Porsche 991.2GT3 RS vs Lotus Exige spoty 410
Discussion
https://www.pistonheads.com/news/features/porsche-...
I've set my heart on getting some form of Lotus next year to complement my other cars..Current favourite is the Lotus Exige sport 410 but also looking for a nice Exige sprint 220..Anyone had experience either having driven both or being a passenger..
This video highlights some of the Lotus's shortcomings flat out which i wasn't expecting..Its not meant as a replacement for my new RS as that car is a long term keeper..
I've set my heart on getting some form of Lotus next year to complement my other cars..Current favourite is the Lotus Exige sport 410 but also looking for a nice Exige sprint 220..Anyone had experience either having driven both or being a passenger..
This video highlights some of the Lotus's shortcomings flat out which i wasn't expecting..Its not meant as a replacement for my new RS as that car is a long term keeper..
Exige is a totally different experience to a GT Porsche.
I drove and Exige 410 Sport at Silverstone in the chucking rain back in April. I loved it.
The smaller dimensions, light weight and direct but unassisted steering meant that it told me everything I needed to know about the surface and grip, that I could choose what I wanted to do.
Light weight means it really has punch. Sounds pretty good.
BUT they are not as road friendly as a GT Porsche for covering long distances to a track day or for grand touring/road trips. That by design and that’s the choice you make.
I also drove an Evora 430… didn’t like that as much.
I drove and Exige 410 Sport at Silverstone in the chucking rain back in April. I loved it.
The smaller dimensions, light weight and direct but unassisted steering meant that it told me everything I needed to know about the surface and grip, that I could choose what I wanted to do.
Light weight means it really has punch. Sounds pretty good.
BUT they are not as road friendly as a GT Porsche for covering long distances to a track day or for grand touring/road trips. That by design and that’s the choice you make.
I also drove an Evora 430… didn’t like that as much.
Edited by TDT on Friday 20th December 20:57
EGTE said:
If you want slightly more day-to-day usability than an Exige, an Evora (such as 410 or 430) can do it all. I believe the Evora 430 is actually the Hethel lap-record holder, too.
I was actually considering an Evora 410 until very recently..I've since decided that whatever Lotus i buy has to be very light weight and have a removable roof panel..Long distance comfort is not even in my reckoning as i'm a very hardy outdoor type. I've seen what looks like a pretty perfect Elise Sprint 220 in the classifieds.https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
Caterham another strong contender for me even before Julier's reccomendation.
Edited by Taffy66 on Friday 20th December 21:45
On the road the increased agility of the Exige and Elise will stand out over the GT3. Not so obvious on A roads, but when you get on a twisty B-road there is a big difference in the change of direction. Especially a fast series of corners, where the GT3 is not so sharp. This will be even more pronounced in the Elise.
Conversely on track nearer the limit, I would say that the rear wheel steer on the GT3 gives a much better sense of rotation (to me) on entry to the slower corners. And traction on exit is obviously a lot better in the GT3.
The brakes on the Exige also feel so much stronger than the GT3's (steel) brakes. Somewhere like the entry to Rocket at Anglesey I have full confidence in the Exige, but always a little wary in the GT3.
The steering is obviously a lot more informative in the Exige.
I used to track a V6 Cup. I also drove an Exige 410 at Hethel earlier this year. The cars felt very similar in terms of handling and balance etc. on track. The 410 was noticeably quicker to accelerate, but not as much a difference as I expected. Gear change in the older V6s was not so great. It was still flick of the wrist, but not the greatest action. Newer 410 seemed much better. Finally my Cup was raw, noisy, bouncy and uncompromising. I used to enjoy driving to the track and the day itself, but the trip back could be a bit arduous. A 410 with the NVH pack would sort all that out.
Also found I had to play around with the Nitrons and tyre pressures in my Cup quite a bit to find a nice balance for the road.
I would add that I personally found the carbon seats in the Exige more comfortable that the GT3's as I was a bit too upright in the latter.
Exhaust also sounds good from outside the car, but not so great inside.
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I also drove an Evora 410 at the same time as the Exige. It seemed to have less acceleration in 2nd and 3rd than the Exige, whilst simultaneously having less traction and spinning up the rears. This was in the wet. On corner entry the whole car seem to roll quite a bit, whereas the Exige was on rails. That was my quick takeaway from that day.
Conversely on track nearer the limit, I would say that the rear wheel steer on the GT3 gives a much better sense of rotation (to me) on entry to the slower corners. And traction on exit is obviously a lot better in the GT3.
