A British star at the very top of its game.Byline: By Steve HughesWHEN it comes to the most performance for the pound the choice does not include Italian or German supercars but the very best of British. Consider that the Lotus Elise The Lotus Elise is a roadster conceived in early 1994 and released in September 1996 by the English manufacturer Lotus Cars. The car has a hand-finished fiberglass body shell atop its aluminium extrusion and bonded frame that provides a rigid platform for the suspension, while S roadster is quicker not only than the Porsche Boxster The Porsche Boxster is a mid-engined roadster built by Porsche. The Boxster is Porsche's first vehicle designed from the beginning as a roadster; all previous Porsche convertibles were based on hardtop coupes. but is even more than a match for the pounds 75,000 Mercedes SL500. At less than pounds 24,000 nothing comes close for the money in terms of the sheer performance and driveability of the Elise, which also comes in R guise at pounds 28,995 and as the Sports Racer at pounds 31,995. The entry-level Elise S offers an unrivalled driving experience, with awesome acceleration to 60mph in just 5.8 seconds. That is from an engine producing just 127bhp, thanks to the impressive power-to-weight ratio. The 1.8 R pushes up the power to 189bhp and drives down the 0-60mph time to just 4.9 seconds with a top speed of 150mph, which when you are just inches from the ground is a truly exhilarating ex·hil·a·rat·ing adj. Causing exhilaration; invigorating. ex·hil  a·rat experience.
Lotus revised the Elise's front suspension to cope with the extra power and the result is unrivalled handling and greatly improved ride comfort. In terms of equipment the philosophy is simple - as much as you need but no unnecessary weight penalties in a car where the driving experience is paramount. The Exige costs pounds 30,945 and uses the same underpinnings and engine as the Elise R and Sports Racer models but it is a coupe with a metal roof. Although it is a product of race track experience and offers performance to match, it is every inch a road car for everyday use. If anything, the performance is even fractionally better than that of the Elise S but Lotus has done its best to make the Exige as practical as possible. There is the security of a boot, for example and the car can be ordered with electric windows and central locking central locking Noun a system by which all the doors of a motor vehicle are locked automatically when the driver's door is locked manually , together with the air conditioning air conditioning, mechanical process for controlling the humidity, temperature, cleanliness, and circulation of air in buildings and rooms. Indoor air is conditioned and regulated to maintain the temperature-humidity ratio that is most comfortable and healthful. that is available on all models. There is also a pair of option packs. The Touring pack places the emphasis upon comfort and includes carpeting and a better sound system. The Performance pack adds sports seats and a four-point harness, just like the Porsche 911 GT3, which is slower and costs more than twice the price. CAPTION(S): Driveability: The Lotus Elise S. The entry level Elise S offers an unrivalled driving experience. |
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