Lotus Exige S

It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to drive a Lotus and I recently achieved this dream after being handed the keys to a Series 2 Lotus Exige S for a day. I’ve always admired Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s passion for building lightweight cars, believing that weight is the enemy of performance. It’s amazing to think that with his own designs he was able to take on the best Formula One teams and win, with Lotus achieving six Formula One Drivers’ titles and seven Formula One Constructors’ titles. Great drivers like Moss, Clark, Andretti, Fittipaldi, Mansell and Senna all drove Lotus Formula 1 cars.

Seeing the Exige S up close for the first time was an experience in itself. The car is perfectly proportioned with its wide aggressive stance and low height. Everything is functional on this car from the roof mounted scoop that feeds the intercooler for the Roots-type supercharger to the front and rear wings that create 42kg of downforce at 160km/h. I also like the Team Dynamics Motorsport wheels that no doubt reduce unsprung weight. The car looks great from any angle and is basically a race car for the road.

After admiring how beautiful the car was with its black composite bodywork, it was time to go for a drive. It’s certainly not a practical car and getting into it requires gymnastic like flexibility due to the wide doorsill. Once in the cabin though, it’s a great place to be. The racing seats really support you and the placement of the steering wheel, pedals and gear level is spot on. In front of you sit two large white dials with black lettering; a 10,000rpm…