The brakes on the Exige also feel so much stronger than the GT3's (steel) brakes. Somewhere like the entry to Rocket at Anglesey I have full confidence in the Exige, but always a little wary in the GT3.
The steering is obviously a lot more informative in the Exige.
I used to track a V6 Cup. I also drove an Exige 410 at Hethel earlier this year. The cars felt very similar in terms of handling and balance etc. on track. The 410 was noticeably quicker to accelerate, but not as much a difference as I expected. Gear change in the older V6s was not so great. It was still flick of the wrist, but not the greatest action. Newer 410 seemed much better. Finally my Cup was raw, noisy, bouncy and uncompromising. I used to enjoy driving to the track and the day itself, but the trip back could be a bit arduous. A 410 with the NVH pack would sort all that out.
Also found I had to play around with the Nitrons and tyre pressures in my Cup quite a bit to find a nice balance for the road.
I would add that I personally found the carbon seats in the Exige more comfortable that the GT3's as I was a bit too upright in the latter.
Exhaust also sounds good from outside the car, but not so great inside.
---
I also drove an Evora 410 at the same time as the Exige. It seemed to have less acceleration in 2nd and 3rd than the Exige, whilst simultaneously having less traction and spinning up the rears. This was in the wet. On corner entry the whole car seem to roll quite a bit, whereas the Exige was on rails. That was my quick takeaway from that day.
Steve Rance said:
Very different driving propositions. Nice to have both in your garage. I love the immediacy of a light weight chassis and have a very soft spot for Lotus (have an Elise S1 in my garage) but to me, there is nothing like getting the most from a big GT car.
I love my new RS and the best car i've ever driven so its a keeper as i can't be arsed to go through the hassle of getting another..Ideally i want a British built, very lightweight, manual, open top and all for under £40K..Its to complement the RS and 458 which are both brilliant cars although sometimes i yearn for a good old fashioned British sports car..I configured a new Caterham 420S last night for about £37K(factory built) which is my ideal price point..The Old english white Elise Sprint 220 with Kovatec 265 conversion in my original post is also a contender.
I'm starting to wonder if this thread is appropriate in the Porsche section, however as its to compare with an RS hopefully it won't get moved by the mods.
Taffy
I can't claim to match your fleet of exoticas (just the single 991.1 GT3 for me as my Sundays, highdays and holidays car) but I have had Caterhams for more than 20 year now and currently have a couple of them tucked away in the garage - an R500 (for track) and a CSR 260 (for road).
I can confirm that the Porsche-Caterham combo is a good - and surprisingly popular - one! Despite their obvious differences, both car types somehow complement each other, whilst leaving no room to doubt that each is a serious "driver's car" in its own right. Not even sure which produces the biggest grin when behind the wheel.
The Caterham section on PH is a pale shadow of its former self. Best resources include BlatChat (the Lotus Seven Club forum - you don't need to be a member to access and read) and a variety of Facebook groups (easy to find). If you're serious, I'm happy to chat about my experiences and thoughts - fell free to pm me if that might help.
Have fun - I have always thought that doing the pondering, narrowing down the options, then hunting down (the thrill of the chase, etc) is a large part of why we enjoy these crazy car pastimes!
James
I can't claim to match your fleet of exoticas (just the single 991.1 GT3 for me as my Sundays, highdays and holidays car) but I have had Caterhams for more than 20 year now and currently have a couple of them tucked away in the garage - an R500 (for track) and a CSR 260 (for road).
I can confirm that the Porsche-Caterham combo is a good - and surprisingly popular - one! Despite their obvious differences, both car types somehow complement each other, whilst leaving no room to doubt that each is a serious "driver's car" in its own right. Not even sure which produces the biggest grin when behind the wheel.
The Caterham section on PH is a pale shadow of its former self. Best resources include BlatChat (the Lotus Seven Club forum - you don't need to be a member to access and read) and a variety of Facebook groups (easy to find). If you're serious, I'm happy to chat about my experiences and thoughts - fell free to pm me if that might help.
Have fun - I have always thought that doing the pondering, narrowing down the options, then hunting down (the thrill of the chase, etc) is a large part of why we enjoy these crazy car pastimes!
James
Edited by short-shift on Saturday 21st December 09:59
Elise must be the Choice then.
Caterham you will never use, it like a motorbike on 4 wheels but less fun.
Elise vs Exige is like saying Exige vs GT3, as the lack of weight and how an Elise feels really is all you need on UK B roads, nothing changes direction like an Elise.
The V6 is heavy on consumables also vs an Elise and the Cof G is very high in the Exige.
