very interesting to see the cars in various stages before they are all put together and it was nice to be welcomed by some of the staff too and to see them taking pride in their work. Guy was very informative with any questions that we both had for him. Seeing the finished cars parked together at the end was always going to be slight worry incase we noticed a nicer colour, but gladly it was not to be. Their were a couple of Toxic Green Exiges with black wheels and we both agreed that they looked stunning. Second choice Toxic Green. So much for "Any colour as long as it's not Green or Yellow" then. I would love to see an Exige in the McLaren Volcanic Red, which Renault have a colour like too. Very nice indeed.
Soon it was time for lunch and we returned to the Lotus shop reception. On route we could hear and see an Evora 400 covered in the present day type black and white camouflage wrap being driven very hard around the track. What a noise it made. I thought that it sounded like a private jet coming in, but that was obviously because Guy had earlier told us about how Colin had the Lotus emblem built into the factory wall facing the runway(today's test track) instead of the main entrance, so it would be visible to prospective clients and customers as they came in to land.
A very nice unexpected buffet spread was laid on to us and it was delicious.
A quick look around the Lotus shop before heading over to Classic Lotus for the afternoon. We managed to ask to keep the shop open longer than was planned and this was welcomed by the shop assistant. No pressure to buy something on our return then though. That was not a problem, as I had already spotted a couple of long sleeved t-shirts for this years French Frolic on Scotty C recommendation.
Classic Team Lotus was very interesting to see.
We were greeted by Clive Chapman and we had a little chat with him and he asked if we were going to Duns in May for the Jim Clark event and if we had ever been to Goodwood, as that was why the cars were there all getting prepared. I was amazed that we were allowed in to see all the cars and the mechanics/engineers working on them. Seeing original drawings along with various set-up measurements/corner weights and race lap times was very intriguing.
Jim Clarks engineer Bob, was busy rebuilding this car, but took time out to talk to Kathy and myself.
Guy then informed us that it was the actual car from this photograph that Bob was working on.
We walked through a few more rooms passing several cars along the way and I wished that I knew more about the history of Lotus when it was at the forefront of F1 in bygone years. YouTube here we come. Well I don't need to watch Exige reviews now, do I? Lol.
Time was now approaching three o'clock and we had spent a good five hours being treated and looked after very well indeed. I could easily have stayed a bit more. Maybe a future Cup car and a tour around the Motorsports building one day would be nice. The day had been perfect so far (apart from the airport scare) and we thanked Guy and Rob very much for making it so. Also we could have done with some warmer weather too, as it was freezing walking between buildings, but the smile was keeping me warm.
For anyone thinking of doing the 'Hethel Experience', we thouroughly recommend it. (In fact, as we were having dinner later that night we talked about doing it again when we bought the next Lotus.)
The time had come to get in and start it up and get the tyres scrubbed in.
We had the small matter of getting past security, but we were told that they knew we would be leaving with a new car. On arrival at the security gate, it felt as though we were stealing the car by the quizzical look we were getting, but a show of the given relevant paper and a little wave with a smile and the barrier was raised high.
A quick Google Maps mileage estimate on the Wednesday night before going to bed came up with a milage of 1018miles. Pretty much perfect for the running in procedure, which would further include any evening runs and the trip down to MMC this coming Friday for the first service and a few goodies installed. I will be getting Craig to arrange for the soft-top conversion, harnesses and bar, towing eyes front and rear and also some additional side sill protection. Brandon has also got an indoor car cover for me and arranged for the relevant number plates to be made up for the registration which is currently on retention.
Below there are Google Map pictures of a rough route that I had planned for us to take over the next few days after searching for best driving roads in Britain on a few sites such as these; http://www.drivingforpleasure.co.uk/roa ... -roads.php
The route takes in the Peak District, Snake Pass, Yorkshire Dales, Holme Moss, Lake District, St Marys Loch and a few more Borders roads, Loch Lomond, Loch Tay, Pitlochry, Glenshee, Braemar and Royal Deeside. The rest of Scotland can wait for a while.
Thursday afternoon/evening.(Point A is Hethel)
After a very gentle run with the car we stopped here at Rothley Court for the night.
In the morning some of the hotel guests were looking at the total solar eclipse with their special glasses, well i was looking at my own Solar Yellow eclipse with my Oakleys.
Friday.
We travelled over the 'Snake Pass' which was a decent road, but in all fairness anything is decent once you leave the city centre roads. It was steady with traffic and had plenty of warning signs and road markings to say so. Plenty of time to have fun later and the car was still under 600miles anyway. We drove over to Harrogate to visit the famous Bettys Tea Rooms but we had to wait in the queue to get in at about 16:00.
