"Maximum engine speed is 8000rpm," read the press kit, "but 8500rpm transient is permitted for up to two seconds." After those two seconds one has to presume the supercharged 1.8-litre Toyota 2ZZ-GE VVTL-I fitted to the Lotus Exige S goes bang in the most spectacular way possible!In fact, as I discovered over the four days this bombshell of a car was in my care, hitting 8000 rpm in the lower gears is a waste of time - like most supercharged engines this unit produces smooth, useable power right through the rev range.On a trackday - where I presume the majority of these cars will be headed - yes, perhaps you would be concerned about that hair's breadth margin as you snatch between first and second, second to third and even third to fourth at these revs, so fast does this projectile accelerate.But on the road, like all truly fast cars, use full throttle in almost any gear and you find yourself continually lifting and feathering the brake pedal. Far better to make the unit pull from right down the rev range and change at the peak of torque at 5500rpm. After all, some 80% of peak torque is produced at just 2000rpm.OK, the boy racers won't like to read this, but I'm sure you are quicker and smoother point to point driving the Exige S like this than you are progressing down the road in a series of giant lunges, flicking the gearchange through the six forward speeds as quickly as your hand can move. But then perhaps I'm getting too old for that sort of behaviour on the public road.Make no mistake though; this is no poseur special. This is the quickest Lotus production car ever - and when you look back through the company's history, that's quite a claim. In fact, there are very very few road cars that can give you quite the same intoxicating jolt of adrenaline, not only in terms of brute acceleration, but in agility too. The g-forces you can build up in cornering and braking (on dry roads) are quite stunning.Lotus claims a 0-100mph time of under 10 seconds, and a maximum of a smidgeon under 150mph. It's a measure of the light weight of the car - just 935kg - that when cruising on a light throttle the economy is extraordinary. The official extra urban fuel consumption is almost 40 to the gallon, and it's easy to better that on a journey.Mind you, that's always been a Lotus trademark. Back in the 60s I owned a Lotus Elite with a 1220cc Climax engine, and that sipped fuel like a dowager duchess at a tea party, while still going round corners twice as fast as your passenger would have thought possible.If I seem to be rabbiting on about engine characteristics and performance, that's because there's not a lot else to say about the Exige S. The fixed head bodyshell is shared with the standard Exige, with the addition of a rear wing, front splitter, side air intakes and rear diffuser colour coded to differentiate the car from its naturally aspirated cousins. The roof air scoop is bigger to feed the air-to-air intercooler.Getting in is a challenge for those of us with stiff joints or six-foot plus frames. It's not a car for elegant exits either, largely down to the wide, high sills and small door apertures. Once in you fit down snugly into the lightweight racing seats (Lotus calls the seat design Probax and claims it supports the spine). Again, watch out if your hip or shoulder width is above small - medium, you might need to get fitted for this car! Engine 1796 cc, 4 cylinders Power 189 bhp @7800 rpm Torque 133 ib/ft @6800 rpm Transmission 6 speed manual Fuel/CO2 32.1 mpg / 208 g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 5.2sec Top speed 147 mph Price From £32051.00 approx Release date 01/09/2005
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