2005 Lotus Exige S2

Please note that the images were provided by the vendor

Highlights

• One of the best driver’s cars ever made
• Same owner from new
• Pipercross Induction kit
• Stage 2 stainless steel track exhaust
• Extensive maintenance history

Overview

Quite rightly, the Lotus Elise is regarded as one of the best sports cars ever made – huge fun to drive and built to company founder Colin Chapman’s mantra of “Simplify, then add lightness”. For many people, it was more than enough.

Sometimes, though, you can still give more – and in the case of the Lotus Exige that’s exactly what happened. In answer to the handful of enthusiasts that wanted something just a little more extreme than the Elise, in 2000 Lotus unveiled the Exige – effectively a stiffer, hardtop coupé version of the Elise built atop the same extruded aluminium architecture and powered by a more potent engine.

The original models were powered by the Rover K-Series engine, with heavily revised S2 models (from 2004) powered by a 1.8 litre Toyota twin cam instead.

It was also a better-crafted car than the first-gen, featuring a front splitter, fibreglass hardtop roof with roof scoop, rear engine cover, and rear spoiler, all of which were developed for the solitary purpose of increasing aerodynamic downforce – 45kg at 100mph, apparently.

This thinking – and moreover its execution – led contemporary reviewers to describe it as the best handling Lotus ever, and that’s against quite a back catalogue…

This one, remarkably, has had the same owner from new, who purchased the car from main agent Bell & Colvill in Surrey in 2005 and had it maintained there for the first 10 years of its life, followed by independent specialists since. He’s covered a shade under 74,000 miles in the car over the past 20 years, using it for regular commuting and the odd pan-European road trip, and reports that it has been supremely reliable.

History and documentation

• Genuine one owner car
• First registered in the UK on 10 May 2005 and supplied new by Bell & Colvill in Guildford
• UK V5C in the current owner’s name – no former keepers
• Original purchase invoice
• The seller never intended to let go of the car and so has not been religious about keeping invoices and records but nevertheless there is quite an amount of history
• Service book shows stamps for the following services: Jun 2005 @ 1,099 miles, Dec 2005 @ 9,220 miles, Dec 2006 @ 17,223 miles, Dec 2007 @ 25,212 miles, Jan 2009 @ 30,766 miles, Feb 2010 @ 37,791 miles, Oct 2011 @ 51,132 miles
• The first 5 years of service history are from Bell & Colvill and the seller reports that subsequent annual services have been with Sportmotive Services, Bournemouth
• Invoices present for services from Sportmotive for Apr 2017 @ 64,357 miles, Aug 2018 @ 64,733 miles, Aug 2020 @ 64,938 miles
• MOT until 14 May, 2026 – passed with no advisory notices
• Two keys
• Original Lotus book pack
• The seller advises that it has only been used on the road, never on track
• Cherished registration included

Interior

• Original cloth and Alcantara upholstery in very good overall condition
• Alcantara dash top
• Some very slight bolster wear to driver’s seat
• Traditionally basic cabin
• Air con decommissioned by Lotus when nearly new, at the owner’s request
• Genuine floormats
• CD-radio stereo
• Three-spoke leather Nardi steering wheel
• The seller advises that the roof lining has just been replaced due to sagging

Exterior

• Magnetic Blue Metallic
• Armourfend Paint protection film fitted from new, but has some wear and probably needs renewing
• Both doors show signs of gel coat osmosis and have been touched in
• Originally factory alloys in good order
• Nearly new Toyo Proxes tyres all-round
• Underside appears to be in good order
• Some minor marks and wear and tear, but nothing of any real note, and the seller can advise on the circumstances of every mark on the car (too much detail to go into here!)
• Small crack in nearside headlight cover
• The vendor reports that the car has never been involved in an accident

Mechanical

• 1.8-litre Toyota twin cam with variable valve timing
• Six-speed manual transmission
• 190bhp
• 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds
• 155mph electronically limited top speed
• Stage 2 stainless steel track exhaust (sounds mega!)
• Pipercross air filter and induction kit
• We’re told that all the usual Exige S2 foibles have been dealt with: the heater resistor pack has been replaced and modified, Oil cooler pipes replaced, the windscreen wiper motor replaced, ABS module replaced, radiator and cooling fans replaced, door central locking module replaced and the speedo cluster replaced and mileage corrected 73,700 miles
• Drive belt replaced Feb 2022 and pulleys checked
• The seller advises that the car has just had an oil and filter service and that it wants for nothing mechanically

Summary

This one is quite a find – many Exiges go through multiple owners, often bought by people after a bit of fun, and who want to try one out. This one, though, has been with its one and only owner from new, he knows every mark on it, and he’s only selling it because now he doesn’t need to use it as his daily transport, it’s barely getting driven.

It’s a well-maintained, usable car – not a garage queen – but its provenance means it could easily be taken to the next level and used as a collector’s car, or be kept absolutely as it is and used as a daily driver. Either way, it’s great.

To arrange a viewing, click the 'Book Viewing' button located under the 'Place Bid' button. Viewings can be booked up until the day before the auction ends, after which the option will change to 'Contact Seller' for further enquiries. This seller is located near Southampton, Hampshire.