It was an unusual process. After having such an amazing time in my Elise last year I had wanted to look at a few mods to make the little car feel a bit quicker. Don't get me wrong, what an S1 Elise can do with 120hp is absolutely amazing and no one should turn their nose up at a standard car. It has been five and half years since I bought the Elise and poured heart, sole and a fair wad of cash into it to make it the solid example it is. But my eyes were beginning to wander but the sheer cost of getting into bigger and faster examples kept bringing me back to converting, or certainly tuning the Elise.
A few months ago just when Andy had put the Exige up for sale, I was discussing upgrades with a mutual friend and Lotus potty guy who asked how far Andy's Exige was from what I was looking to achieve with the Elise. Thus the dangerous thought process began. I gave Andy a call early on and even said I wasn't serious, but had a chat about owning the Exige etc and options. Andy's owned most derivatives in various states of tune. To be honest we ended the conversation and I didn't even go to see the car. But what I did do was start to work out the plan for modifying the Elise. Anyway I cut it, the numbers add up quickly, and with a busy job and a small family my days of engine projects etc are few and far between. So after doing some monumental man maths I was becoming convinced that getting a car with the upgrades I wanted, already done and in a form that actually wouldn't see my money evaporate would be a good idea.
After seeing the car though, I got cold feet. My S1 is in very good condition. Not minted but fresh paint and loads of jobs for life completed. The Exige is an honest example but with original paint and a few blemishes it made it harder to commit. I thanked Andy for the chance to look and said no ( I know right, idiot
). The week that followed was full of turmoil as I established how the engine mods on the Elise were going to work, what I needed etc. But at the back of my mind the Exige kept making more and more sense.I even reached out via various Lotus forums and found people who had known the Exige and got a good solid history of the car, warts and all which all added up to an honest example. So on Saturday I sent a wee text to Andy just to ask if it had gone, as I knew he had had some interest. Alas he was waiting on money to transfer, so I was happy that I'd asked but it wasn't to be. Disappointed but satisfied that I'd tried, and also happy for Andy to get his sale. A day later though, Andy dropped me a line to say the other party had pulled out and, well....I wasn't going to miss this time. S1 Exige purchased!
Obligatory first fill up shot.
After picking it up last night, with Andy looking a little sad to see it go (sorry mate), I spent the entire trip home getting tailgate'd and traffic light grandprix'd. Doesn't attract much attention then!
All I had to do now was get it home and into the garage. No mean feat considering the speed bumps in the estate and short angular driveway. Thankfully with some prodigious use of kerbs and awkward angles it made it.And home, ready for driveway antics...
So what about my lovely S1 I hear you ask. Well, the reason I have a love of Lotus is due to my Dad who owned a Lotus 7 and a Europa when I was a kid. He'd loved the fact I bought an Elise and looked jealously at it everytime I brought it round. The idea I was going to sell it was too much for him, he said he'd buy it right there and then. That it's staying close is a great bonus and even if he decides to move it on, his money is safe in that car so I had no qualms selling it to him. I've suggested he signs up here and gets along to some events.