A refreshing drink for me and we had a nice selection of cakes too. Well, they looked too good to turn down. A quick look in past the Specialized Concept Store cycling shop and my eyes lit up at one the display bikes. An S-Works Venge speed machine looked stunning. However at £8500 it was not to be. I had my own speed machine to get back too. We had earlier parked on the main street and left plenty of space between the car in front and enough for someone to park behind, but when we returned two others had parked within inches of the front splitter and rear diffuser. First try out of the reversing sensors then, but my arms got a bigger work out trying to get out of the space. The steering is heavy at parking speeds, but once your moving its perfect. We drove over a few roads which the Tour had ridden and the scenery and the roads were getting better and better the further north we travelled. (Its ok i won't post on SELOC )
We stayed here in Abbey House in Barrow-In-Furness.
Private parking was very nice.
Saturday.
We stopped at the car museum in Windermere and bought this appropriate book after Thursdays visit to Classic Lotus.
We had a laugh and wondered if this was how Tut got his driving licence years ago.
I had a go at this game after Kathy insisted. Honestly.
After the Car Museum we drove to Penrith via Keswick and this is where the Exige started to show its beauty. The drive up from Penrith, via Hayden Bridge is mentioned as one of the best driving roads and its not wrong. So far so good.
From Hayden Bridge to Carter Bar was brilliant and part of the route is like a massive roller coaster ride, but i had a funny feeling that the next part was going to be much of the same. On the way to Carter Bar I noticed a motorbike parked at my side of the road with the rider standing on the opposite. As I slowed down and drove between them I noticed someone else sitting in the ditch. Oh no, I thought there must have been an accident and duly turned around to offer any help. Not to worry though, there was only one bike which had a puncture and his pillion rider was just sitting in the ditch keeping warm waiting for the recovery vehicle to come along. A huge sigh of relief from myself and Kathy and a wee chat with the driver before moving on again.
The stop for the obligatory photographs at Carter Bar.
Still smiling because the car was now home and in roads for which it was made for.
My navigator was getting tired now and it was time to move on, but i could have driven around here all night. Its awesome.
Andy Gordon, I owe you a pint for mentioning this next section.
St Marys Loch. Epic, just epic. 
A newly resurfaced road for part of the journey felt like it was all made for the Exige and i was in my element too, smiling all the way down. 
I stopped here for photographs and to let the palms of my hands dry. Just look at the picture below, it makes me want to drive it all again.
We only seen about a dozen cars from Penrith all the way round to Moffat. Its the best selection of roads together that I have ever driven, it was something else. I propose a 'Sweeping Up The Leaves' around that loop, with an overnight stay somewhere with a few beers afterwards. Anyone keen?
A quick blast from Moffat to Elvanfoot for 15miles along the M74 was the only real motorway driving of the whole trip and the car was no trouble at all. The long drives either end of the French Frolic may tell a different story though. Time will tell.
A quick jet wash of the car at the end of the day. 650 miles were now covered so tomorrow meant it was time to push the engine a little bit more. As per the stipulation in the owners manual of course.
A pint of Red Bull was required after todays run to bring me back down from the fun that was had earlier on the road. Kathy being a pharmacist has its benefits too, but the drugs from Tarland were not needed today. The natural adrenalin rush was more than adequate. Anyhow I only require the 'Controlled Drugs" when cycling with Hendeg. (Help the Aged mate)
Sunday.
We stopped for lunch in Killin and then at the other end of Loch Tay for a Photograph.
A quick blast over to Glenshee and we stopped at the Ski Centre for some refreshments. It was closed due to a private party for all the staff marking the end of the skiing/boarding season. Somehow we were invited in to join the party and with the additional surprise being that the Locum who looked after the pharmacy for Kathy while we were away was one of the instructors who could not attend. Small world indeed. Everything was free of charge and the donation tin got a late addition. About a dozen of the boozy partygoers came out and were eager to see the new toy before we travelled the last few miles. A quick jet wash and then the car was locked away in the garage until the next adventure. Time for a beer and watch the Man U vs Liverpool game, then off to bed.
Fuel usage on the trip was pretty good with about 200miles for a full 40l tank. Not bad at all considering the performance being used and percentage still available.
The car is everything that has been mentioned in the reviews, so no point in me saying anymore other than its awesome.
Eventually we arrived home and had driven 970 miles in total. So thats about 5% out from the quick Google Maps mileage estimate that was made on the Wednesday night before going to bed which came up with a milage of 1018miles. Pretty much perfect for the running in procedure, which would also include any evening runs in the coming days and the trip down to MMC this Friday for the first service and a few goodies installed. I will be getting Craig to arrange for the soft-top conversion, harnesses and bar, towing eyes front and rear and also some additional side sill protection. Brandon has also got an indoor car cover for me and arranged for the relevant number plates to be made up for the registration which is currently on retention.
All in all, i think that the car got one of the best routes home for the running in procedure.
This was also a stocking filler last Christmas from Kathy which will be attached on the harness bar too.
I have never given any of my cars a nickname or referred to them as male or female, but this one is getting called Smiley for obvious reasons.
Thanks for reading this long post, but it will be a small reminder to me of a wonderful weekend and the start of the next chapter with SE and the Lotus family.
Steve.
Ps. Kinger,this is all your fault and you will soon have a challenge with the 'I love this car' posts.
. (only jesting mate)
great write up and a epice trip home.
