2008 Lotus Exige

Lotus Exige S240 – Click above for high-res image gallery "What is it?" people will ask. They'll keep going. "It's fast, huh? How fast does it go?" The answer will disappoint them. Yes, it is fast, but when driving the Lotus Exige S240, its 150-mph top speed is not at the forefront of one's mind. Lotuses are more classically described as accurate weapons of destructed mass; light cars that handle as an extension of the driver's body. True to the roots laid down by the Europa, the Exige is a composite monocoque, carrying 1800cc of supercharged Toyota fury admidships. Many have glommed on to the Elise and Exige as track-day toys, but we wanted to see how this most raucous of Lotuses would do as a desert island car. If all you could swing were the payments for a single car, and you got your kicks by surgically trimming apices, could the Lotus hack it? It's certainly one of the most accurate-handling street cars we've had the pleasure of driving, and it does come with such comforts as power windows, air conditioning, and an Alpine audio system with iPod interface. Sounds like the perfect everyday car for a hardcore enthusiast, doesn't it? %Gallery-36554% Photos copyright ©2008 Dan Roth/Weblogs, Inc. You've got to be serious about driving to consider using an Exige as a commuter car. You've also got to be limber and only a little paunchy. Some body types simply will not be able to make the trip across the sill and down into the low shells of the leather trimmed seats. Those chairs, appearing very light on padding, are surprisingly comfortable. The passenger seat is fixed in place with no adjustment possible, and the driver is only allowed a fore-aft position adjustment. It's enough. The shape of the seat obviates any need for adjustable lumbar support, and there's comfort there for hours-long stints behind the Momo wheel. You're low in the Exige; everything looms high above you, and you're either not noticed at all or too much. Two small pectoral mirrors attach via aero-caressed flying buttresses, which provide scant information about what you've just buzzed past. A rearview mirror shows only the supercharger's intake plumbing. Paranoids need not apply. It's healthy to assume that everybody else on the road does not see you. On more than one occasion, we also witnessed fellow drivers doing silly things in traffic just to throw us a thumbs up or snap a picture. Everyday commuting requires the hypervigilance of a track event, perfect for the four-wheeled adrenaline junkie. Naturally, we love it. The cockpit is a proper office for the business of driving. Every control is perfectly placed; the chunky steering wheel delivers exquisitely detailed information from the tires without the filtering effects of power assist, the machined aluminum shift knob is but a twitch away and the pedals are impeccably arranged, though your footwear choice can interfere with the proceedings. Secondary controls are given secondary status. The HVAC system is controlled …
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