MY EX WEIGHS 756KG (some text hidden) --NONE--

BY ANDY ENRIGHT

Introductionword count: 109

Finding a hard top car more uncompromising than a Lotus Exige is a pretty thankless task. Designed from the outset as a road legal track car, the Exige takes what's best about the Exige and ramps up the attitude a good few notches. From its mini Group C sportscar profile to its stripped out interior, the Exige never feels anything less than utterly bonkers. Wearing on anything but a fast, twisty road or track, it's a specialised tool. Despite being a darling of the motoring press, used examples are notably thin on the ground. If you can find a decent example, you'll have netted yourself a guaranteed future classic.

Modelsword count: 7

Models Covered: (2 DR COUPE 1.8 PETROL)

Historyword count: 155

Although pre-release designs had long been doing the rounds and the Sport Elise racing car gave heavy clues as to how it would turn out, the first time you clapped eyes on a Lotus Exige was, for most hardcore petrolheads, a seminal moment. Launched in summer 2000, the Exige was always going to be a minority interest vehicle. Retailing at a heady £32,995 upon launch, this was a car that was designed for the wealthy track day enthusiast. Unfortunately, many of these customers already had their eyes fixed on the beautiful 2001 model year Elise and wrongly regarded the Exige as old technology. The price eventually came down to £29,995, but still sales were poor. Production was never rampant and by the tail end of 2001 had slowed to a trickle. Lotus started encountering more serious financial problems in 2002 and the Exige was quietly withdrawn, an inauspicious tale ill befitting such a magnificent car.

What You Getword count: 267

After climbing from, say, an equivalently priced Mercedes SLK or a Porsche Boxster into an Exige, it would be easy to surmise that you don't get a whole lot. Your rear view is interrupted by the uninspiring sight of a Rover 1.8 K-series cylinder head and cabin fittings are noticeable by their absence. Many customers opt for a £1,500 engine upgrade that bumps power up to 190bhp through revisions to the engine management software, a different inlet pulley, thermostat and catalyst replacement pipe. Whichever option is chosen, there's little doubt that the Lotus Exige is one of the most magnificent pure driver's cars anywhere at any price. The 1.8-litre K-series engine naturally can't match a Latin exotic for sheer charisma, but the look on a Ferrari driver's face as you come zizzing by him on a track day is ample recompense. Right from the off you're aware that this is going to be no ordinary ride. Fold yourself over the high, broad sill and down into the thinly padded drivers seat and you'll be faced with a forward view that will be familiar to many early Elise owners, the Stack instruments a model of clarity, the rest of the cabin a minimalist vision. Four point race harnesses are standard equipment but before you even move away, the car's lightness is palpable. It almost feels as if you're strapping the Exige to yourself and not vice versa. Twist the key and that 1.8-litre engine found in such mundane fare as the Rover 25 barks into life, hunting and crackling rudely at idle as if laying down a challenge.

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