Once there, the Exige S 240 becomes an extension of my hands and feet. The car is fast, responsive and demands full attention at all times. It's a blast. There are a few Evos and Audis in my run group and I blast them all off the face of the Earth, due in large part to the capability of the Lotus. To avoid risking Lotus' car, I leave a huge margin on the table of at least four seconds a lap, but on this day it doesn't matter. I feel like Lewis Hamilton's illegitimate American half-brother and that's fine with me.
The Exige S 240 is equipped with adjustable (for tire speed differential) traction control and adjustable Bilstein dampers, but I get so caught up in the fun of driving that I forget to play around with the traction control. I find out later that I've driven the car the whole time with the system turned off. Oops.
What is perhaps the most fun part about the Exige, though, is its uncompromised handling. And by uncompromised, I mean its unfriendliness to novice drivers. The Exige S 240 displays a tendency to be quite tail-happy when the rear end gets light-drivers must not make any abrupt mid-corner throttle lifts. Smoothness is key to driving the Exige quickly. Still, Lotus would be wise to make 'able to catch oversteer' an ownership prerequisite.
Aware that this isn't my car, I only run a few sessions, but come away impressed nonetheless. To the uninitiated, the Exige S 240 is a rare, exotic piece of machinery that gathers stares with its mysterious image. But to those in the know, it's a quick, well-balanced machine with the capability to drive to the track, set fast times and then head home, with no spares or swaps required. If you can afford it, the Exige S 240 will prove to be more fun to drive than a 200bhp, fire-breathing golf cart. I may not be able to afford one myself, but my short time with it has brought me many bad ideas. Does anyone think that Colin Chapman would approve of a gutted, stripped and supercharged Malibu rental car?
Mid-Engine, Rear-Drive Superstars
|   | ACURA NSX | LOTUS EXIGE S 240 | TOYOTA MR2 TURBO | TOYOTA MR2 SPYDER |
| YEAR | 2001 | 2008 | 1995 | 2003 |
| MSRP (AT RELEASE) | $84,100 | $64,890 | $28,668 | $24,645 (5MT), $25,645 (SMT) |
| POWER | 290BHP @ 7100RPM | 240BHP @ 8000RPM | 200BHP @6000 RPM | 138BHP @ 6400RPM |
| TORQUE | 224LB-FT @ 5500RPM | 170LB-FT @ 5500RPM | 200LB-FT @ 3200RPM | 125LB-FT @ 4400RPM |
| WEIGHT (POUNDS) | 3069 | 2077 | 2888 | 2195 (2215 FOR SMT) |
| ENGINE | 3.2-LITER, DOHC V6 WITH VTEC | 1.8-LITER, DOHC I4 WITH VVTL-I, SUPERCHARGED AND INTERCOOLED | 2.0-LITER, DOHC I4, TURBOCHARGED AND INTERCOOLED | 1.8-LITER, DOHC I4 WITH VVT-I |
| TRANSMISSION | SIX-SPEED MANUAL | SIX-SPEED MANUAL | FIVE-SPEED MANUAL | FIVE-SPEED MANUAL OR SIX-SPEED SEQUENTIAL |