2007 Lotus Exige

The Supercar You Wear

The racetrack-ready Exige gets a big boost in power for 2007 thanks to a new supercharger.

For 2007, the Exige coupe adds an “S” to its name that designates the supercharging of its Toyota-sourced 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine. The Roots-type blower pumps in 7.5 psi to boost horsepower by 16 percent and torque by 19 percent over that of the stock engine for a total of output to 220 hp and 165 pound-feet of torque. The new Exige S is otherwise identical to the standard Exige with no modifications to steering, braking or suspension systems.

Since Lotus' inception in 1948, founder Colin Chapman’s goal was to develop innovative suspension and chassis construction techniques that minimize weight and are paired with the lightest, most powerful engines available. This tradition continues today; the Exige S and its less-extreme, open-top sibling, the Elise, follow it to the letter.

The Elise and Exige are small cars — only 149.5 inches long — that use composite bodywork glued and riveted to a featherweight 150-pound aluminum chassis. The Exige S weighs a paltry 2,077 pounds altogether.

Now owned by Malaysia’s Proton Motors, Lotus has had a shaky presence in the U.S. market for years after selling the now-defunct Elan and Elite and the pricier Esprit, currently on hiatus. Things began looking up in 2004 with the debut of the two-seat Elise roadster, followed last year by the track-oriented Exige coupe.