RLC has gone......Shugs video tribute to the SE legend!

[Andy G]

Awoke on Saturday feeling dazed from the night before, not getting to bed till 5am. Decided to watch the LOT Elise Series race to see Walshy take the first win. In awe of the series, hats off to Paul Golding, and mega jealous of the drivers.

Watched it and loved it. Then starting thinking…………………

Plan Uber Shed was launched.

After watching Jamie buy the Tango S1 during the previous week, a cautionary glance had been made to Pistonheads. A nice S1 was resting in Wales.

A call was made to Shug, whilst I was still waking up to ask his thoughts on purchasing an early S1 for the race series. After a good bit of chatting and looking through the regulations, a call was made to Wales, and an appointment was set ?

Class A is decided as the target (Hence Shooomers S1 was out of the reckoning despite being nearly ideal). Class B really would need a Honda’d Elise to be competitive and Class C would need an SC Honda and Jedi mind tricks to rival Walshy.

8.30am Sunday, Abbington services, and I meet the Shugster. After a quick cross country blat to drop his Merc off, we hop in the Eclass and head south. Chatting excitedly, despite this being an early start, we make good progress and are down well past Manchester within 2 hours, and in the back of beyond in Wales slightly after 12. The Eclass managed with the cross country stuff, but excelled on the Mway.

12.20 in some village neither of us can pronounce, the S1 rolls up to meet us. ?

WTF are those – rally spec blue mud guards are on the front of this otherwise mint looking car, and we are trying not too laugh……

We meet that owner and his wife, lovely couple. It transpires he bought the car but has purely as he liked the look of it. Always a dubious claim, until we establish he doesn’t know how to take the roof off!

Shug gives the car a good going over and takes it for a spin. I decide that the S2 owner is best being an advisor, and to let the man who has experienced every S1 problem to date to assess the calibre of the steed. There are a few concerns, one being the K series, but the car has only been used 4 times in the last 3 months, so its hard to be conclusive.

We strike a deal, hand over some pennies (in a big brown bag) and head for Wrexham.

What an awesome day ? Sun is out to greet my new S1 and I’m warming to the car as we drive along the country lanes we had just been exclaiming are awesome Elise roads! Still I’m focused on finding halfords and getting these mudguards off before Shug crashes through laughing ?

We stock up with an allen key tool and some mobile 1 for the k. Mudguards removed, we start to up the pace for Wrexham, with Shug in the barge and me following in the S1. Can’t stop grinning……love this car ?

After lunch I take the lead and we push on for Edinburgh to drop the Merc. We’ve got Ed on the phone, and we’ve now got Pagid 4-2’s for the front and rear. After a bit more lateral thinking we’ve also got brand new Nitrons, but we need to visit Troon for that.

2 hours later we pull off the M74 and head up the A701, the first chance to see how the S1 does. Front is really light, and we know it has different suspension front to rear which is a bit disconcerting. Still we’re skipping past everything including some bemused bikers. I’m nearly weeping with laughter when the bikers, having moved over for the Elise, then give way to Shug in the Eclass, which is bouncing along the road behind. The Elise is handling bizarrely, with front and rear behaving in different ways, but still its skipping rounds bends with great ability. I remind myself I’m only driving 3rd party and back off a bit, which means Shug is even closer in the Eclass – what entertainment in the mirrors ?

Every arrival at a new town is greeted with thumbs up and massive grins, and laughs. A hilarious journey. Wrexham to Edinburgh in 2.5 hours – lucky traffic but good going ?

In to the house, rear pagids out of the garage, an overnight bag and we are off to Ed’s. Ed, unbelievably is hung-over, and is still struggling, but has a surprise for us. Not only has he the front pagids, he has also found a de-cat pipe! Hats off ?

After some persuasion Ed is a member of our posse, and the Exige is sparked in to life for the convoy West. I loved the look of Ed’s last Exige in my mirrors, but the new car is even more awesome….love it!

