Offered with three amounts of power – from the modest 122PS as much as the stunning unit used in the Exige – the beautiful Elise is a sharp-handling, exhilarating little sports vehicle which occupies a territory all its own; not one other manufacturer makes anything remotely approaching the model’s performance for the same money.

The sculpted body shell is without anything frivolous – and also the entry-level car offers only minimal weather protection – but that means something not to Lotus drivers, who appreciate the cars’ abilities to supply high amounts of on-road satisfaction most of all.