A Lotus is in a class of its own - especially in the US where there are fewer than 500 privately owned. You can feel the difference from the moment you tap the accelerator. The relationship between car and driver is extraordinarily close, and this intimacy makes you feel more in tune with the way the car handles and behaves.

Prepare to cheat on your Buick. The first thing you'll notice when you climb behind the wheel of a Lotus Elite is that you are essentially sitting on the road. Every system involved in the motion of the Elise speaks to the driver clearly and honestly. It's like harnessing the power of the sun with the ball of your foot. The Lotus lacks some of the luxuries we have come to expect from its luxury counterparts, but more than makes up for it in superior engineering and speed-lust.