After a small faux pas by Ed, Shug and I leave the petrol station while Ed returns home for his wallet. We wait for him in Glasgow at Drivers where we meet Dom, DDTB, Vxjon, Ryyan and Louise. After a brief chat and some admiring of the shed, we are off to Shug HQ and Troon.

Drizzle starts to greet us as we head out of Glasgow, but its gone by the time we get to Troon. Shug is driving now, and its no surprise that a few sideways moments are soon on the menu with roundabouts popping up with increasing regularity. I suspect they are the main reason why he lives there!

There’s some disbelief at Shug HQ that we are removing the new suspension at 11pm, but 30 minutes later we’ve 4 new nitrons and we are on our way for a beer at Elaines ?

I put the shower cap on the S1 overnight thinking to myself that I will shop Tut like distain for roofs with this car……….needless to say it rains all night ?

Morning beckons, and we have a list of things to get at Halfrauds. Stocked up with oil, oil filter, rally spec bulbs, new plugs, engine cleaner and we are off to Glasgow, to my Grandfathers house.

We get to Bearsden and drop in to see my uncle and play some GT4 with my cousins. Then help Ron cut down a hedge. He takes the Elise for a spin and is then up for helping! Uncle Ron is quite handy at these things!

At my grandfathers we are spoilt for tools...
We change and inspect the brakes, change the suspension, oil, oil filter, whip off the cat, install the decat, change the bulbs, check the tyre pressures (31 pax front vs 25 driver side ?!!!) and clean loads of parts.

Dom appears and shows us his Nova – genial ? A step down memory lane, but plans are afoot for a nice Burberry roof design!

Shug appears and confesses he’s concerned about the professionalism of the work, and that the rust is normally an essential bonding of an Elise…..not this one! I’be cleaned enough bolts, nuts, washers, brake pins etc for a life time, but the car is now taking shape.

It appears this car had standard front suspension and adjustable Koni’s on the rear, also we have a Janspeed exhaust ? Everything else appears to have been pretty well cared for.

Cool – we’ve also decided that the car will being doing the Alfa owners day, and the Glenrothes tracknight, which are Thursday and Friday this week ?

Shug confesses he thinks we have a “good canineâ€

[ed]

Another quality write up!

[Dominic]

Top write up ...feel as if we were with you all the way

[Shug]

Heh, top write up Andy mate - didn't miss anything there (well, barring the sweaty bed-share with his Lordship, but we'll let that lie )

It really is a great wee shed - in fact, I have issues even calling it a shed! Despite a few wee niggles, it's far better than any Elise has a right to be for the pittance spent buying it

Bit of excessive fettling and some quality rough love in store, top project

Oh, that merc was an absolute p*ss-laugh, especially the shocked biker!

[Sanjøy]

Another convert...... top work fella.

[Rich H]

PRRT and oil cooler if you allowed prolly a good idea too... Also change the box oil while your there too, she'll appreciate it

[gorrie]

Impulse buying at it's best !!

[Shug]

PRRT and oil cooler if you allowed prolly a good idea too... Also change the box oil while your there too, she'll appreciate it

PRT & Oil Cooler - approx £300.

New K, £300.... if it pops...

We'll probably forego them, as it's a standard engine. On the lookout for a CR box too, so the oil will be changed in that one

[Rich H]

VVC £450....?
How much work can you do in that class?

[ExigeKen]

Quality write up

[Sanjøy]

Diet ?

[Andy G]

it will be on a weight reduction programme.

Nice to have a car people know

Looking forward to hearing other cunning plans for liberating more pace from it.

Its in at CLCM tomorrow morning, and i'm off to get a 52mm throttle body tonight

Hopefully might have a CR in due course too

[Sanjøy]

When can I pop round for a shufty ? (Make it soon as it will nark up Lord E as not asked to see his yet, oo er)

[Andy G]

Possibly around tomorrow night, unless you want to join me for a jaunt out to Toms to get the throttle body tonight - 7.30/8-ish?

[jj]

Was a bit worried as to what it could be when I read the title - the barge bit specifically!

But sounds like a hoot. Having had an S1 and seeing them now in the 6-7k price brakcet they are top VFM.