If there were ever a single auto manufacturer that perfectly summed up the performance tuning mentality, it would be Lotus. Many of the aspects that Lotus considers crucial design points are modifications that we reach for constantly. Dumping interior trim and air conditioning systems for weight, swapping in a different steering rack for quicker response, or searching for a little more power: these are just some of the elements of Lotus. So when senior editor Hope got a taste of the latest Lotus creation, the Exige S 240 (SCC, April 2008), and returned from the track raving, I knew I had to call Lotus for a test drive in the real world.
Living with a car for a few days speaks volumes about its character. I wanted to experience the Exige's behavior, design, reliability and quirks. No matter how well thought-out, every car has eccentricities, our project car fleet included. Plus, getting a good grasp on the S 240's capabilities would provide a crystal-ball glimpse into its inner workings and allow me to use it as a benchmark for future projects.
A few days after making the test loan arrangement with Lotus, I was surprised to see a flatbed tow truck arrive with a silver Exige S 240 on its back. Normally, press cars are driven to our office or we pick them up. It was readily apparent that Lotus was a different kind of car company. The Exige even showed up wearing precision-cut Starshield paint protection film. All the better, considering the light-changing Moonstone Silver paint is a sizeable $5100 option.
With the car now in my hands, I took a moment to inspect it in the parking lot. First off, the car looks downright great. The sculpted body shell screams: "I'm not an econobox" while the ride height, ducting and rear wing balance the line between performance and aesthetics. I feel a little ashamed to admit it, but it's kinda cool to ride around feeling like the Sultan of Brunei. The spaceship body is so far removed from a 'normal' car shape, almost everyone will assume you're driving a supercar and are some kind of rap music producer trying out for MTV Cribs. If only they knew. Nothing wrong with a Lotus Exige S 240 borrowed on a McDonald's lifestyle, right?
Mere minutes later, what I refer to as The Lotus Syndrome, or LTS, begins. It's a bizarre rash of human mental instability which makes overweight grown men have to get into a car two sizes too small for them, makes people stare uncontrollably and, when questioned about his particular fascination with this brand's notoriety, causes my roommate's vocabulary to devolve into: "Dude, it's a Lotus." It's a phenomenon that will repeat itself too many times over the course of the week's loan.
Slipping into the Exige S 240 for the first time is a unique experience. Never before have I encountered a factory car so focused and uncompromised, it's almost like I modified it myself. There's little in the way of interior trim (just lots of bare aluminum), the monstrous, structural side beams make entering the car a contortionist act and the rear-view mirror is useless, filled with a constant view of the intercooler. Cool.
The Exige S 240 is currently Lotus' most powerful and quickest street-legal production car. It uses an intercooled Roots-type supercharger system to push 240bhp (hence the name) out of the Celica-derived, Lotus-tuned 2ZZ-GE engine. The Exige S 240 is fast, Lotus reads zero-to-60mph in four seconds flat, but it's not what I'd consider a tire-shredder.
Don't get me wrong, the S 240 can dispose of quite possibly every single car I'm likely to come across on the highway, but it's no drag car. There are plenty of big-turbo Supras and STIs that can blow this car out of the water, but the S 240 is built to go fast around corners. The more turns and the more technical they are, the more the car shines. Still, that intoxicating whine from the supercharger has me thinking Roots-type blower for my next project. Drop a few gears and it's just a blast of whree, whree, whree filling my ears. Great stuff.