Elise - Exige Motorsport Project

[K20-Nut]

Hi guys,

I am wanting to build a S1 elise for motorsport using a k20 Honda engine.

What is the main difference between the base elise and the exige??

I only ask as I am looking at min to buy a cheap high mileage s1 then replace brakes, suspension and also purchase the elise parts motor sport body. (basically use the chassis etc..)

Now would it be easier to buy and exige as it already has the body etc.. or is the elise parts one lighter etc..

Any advice or websites detailing motorsport build of an S1 etc.. would be great.. Also is the S1 a better motorsport donor than the s2???

i do want to keep the vehicle road legal, but the main focus will be track days then once experienced maybe race in a series, by which time Probably be racing only.

As for the k20 transpant i am wanting to do this myself, anyone done have pics etc?

Also heard you can supercharge this engine, is this a kit etc....

Again any websites advice etc.. would be great!!

Also is it possible to buy a chassis only and howmuch are they???I have just been trying to plan for the cost of racing and was just wondering howmuch crashes would potentially cost, as I am told these chassis are un repairable if bent or torn.

Cheers

Scott

[S Works]

Get yourself over to SELOC and have a search around for K20 self-builds, someone's recently done one using the Sun kit, but be warned, it's not popular, and it's not easy.

Gotta go in eyes open on cost and effort, and potential pitfalls. Generally consensus is that the turn-key conversion options are a better way forward, and end up costing about the same.

Don't know about the Exige buy vs. Motorsport Elise build, but I would suspect the former is more straightforward and less costly in the end. I suspect the best route (cost/time/effort) would be to buy a high mileage S1 Exige with Nitrons, seats, harnesses etc. and just get it converted.

[dgr]

Take a look at the Lotus on Track Drivers Club Elise Trophy. There are a good many Elise Hondas racing. The next race is at Spa, with Brands Hatch being the final round this year on the 11th November

[toxic frog]

with the time it'll take you to build the car, you would be better sitting tight and waiting for a suitable car to come up for sale... in the past 12 months, there have been 3 or 4 very nice S1's come up with Hondas or Audis fitted... there have even been 2 or 3 motorsport bodied cars come up.

if you bide you time, you should be up and fully running for £18-25k tops.

do it yourself and you'll probably be waving goodbye to £30k+ by the time you finish

[Shnozz]

Is Tony Doe still selling his Audi monster M'sport elise?

[LRdriver II]

I looked at this, but by the time you factor in the bodykit, fitting, paintjob and expensive rims and tyres (rims are expensive as they are rare on the 2nd hand market) you end up with almost same costing as an exige. Also you will want at least the sports seats with harnesses..which costs.. and the bits that come off the elise arent exactly high value items so not much recouped there either..

Of course if you can find a destroyed S1 Elise, do the fitting yourself and have a mate spray it for chump-change, then you are quids in..
I found an Exige for 16000 and by the time I offset some costs by selling the VHPD for 1500£ (which btw, hasnt sold as nobody wants VHPDS anymore..so dont gamble on that money) its cheaper for me to do what am doing, found an exige in the colour and spec I want (A48s/ sportseats/ black metallic) and then throwing a K20A SC etc.. at it.

[K20-Nut]

Hi guys,

I have had numerous restoration projects so am up for the work and would enjoy it. I had budgeted about 20k to do it all myself, however would probably take me best part of a year myself. The Sun kit looks good frm what i have sen of it, also look relatively easy!! I have grafted porsche engine into split screen and also couple of golf gti mk1 to 16valve transplants When i was younger

I aint buying donor until next jan so maybe i can stumble on a cheap exige

Cheers guys

Scott

[S Works]

K20-Nut said:

Hi guys,

I have had numerous restoration projects so am up for the work and would enjoy it. I had budgeted about 20k to do it all myself, however would probably take me best part of a year myself. The Sun kit looks good frm what i have sen of it, also look relatively easy!! I have grafted porsche engine into split screen and also couple of golf gti mk1 to 16valve transplants When i was younger

I aint buying donor until next jan so maybe i can stumble on a cheap exige

Cheers guys

Scott

Read up very carefully on that Sun kit, I've heard it described as many things, but little of it positive. If you have a budget of £20k, you're better off IMvHO getting a turnkey conversion on the engine, and doing other bits (suspension, brakes etc.) yourself. The turnkey's are also warranteed for a year, which is worth having.