THERE has always been a strong link between Lotus race cars and road cars, but seldom has that relationship been so direct as with the Exige.
In most respects the Exige is very much what it looks like - a race car turned road-legal.
It is a pure driver's machine and in true motorsport style provides for only those essentials that add to the driving experience. It is a car that will not suit everyone, just those who place high value on exhilaration, all-round performance and driver satisfaction.
In its current guise it uses underpinnings from the Elise 111R, with a coupe design and some "luxury'' items available as options.
In comparison to the racer, the front apron/splitter assembly has been raised and modified to improve the ramp approach angles, because the rac car set-up was so low you would never be able to drive it into a petrol station, or even up your own driveway.
To balance the changes of the front-end aerodynamics and to comply with European homologation regulations, the rear wing design has been resized and styled to match the rear of the car.
The result is an aerodynamic package that remains faithful to that of the racer, with a highly stable combination of down-force and low drag. In wind tunnel tests the car generates 80 kilos of down-force at 100mph.
Another modification is to the panel above the engine bay, changed from a solid panel to a transparent polycarbonate tailgate glass and composite moulding to improve rear visibility.
The Sport Elise's roof-mounted forced air intake is retained to work in combination with new cooling vents in the tailgate, recognising the fact that unlike race cars, road cars are sometimes stuck in traffic.
Inside the Exige has two seats, rather than the single centrally-located item in the Sport Elise racer and each has optional race-style four-point harnesses.
Mechanically the Exige has the same broad track as the Sport Elise and the same wide wheels and tyres, although slicks being a tad impractical for road use, it is fitted with a set of specially developed road tyres.
It has sports suspension with retuned spring and damper rates, plus AP Racing front brake calipers and 282mm diameter cross-drilled and ventilated discs all round.
Like its Elise 111R sister model, the Exige gets anti-lock brakes and even remote central locking.
Nestled beneath the Exige's engine cover is a 1.8-litre, Toyota-manufactured power plant with 190bhp on tap which, given the excellent power to weight ratio, results in a 0-60mph time of just under five seconds, with a top speed of more than 140mph.
Retained values are high, at virtually 60 per cent after three years and the CO2 figure of 208g/km results in a 27 per cent company car tax liability.
At £29,995 there are only a couple of cars offering similar performance for the money, which are the Vauxhall VXR220 and the Caterham Superlight R400, which is the quickest but most basic of the trio.