Great read. Keep up the good work 
Great jobs to be doing, although small they soon make a difference to the overall look/feel of the car 
Cheers, still catching up on the thread but its getting there!
Getting rid of the mankiness has made a massive difference, transforms the car from feeling unloved to new again!
Great job!
Now here is where folks may start getting offended, I’m going to add some weight to the Cup! I’ll offset it elsewhere later…
My car came with the stupid half carpets the were a feature of the S2, it never made sense when I had them in the past and still doesn’t make sense to me. They neither add luxury nor keep it raw, they just look half arsed!
Its these ones, same as all touring pack cars:
I did want to just remove them, but with the Ali gutter on top they drilled and riveted the chassis to mount it, so removing it wasn’t really an option unless I wanted holes.
I did think about taking them out and carpeting, but I know I wanted to make everything reversable if I should sell and it had to be 100% original, so best to leave it in
I still didn’t want to keep it half way up the tub, and I knew that full carpets in my 350 were so much nicer for a very small value change
As the carpets below had to remain and the ali strip had to remain, then I decided to lay in a top section, using the 350 carpets as a template
I managed to get hold of a set of full height, copy them with lightweight carpet, then chop in half using my old carpet as a template.
Just like this:
Mount them top and bottom and they look like this:
Then add back in the underseat carpet, footwell floor carpet and front bulkhead carpet and it looks like this:
The old carpet was the bagged up for if factory spec was wanted again, the two side pieces were 2kg each, all of the new carpets were less than that. For some reason the old carpet was just really thick, so actually not a weight gain at all
I really like that, agree on the touring pack carpets being half-arsed.
Would be interested in a template if you’ve still got one to copy!
That looks unbelievably clean. Gives me some inspiration to clean mine up!
I’m sure I can knock one up, will be taking them back out to do a fabric treatment on so will do a template then Will give you a shout when I’ve cut the template
Great work , for me the MY10 Cup 260 is the ultimate Exige , everything about it is special.
I had provisionally ordered one as my 4th new Exige but I decided to keep my PP240 because of the substantial extra cost at the time , a decision that I will always regret.
Fantastic car !
I know what you mean, I was all set to go for one at the time - but it seemed silly money for me at the time, and then we went to the states for a few years. It is a lovely car, S2s to me always feel special and the Cup260 was the ultimate for me - I really am enjoying it. When I got it I just kept going out in it for no reason, not something that happened with the v6, as good as it was it never had that special feeling!
Yin & yang… I actually prefer the half-arsed carpet 
We all have our strange quirks I guess 
I guess I’m more biased having been in a full carpet car for a few years so just got used to it!
Time has come for some paint action…
So despite the car being described by several people as ‘immaculate’ and not a mark on it, it was covered in stone chips on pretty much every panel. There was also lacquer burn on the drivers door where someone had got a bit optimistic with the rotary. Overall it just look tired.
So detailing isn’t an issue for me, its kinds of what I do, but it was beyond the odd touch up and full detail. Panel wise I was looking:
• Front Clam respray (big deep stone chips with, and a couple of chunks out on the leading edge)
• Sill Respray (pretty much all the lacquer gone)
• Hinge cover respray (road rash)
• Both doors (tones of stone chips, lacquer burn)
• Rear Clam (usual road rash being wheels)
• Engine cover, roof were spot on
• Access panels I could touch up and wet sand then done
So that was pretty much every panel would need touching, and it just made more and more sense to do a full respray.
It had to be a proper job or it wasn’t worth doing, and it quickly turned into lots of disappointed calls
Several wanted to leave clams on
Some had never done fibreglass
A couple refused to even go near carbon panels
Covid didn’t help I’ll be honest, bodyshops can’t quote over the phone, they also don’t seem to want you to be there to have a look
Long and short, it was down to Option 1 and Oakmere Lotus – both highly recommended, but after driving down from Cheshire to the midlands twice and both times they didn’t show for the appointment (legitimate reasons for at least one, lost appointment for another), I gave up with Option1 and went with Oakmere.
If I am honest I had avoided main dealers my experience of paint at a main dealers was awful (nothing to do with Oakmere). But after speaking to several people who are as pedantic as me with paint, Oakmere kept being recommended and Paul in parts persuaded me to at least have the conversation. So I did so and to their credit they seemed to get that I was not after a quick touch up, it was to be a full deal; every panel removed, all grills out, all seals replaced – not cheap but the closet I could get to OEM as possible. Estimate was 6-8 weeks, so its not going to be a rush job!
After tackling the inside over Christmas, she was dropped in at Oakmere on the first day back of the new year Bit of a tense time when we went back into lockdown but work has carried on…
Not much you can really recount in the way of progress, and unfortunately due to covid I can’t keep popping in an and out to see progress. But after dropping some parts in there (hint, finding parts for MY10 Exiges is becoming a nightmare) Simon offered to share some pics popping into the workshop, so heres a bit of progress!
The bits that need least paint:
Rear Clam sprayed, wetsanding in progress
Looking much better
Front clam repaired and primed
This bit used to pretty much be more stone chip than paint
Front clam looking shiny
Rear clam post wetsand
All looking good, can’t wait to see it up close!
Still a way off, and its in no rush but hoping its going to be spot on
Also still waiting for the insanely priced decal set my wife bought me 4 months ago to arrive, not sure how it takes Lotus 4 months to print a set! So that’s going to delay things, I keep being told it is just about to come!
That looks fantastic progress. You must be happy with that?
Couple of questions
-
Is the black fuel cap surround and countersunk bolts in black unique to the Cup 260?
-
Any idea of the weight of the roof panel now its in carbon?
Many thanks!
Yep, it’s looking good - still refining to go and lots of little bits. Then I need to get it back and really refine, then PPF, and ceramic coat etc - but I’m looking forward to that bit. I was going to go without stickers, as I think they look a bit max power, but now it looks a bit naked without them so I am really in two minds. I guess its sort of not looking like a cup without, but does it matter> Not sure
Re black fuel surround, it was an official lotus part (A138L0159S) that was added to mine, I don’t think its available any more. I know Matt at Silverstone was selling a bunch off a few years back. Yvo at Elise Shop and I’m sure others do them too. I swapped it on my 350 for the black one as it was the only silver bit.
For roof weight I weighed it when I first got it at 4.9kg including all trims and mounting hardware - not sure of the weight of a normal OEM roof, but my S3 roof was 14kg but that didn’t have a scoop so the savings would be bigger on the S2 Exige roof.
Mine is double skinned but not trimmed on the inside so its matte carbon, so that saves a bit too I guess, and I expect the newer s3 roof lighter still as they are made by prodrive and the quality is a step up from what Lotus were doing in 2010
Appreciate the information, thanks!
I bought the black filler surround from Elise Shop to go on my 190, it had a nice finish
I did also have to buy the cork gasket as the old one had perished, I got that from Bell & Colvill.
Noted - thanks.
Need to watch out sadly for the elise-shop as will have to pay VAT + Duty + handling fee.
Bolts are M5 x 15 countersunk, I use Black Stainless like these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BLACK-A2-STAINLESS-STEEL-SOCKET-COUNTER-SUNK-SCREWS-ALLEN-KEY-BOLTS/322927806518?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=512045777094&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
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