It’s hard to understand how they made such an error on the front cage section as I thought the cockpit of the S3 was identical to an S2 where there are lots of existing designs? I can understand that the rear stays might be a bit longer on the v6.
Here’s some photos of my Hot Lap cage if that helps with ideas for the door bars …
Wow!.. that looks a lot better than mine! … a hint of the Caterham style of cage that one!
Maybe the doors of the V6 are thicker (?) as my bars seem to run along the sill like yours but the doors still stick out two inches.
Anyway, Custom Cages (yes, now named and shamed) simply suggest cutting away large sections of the door (Big Help eh!) which I think is a complete bodge when there is three inches from the bar to edge of the Tillett seat side! My mechanic man is going to carefully do this in the hope that we can possibly replace these chopped bits at a later date when we figure out how to re-route the door bars or whatever. What a palarva!
Here you go Tony, I had to dig through the archives from a decade ago but here’s the Custom Cages kit that I had fitted to my S1 Elise 190. Not the best photos but you can see where we had to cut out the base of the door to clear the door bars.
There is another alternative of course, cut out the door bars! Not elegant but could be tidied up since it’s not yet painted. They’re not a requirement for circuit and I also had a letter from the MSA confirming that they weren’t required for Stage rallying due to the height of the sills.
And in a side impact that 3" will be 0". I’d leave it exactly where it is and cut the doors out, or get some cheap secondhand doors and cut those out.
Well, my man has now chopped the doors to accommodate these bastaddd bars, (can’t bear to photo it) but what a mess it looks and he has had to remove the central locking motor as well as chunks of door … and we can’t re-fit the door panel cards without chopping them either!
I know this is a competition car but I still want it to be presentable and not look like the ‘bodge job’ it currently does!
The car is entered into the big British Championship meeting at Shelsley Walsh this weekend, but I want it sorting properly after that.
Anyroad, (good old Trading Standards department) I have now formerly written (!) to the cage company and requested that they take the car back and re-route the door bars accordingly, I will then buy some more doors (pair on eBay I’m told?) and complete the interior correctly. let’s see what they come back with!
I used to be just a grumpy old man … but now I am … MR BLOODY ANGRY!
I hope you get a satisfactory result.
Yes indeed. Some people go out of there way to make sure it’s just the job, some clearly and sadly don’t.
So you gonna make it out for the weekend?
We need to see some more pics!!
Well, the threat of legal action obviously did the trick … the MD of the cage company personally came to sunny Shropshire to view my car and listened to me moaning and accepted that yes, perhaps they should have mentioned somewhere along the line that I would need to butcher the interior around their cage … but really it was too late to change the layout and of course, safety is paramount so I will have to live with it! Oh, and the roof needs the strengthening (?) internal side bars chopping to fit around the bars as well … ho hum! … so an S2 Mohican single skin roof has been … umm errr … fitted (Tiger seal, cable ties and gaffer tape)
Anyroad, moving swiftly on … ‘My man’ worked late into the night and I collected the car at 6am this morning (Saturday) to enable me to practice and qualify at Shelsley Walsh today … which I did! Pouring rain and slippery track, but two very steady runs in full ‘Touring’ mode (just in case) …and the car went like a dream!
I even beat my rival in his crappy Porsche Cayman fully sorted money-no-object 3.9 lightweight etc etc … Paaah !
… But proper timed competition runs tomorrow are what count! … fingers crossed and I will post pics!
PS: The scrutineers loved the cage though … complete with chunky door bars and thick tubing … bless em!
“I even beat my rival in his crappy Porsche Cayman fully sorted money-no-object 3.9 lightweight etc etc … Paaah !”
Good lad…keep up the good work, I’m sure it’s going to be worth it
Great stuff!! Get some photos up of the car then!
At least the car passed scrutineering, it would have been a real pisser after all that if they didn’t like yer cage.
Good luck tomorrow, make sure you don’t ‘do a Beadsmoore’ 
Good luck tomorrow. Mug the Gayman 
For the avoidance of doubt this is ‘doing a Beadsmoore’.
Chris was of fine and the car is on its way back although has taken some time (years).
Good luck today. I found that the results are online here for anybody that’s interested :
http://www.resultsman.co.uk/LiveTiming/EventViewer.php?DB=Resultsman&Download=907
If I’m reading the results right it looks like you had a successful first outing 
Wow, that looks serious! … but glad the driver was unhurt … it is a very narrow and very fast track!
Couldn’t beat the Cayman (who did a PB) Dammmmit … and I struggled with sport/race traction control modes but I was just glad to be there, Exige shows real promise and I had a great day, lots of good comments on the menacing look of the car!
yeah that looks mega!
Really pleased you got to run Tony, car looks brilliant 
Were you out again at Shelsley over the weekend Tony?
My Dad mentioned he’d spoken to someone is a white Exige V6, I figured it must have been you!
How did the car go on its second outing…
Car went well thanks, still needs a little fettling and desperate for proper soft tyres, but I am out at MIRA on Saturday so that should suit it a little better and also give me some valuable time in the seat! I’ve got tweaks planned for over the winter so I am hoping to hit the ground running next year!