PH Easter Exige Extravaganza!
This year was the Exiges.com 10th Easter track day at Anglesey - PH went along to join the party
And not just for the obvious reasons, either, because we all know that driving the fastest Exige ever made across Wales to arguably Britain's best circuit beats spending the weekend eating chocolate with your Nan. As much as anything else, the point of the weekend was to experience a proper owner's club meet, to see why people want to be involved and understand the dedication that sees dozens come to Anglesey in their Lotuses every Easter. (The Exiges.com Easter track day has been running for 17 years, with this the 10th one at Anglesey.)
Ben Phillips was my guide for the weekend, a long-term Exige owner and prominent figure in this owners club. Sadly with his Exige S1 still being worked on, Ben had his Seven R300 race car taken to Anglesey and arrived in his E63. You know, the 585hp rear-wheel drive one. You'd like Ben. Having spent all of 10 minutes with him, you get an insight into what makes owners clubs like Exiges.com so appealing: everybody knows Ben, Ben knows everybody, and they all have stories to share and conversations to catch up on.
You can certainly see it everywhere, fathers attending with sons, husbands attending with wives and so on. A 'family atmosphere' is about as hackneyed as cliches get, but there's a real sense of belonging here, and of helping each other out, yet they're incredibly welcoming too: it's an inclusive, friendly bunch of people, which again just makes you want to be part of it even more. Always helps if you've got a brand new and very fast version of the Lotus everybody else has, too...
Unsurprisingly the 430 proves popular, and being among its own kind makes it far easier to appreciate the changes from lesser S3 Exiges. Next to a 380 Sport you can really notice the higher wing, those gaping front intakes and all the extra carbon - it creates a much more assertive looking car, even if the spec sheet may not have entirely convinced you. Next to an original 350hp S3, it almost feels like the difference between 911 Carrera and GT3 RS - there's just so much more attitude.
While the weather inevitably made a track day involving Lotuses trickier than it really should have, the infectious and undiluted enthusiasm of the Exiges.com guys and girls proved impossible to ignore. They clearly love the brand and love their cars - understandable when you see the vehicles in question - but they also love sharing their cars with people who have the same passion as they do. Whatever you drive, indeed whatever your passion is, don't we all love doing that? That's why there were so many people at Anglesey, why projects will continue to be worked on, why Lotuses will be kept and, even if the Lotuses go, why these people will continue to be part of Exiges.com. Because it's the people that have become more important, and the friendships made, rather than simply owning the car.
Huge thanks to Exiges.com and BookaTrack for having us along - see the full list of BaT track days here. Off track Exige 430 pics from Will Aron.
I love the car ( and I was there on the day ) but I don’t understand these new track toys that are effectively too fast for the road - whilst being too loud for the track!!
Or am I missing something?
I love the car ( and I was there on the day ) but I don’t understand these new track toys that are effectively too fast for the road - whilst being too loud for the track!!
Or am I missing something?
Noise aside, I think the car is brilliant and I’d love one.
Ultimatley I suppose you can see why they make the decision they do... I'd imagine the majority of Exiges will never be driven on track by their original owners and for people who do want to track them, the cost of an exhaust is probably fairly trivial compared to the cost of consumables. Still they should (IMO) at least offer the option of a track- (and neighbour-) friendly exhaust.
I love the car ( and I was there on the day ) but I don’t understand these new track toys that are effectively too fast for the road - whilst being too loud for the track!!
Or am I missing something?
Noise aside, I think the car is brilliant and I’d love one.
I love the car ( and I was there on the day ) but I don’t understand these new track toys that are effectively too fast for the road - whilst being too loud for the track!!
Or am I missing something?
Even for a site like Pistonheads, the majority of members haven't and won't ever do a track day - despite being into cars.
And so, people would rather feel like they are driving a sporty car in a sporty manner. The knowledge of being in and owning a capable track car is satisfaction enough. You can't blame Lotus here; it's Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini and others that have led the pack and Lotus have simply followed to what they believe buyers now want these days.
A loud (and hopefully sonorous) exhaust note is what turns heads, enhances the experience and induces a grin. Whatever your individual thoughts, the amount of YouTube and Instagram car videos focused purely on noise show how important it is to sell the appeal of a sports or supercar.
Anyway, your dismay is misdirected. It's the people who live around tracks who are the problem.
Perhaps because of the motorsport roots of the original Exige, exiges.com has always been a forum where trackdays/motorsport have been in the foreground. If you've ever driven an Exige S1, you'd too conclude that it would be illogical to put up with such a compromised on-road ying, without sampling the on-track optimised yang. Trouble is, the yang becomes addictive and the tolerance for ever-increasing levels of ying-compromise sets in. Exiges.com has been the place to share that journey, egged-on by a knowledgable and enthusiastic community.
I'd really hope that it's not true that the majority of new Exiges sold never see a circuit, but acknowledge that it's almost certainly true. As such, the bias needle moves towards on-road where the aural characteristics are a vital part of the experience for most Sportscar buyers. For me an Exige Cup 430 deserves to see a circuit, you simply cannot fully understand its capabilities on the road. Yes, it's a shame to have to invest further to quieten down a trackcar for track-use, but owners communities help find the most cost-effective way or find events where it's less of an issue. Put it this way, there's more than one reason exiges.com have ended up at Anglesey for x10 years on the trot..
Anyways, thanks for coming Matt it was great to have you along!
The market for modern sports cars does seem to demand something that ‘sounds right’. Making the Exige compliant with UK trackday noise regulations would probably loose more sales than it gains. However, Lotus really should offer a quieter option, rather than having to look for an aftermarket solution.
By the way, I see Bookatrack are running an ‘unsilenced’ day at Donington in June. A chance to get the car out on track without falling foul of the regs.
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