Elise whining 1st gear

[hagbardce]

Hi all...looking for my first elise and just tested a likely candidate; the only thing that concerns me is that whilst driving in 1st gear (1000-3000rpm) there's a prominent whining sound (not present in any of the other gears). A friends elise doesn't seem to do this, but I've spoken to a few dealers and described the symptoms and they seem to suggest it's probably nothing to worry about..does anyone know if it could be a potential problem? Have had the car checked by the RAC and they commented on it as well, although could offer no explanation.
Cheers,
Gareth