Review: 2009 Lotus Exige S 260 offers even more power and lightness

Review: 2009 Lotus Exige S 260 offers even more power and lightness

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Lotus, UK, Reviews

2009 Lotus Exige S 260 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Over its 61-year history, Lotus Cars has spent a considerable amount of time clawing its way back from the brink of insolvency. The company's most recent bout with financial disrepair came in the early Nineties after the front-wheel-drive Elan proved a commercial failure (surprise!) and the Esprit toiled away in the shadows of newer, more powerful supercars. As hope for the historic marque's triumphant return began to fade, a group of Lotus engineers pooled their collective will to create an all-new, back-to-basics model that would revive Colin Chapman's company and give hardened enthusiasts the purist's driving tool they craved.

In September of 1996, the Elise was born, and four years later, its hard-top sibling - the Exige - came on the scene. Over the last decade, we've seen a raft of super-special-limited-edition variants follow in its lightweight wake, but the ultimate version is this: the 2009 Lotus Exige S 260. Packing more power and "more lightness" than the 240 Sport we sampled last year, there's no doubt it's a telepathic terror on track, but we wanted to know if it was up to the depravity of Michigan roads, so we set our chiropractor on speed dial and headed out...


Gallery: Review: 2009 Lotus Exige S 260



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Review: 2009 Lotus Exige S 260 offers even more power and lightness originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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