I have the Toda sump and will be running R888's I think.

Will take a look at the Recaro

Exige S vs S2000.... tricky one. I don't think a well driven S2000 would be that close to a well driven Exige, particularly on a twisty track. I wasn't far off the pace of a well driven F430 at the Ring GP, and nothing got past me once I sussed the track. It's weight and overall design are hard to beat.

But for us mere mortals, I wouldn't be unhappy with a tweaked version of either!

 

Any reason why the Toda one? I was looking at the Mugen one a while back?

It's a snug fit for you and the car

I can imagine it will be quite a bit quicker especially on the right circuit! Don't forget the downforce as well, that will make a difference compared to the S2000 with it's lift!

I do agree, I would be happy with either car, extremely happy in both circumstances actually.

 

Only reason was that it was available from someone on here Toda make good stuff though.

Yep the Exige does generate a bit of downforce.

A wing on the S does appear to make a big difference, but personally i'd be a bit embarassed to drive with one on in public The Evo and Exige came with it so I could live with that!

 

Ah right, i'll keep my eye out for one then! I have the Toda TB, nice little piece!

Did you read the wind tunnel test reporting that Steve posted about the C-West parts? I don't think it had an ironing board on the back either!

I am wondering how much difference a few little lips here and there will make to the downforce?

 

The Exige is the obvious choice to me but MB's shown that it's not that simple.

I know everyone knows it already but I'll say it again - there is no such thing as a half track/half road car. It'll just end up being good at one and bad at the other or average at both.

If I was in your position (and I have been), I'd be asking myself what it is I *really* want to get out of it.

Do you enjoy driving on the track more than the road? Is it the modifying or just owning a nice car?

I think a lot of people are missing out on the real fun because they put too much emphasis on the car and not enough on what they're actually doing with it.

I consider myself quite lucky because I can answer that question quite easily and have access to very cheap secure storage.

It helped with the initial step but if things were to change I'd find another way, in fact I've already got a plan B

For me everything revolves around the track. Or so I tell myself - if that were really the case I would've swapped my Subaru for a 320d or a 1k diesel shitter years ago

 

How many miles do you as a daily driver - would an Exige's boot space, noise, and lack of visibility be an issue or is there a Mrs RedUn with another more practical car?

On a side note I do know a few people with Caterhams as their only car and daily driver - the wide body with a weather kit etc., is relatively normal and no worse than an Exige for daily driving around.

 

Graham makes a good point.

Think about what you want - is it a track car that you can drive to work, or a work car you can take to the track?

Also, if you have a Lotus, it's best if you have storage, for the first 6 months of it's life my Exige lived outside and the 2 faults it developed later in it's time with me were directly attributable to the dampness it suffered from being outside - they don't like the wet weather.
Having said that, my n/a Exige was as quick round Combe as a Sagaris (driven by a driver I used to race against, and had similar results as, so it's a fair comparison based on that I think), lap after lap we matched each other, he was quicker on the straights, I caught him in the corners, in my experience the standard S2000 is not in that territory - supercharge the Exige or the S2000 and you're a level up, but the weight will tell.

But the Exige is a rubbish daily driver, which is where the S2000 wins hands down. It'll never be a really good track car though, it's just too heavy.

 

my attentions are being taken elsewhere, considering a new project but don't really have time for it at the moment. It is the coolest thing I've ever seen though

http://www.titanaircraft.com/t-51.php

 

A friend of a friend bought a Porsche as his daily drive and track car.
When he was on the track he found he wasn’t having so much fun because he was being too precious about he car.
He didn’t want to chip the paint, stress the suspension or anything like that so he was driving it too sedately to really enjoy.

In the end he flogged the Porsche and bought an old Lotus for the track and an A6 for the road and traffic jams.
The lotus may not have been as fast, but he had a lot more fun in it.

But, like someone said, it all depends what you want to get out of the car.

 

IIRC my stock, except for Dixcels and brake master cylinder brace, was about 11 seconds slower round Spa than Mark's Exige. (3:09 vs 3:20)

HTH.