The power of the 410 is nice but do you need another car you can only use 70% of ?
The other choice at £40k and better than an Elise really is the 987 Spyder.
After owning 2 Lotus Elise and Exige, my Spyders a better car with steering feel on a par. The best steering car I have ever owned was my Noble 3r btw.
But a 987.2 Spyder is very hard to beat as an all round package.
And that car over the last 7 years has stopped me getting my 3rd Lotus.
Caterham you will never use, it like a motorbike on 4 wheels but less fun.
Elise vs Exige is like saying Exige vs GT3, as the lack of weight and how an Elise feels really is all you need on UK B roads, nothing changes direction like an Elise.
The V6 is heavy on consumables also vs an Elise and the Cof G is very high in the Exige.
The power of the 410 is nice but do you need another car you can only use 70% of ?
The other choice at £40k and better than an Elise really is the 987 Spyder.
After owning 2 Lotus Elise and Exige, my Spyders a better car with steering feel on a par. The best steering car I have ever owned was my Noble 3r btw.
But a 987.2 Spyder is very hard to beat as an all round package.
And that car over the last 7 years has stopped me getting my 3rd Lotus.
Edited by Porsche911R on Saturday 21st December 11:53
Slightly biased as we have an S1 Elise track car. For fun, steering feel & rawness I'd be going for the Elise.
Tried an Exige Sport recently when looking for another small, fun road car and didn't like it as much as I thought I would. Ended up buying a mint low mileage Cayman R instead which is fab.
The white Elise you've highlighted looks brilliant, that would be an awesome little machine.
260bhp in an 845kg Elise = massive fun on track.
Tried an Exige Sport recently when looking for another small, fun road car and didn't like it as much as I thought I would. Ended up buying a mint low mileage Cayman R instead which is fab.
The white Elise you've highlighted looks brilliant, that would be an awesome little machine.
260bhp in an 845kg Elise = massive fun on track.
I don’t have a GT3 in the garage but a 991.2 C2S and I also have Elise250 cup for track days and B road blasts. A drive to the Alps or Scotland is 911 territory for me, so my man maths justified these as different purchases. I went for the Elise over the Exige V6 since I still found the Elise great for track days and it’s low on consumables. I did think about a Caterham too but I felt that I would use it less than the Elise (with the hardtop on).
Thanks everyone as i found all the responses very helpful..Based on this i've already discounted the Exige for the same reasons as some of you have mentioned..I considered a 987 Spyder however i really don't want another Porsche and i have already decided its got to be well below 1000Kg and made in Britain..I really feel i'ts time to start supporting good deserving British car makers as i've spent an absolute fortune on their German counterparts..
The white Sprint is very appealing and fits my brief perfectly but i'm also favouring a new Caterham 360/420S..They both fall in my price bracket with one being new and the other used.
The white Sprint is very appealing and fits my brief perfectly but i'm also favouring a new Caterham 360/420S..They both fall in my price bracket with one being new and the other used.
Taffy66 said:
Thanks everyone as i found all the responses very helpful..Based on this i've already discounted the Exige for the same reasons as some of you have mentioned..I considered a 987 Spyder however i really don't want another Porsche and i have already decided its got to be well below 1000Kg and made in Britain..I really feel i'ts time to start supporting good deserving British car makers as i've spent an absolute fortune on their German counterparts..
The white Sprint is very appealing and fits my brief perfectly but i'm also favouring a new Caterham 360/420S..They both fall in my price bracket with one being new and the other used.
Lotus is not British any more, they sold it to Volvo.The white Sprint is very appealing and fits my brief perfectly but i'm also favouring a new Caterham 360/420S..They both fall in my price bracket with one being new and the other used.
Porsche911R said:
Lotus is not British any more, they sold it to Volvo.
The fact that its founder Colin Chapman was an englishman and the cars are built in Hethel Norfolk is enough British to satisfy my patriotic tendencies..Once you get into who the shareholders are, you are confusing matters... just like Morgan is now owned by Italians..Porsche911R said:
.
Caterham you will never use, it like a motorbike on 4 wheels but less fun.
[/footnote]
more utter crap from you R. I take it you have driven 1000's of miles in all variants, probably sideways round slippery round abouts as you are our resident driving god??Caterham you will never use, it like a motorbike on 4 wheels but less fun.
[/footnote]
Taffy, you won't regret the caterham. I stored a 420 R at my house in the french alps, and did nearly 15,000 miles through the alps on various trips with it. I only sold it because my neighbour (who was British) offered me very close to what I paid for it. I'll be getting a new one in March of next year, they are amazing little cars.
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