Test drove firend's lotus exige v6 cup, how it feels compare to m3

[nickzhu50581203]

I know I should put the thread in somecar vs m3, but honestly no one visits that subforum, so I thought why not put into the general forum, please don' t get mad at me.

I am very lucky that a good friend of me trade his e63 wagon for a full on track car and I had a chance to drive the car the day he bought it. Yes he is crazy and he is breaking the law to drive the car on road and put a evora license plate on the car. But we see tractors blocking the road at our area all the time so why not take this beautiful babe a spin on the road.

First thing, the gear shifting is really smooth compare to m3, espeacially gear change between first to second is unlike m3's, more like when you shift from third to fourth on your m3 which almost make a perfect transaction. And you can idle the exige at very low speed and start move at first gear very easy and smooth. The car is very easy to drive even for amateur manual driver like me.
However once you give gas everything going violent, I have drove gtr, 911 turbo, mp4-12c, granturismo mc, rs7, c63, e63 and of course my baby m3, but nothing has ever give me such thrill when I drive it. The throttle response is instant, and the supercharge picks up violently. The only feeling I got can compare to it when I ride the new yamaha r1. I feel it is the insane weight to power ratio makes the magic. R1 has 200hp and the size of a 600cc bike. The exige cup is a little bit over 1000kg and packs 360 horses. So the car gives you response at everything so quick when you driving at 30mph you feel like 50mph. It is like a small go cart. No interior except A/C, metal floor, metal pedals, metal gear shifter. No power steering too. So when you drive it on the highway you hear the wind noise, tire noise, engine noise behind you and every small details on the road is transfered to your hands. I have to drive the car twice to actually keep calm and feel the crazy grip the chassis gives you. It's almost like the car is stick to the ground.

Now it comes to my m3, I have to say at m3's level, no other car gives a feeling like a m3 and offers good interior with comfort at the sametime. The high rev engine on the m3 definitely beats the supercharged v6 on the exige. The thrill m3 gives you, a c63 will never match. I have been driven c63 for two month before and I would not even push the car during daily commute because I just feel not to do so. Although the experience of driving the exige has give me a new standard at cars, m3 is still special to me.

Just some non sense I like to share after the exciting experience and if you have a chance to drive one, don't ever hesitate and you will never regret it.

here is some pics


look at how tiny it is compare to the rs7 and even a cayman!






and my babe

[JRob23]

Good stuff. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[AriuSen]

OMG!! so jealous of you!
its my ultimate dream car!

[Flying Ace]

oh man, awesome pictures! Is this car street legal? Prior to launch, reports were saying it is not street legal, so wondering how you were able to drive it on the highways? Unless you took a chance.

[Beemdog]

Originally Posted by Flying Ace

oh man, awesome pictures! Is this car street legal? Prior to launch, reports were saying it is not street legal, so wondering how you were able to drive it on the highways? Unless you took a chance.

He took it out with no license... see Post #1 second paragraph.

Could put a paper plate for some car dealer on it and would not look that suspicious. Would hate to get impounded but you can usually talk your way out of it with "it's a brief test drive" if you are close to your home address. I frequently take off-road bikes for a spin around my neighborhood to test mods, etc.

[Flying Ace]

Originally Posted by Beemdog

He took it out with no license... see Post #1 second paragraph.

Could put a paper plate for some car dealer on it and would not look that suspicious. Would hate to get impounded but you can usually talk your way out of it with "it's a brief test drive" if you are close to your home address. I frequently take off-road bikes for a spin around my neighborhood to test mods, etc.

ha! missed that! So the guy also has a Evora?! baller. That's the way to do it, he can probably get away driving it most of the time. If the cop isn't the wiser, he see the make matches registration, doesn't check model or VIN.

Another way to commit fraud is to buy a wrecked Exige and title, register and insure it, then put those plates on this baby. It's all good until you run into some highway patrolman who really knows his cars.

[FType22]

That thing is pretty exotic, I actually think it looks pretty cool. You're a lucky guy!

[crypticc]

Originally Posted by Flying Ace

ha! missed that! So the guy also has a Evora?! baller. That's the way to do it, he can probably get away driving it most of the time. If the cop isn't the wiser, he see the make matches registration, doesn't check model or VIN.

Another way to commit fraud is to buy a wrecked Exige and title, register and insure it, then put those plates on this baby. It's all good until you run into some highway patrolman who really knows his cars.

Does the vin follow the chassis or engine and suspension? Buy a wrecked exige and swap everything except the chassis and drive it perfectly legally

[Flying Ace]

Originally Posted by crypticc

Does the vin follow the chassis or engine and suspension? Buy a wrecked exige and swap everything except the chassis and drive it perfectly legally

here in the US, the VIN is stamped into the chassis and body parts mutliple areas and the engine block. Stickers are tamper proof, and some areas are engraved into the metal itself. On my M3 there's one engraved into the front strut tower in the engine bay.

I'm just saying, you only need to switch the VIN plates on the most recongizable areas, which is the front window plate and the door sticker. Those are the common areas everyone checks. Swapping everything would be prohibitively expensive and unnecessary. Plus considering the Cup car is a limited run model, swaping parts becomes an issue for the next buyer who wants to ensure he's getting the actual cup car and not just some swapped parts.

[nickzhu50581203]

Originally Posted by Flying Ace

oh man, awesome pictures! Is this car street legal? Prior to launch, reports were saying it is not street legal, so wondering how you were able to drive it on the highways? Unless you took a chance.

Thanks man, my friend put his e63 amg wagon's plate on it before we going out. But we are not driving it like nuts. He is hoping to take evora documents with the car all time and had some one make all the vin number when he gets back in China. But the worst thing is he got called the afternoon he picked his car from porsche dealer telling him they have one more spot for a cayman gt4 . Despite how awesome the exige is I told him he sold not by this car.

BTW this car is 100% street legal in europe, american law makers sometimes are just crazy, even the BAC MONO is road legal in US.

[DSilk]

It's the same reason that the e46 M3 CSL was never sold in the US. Variations in specifications require both emissions and crash certification, which is a very expensive process. For limited appeal vehicles that are unlikely to sell very well the cost of certification isn't worth it. Before you point out (correctly) that small volume manufacturers like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti, and McLaren have all certified their full range of cars for sale, remember that the US accounts for a significant percentage of those manufacturers' worldwide sales, a situation that is (unfortunately) not repeated for Lotus.

[tdott]

Just curious, how much does something like that go for?

[nickzhu50581203]

havent been on the forum for awhile, with tax and fees the car is north of 110K dollars, but my friend is selling it now, with only 290 miles on it. He is selling it for around 90K $. I posted a selling thread.

[IIAp3x]

I almost bought a Exige S years back, but damn they beat you up for daily driving... Def a track or canyon run car, but no comforts...

Short of Ariel Atom, they are the pinnacle of the roadster chassis...

Could use just a little extra padding in the seats, but still a really cool car!