I don't understand what's the difference between the fed elise and uk elise exhaust area. The same heat proof material is also on my car. I think Mr Shute is on a big sell in the States and of course he has to say the car is perfect, no flaws, so don't mess with it... Sounds like a bunch of sales garbage to me, federal version or not. There is heat proof material all around the exhaust system to protect the trunk and engine bay. There is none on the grill except for a tiny bit on the back of the license plate holder presumably to stop the plate from melting. Also, the idea of having the tips of the exhaust coming out under the car is a bit bizarre and i'm sure will make the diffuser damn hot. did they do this to comply with regulations or something? to make sure the exhaust does not stick out the back? or was it the only way they could fit the exhaust with the manifold swapped round?