Agent Orange

Above: The Lotus Elise SC

Above: Inside the Lotus Elise SC

Above: .

Above: .

The original incarnation of this car, the Lotus Elise, was almost single-handedly responsible for saving the Norfolk-based fun merchants from going out of business.
Launched in 1996, the Elise had so few creature comforts it made Easyjet look positively luxurious, and, with no radio, airbags or carpets, we loved
it. It signalled the return to the lightweight, razor-sharp sports cars for which the company was famed and the rest, as they say, is history.
Over the last 12 years, the Elise has gone through various developments, with engine changes, special editions and a major facelift. But the SC, the latest evolution of the fibreglass-bodied road kart, is the most powerful version to date.
So what makes it different? Primarily, a small supercharger nestling under the rear deck. Lotus has already had a go at supercharging with the hard-top Exige S, and the result is 0-60 in a face-bending 4.1 seconds. We tested it in 2006 and proclaimed it to be 'fearsomely rapid', but noted one thing missing: a convertible roof. This Elise SC, then, is the car we've all been waiting for.

This evolution of the fibreglass-bodied road kart is the most powerful version to date

There was no way Lotus could fit the monstrous supercharger and intercooler from the Exige S into the petite engine bay of the Elise, so a smaller Eaton unit with no intercooler boosts the Toyota engine's output to 217bhp.
An output of 217bhp doesn't sound much in the world of performance motoring, but don't worry – in a car
that weighs significantly less than a lemon soufflé, it's enough. The Elise SC tips the scales at a featherweight 903kg, and it's this that is responsible for a
0-60mph time of 4.4 seconds. Or, to
put that into real terms, roughly the
same amount of time it took you to read that last sentence.

Super light
Pulling strongly from idle, the Elise SC accelerates from standstill in the way only a genuinely light car can.
The supercharger adds an appreciable surge of energy; as you're pushed back into your figure-hugging seat, the rev counter needle storms its way around the dial quicker than you can keep up with it.
Clever electronics also mean that the engine can alter its behaviour, depending on your driving style. The power is delivered so smoothly and progressively, it perhaps doesn't feel as quick as it really is, but keep an eye on the speedo – you'll lose your licence with this one.
And so to the handling. Hardly needs saying really, does it? This is Lotus' specialist subject, and it's for good reason that almost every major car manufacturer has gone to the Norfolk boys for help at some point.

The Elise SC, predictably, changes direction like a laser bouncing off a mirror

The Elise SC, predictably, changes direction like a laser bouncing off a mirror. There is no power steering, so everything you put in from the wheel is communicated immediately to the road, with no electronic hindrance. The SC even has special tyres, designed specifically to work with its suspension, and it's an absolute joy. You quickly find yourself immersed in the enjoyable task of analysing corners to execute them in the most entertaining way possible.
The only danger is you quickly need to learn that you're driving a car which can navigate bends and roundabouts at a pace that would leave other cars understeering into hedges. While the Lotus may be unruffled, you will be as you exit a roundabout a good 10mph faster than everyone else. Best save that sort of behaviour for the track.
Almost as impressive is the ride quality. For a lightweight sports car, it rides over bumps and irregularities in the road with such composure, it shames most other sports cars, and some saloons as well.
The brakes are excellent, too, not that you'll need them. The Elise’s light weight means that unless you're coming to a complete halt, just lifting off the throttle is enough to slow you sufficiently, so unless you're taking it to a track (which I'd highly recommend), you're not going to be spending a fortune on brake pads.
Inside, as is tradition, there is little to distract the driver. There are new dials, which are smarter than the orange-glowing ones of old, and you also get a shift light system, which lets you know how near to the rev limiter you're getting.
There's a digital speed readout too, and Lotus will, if you think all this is a little too sparse, add some extras. A £2,000 Touring pack adds leather ProBax seats, leather door panels, some carpet mats, noise insulation, an iPod connection and…wait for it…a cup holder. It's not a bad idea to option this pack - it doesn't make it as comfortable as an MX-5, but it's a step in the right direction if you want to use it every day.

Space race
It's not all gold stars, though. The Elise is a noisy car, the roof still requires a physics degree and three hands to erect, and there's only enough boot space for two people’s luggage if they're both reasonably committed naturists.
Yes, it will run rings around its rivals, but when the rain starts to fall and you want to be separated from the elements, it's going to make a Z4 or a Boxster seem a more sensible option.
Mull this over, though - this Elise SC potentially marks the future of motoring. Bold statement? Perhaps, but when Lotus' reliance on Colin Chapman's ethos of lightness began in the 1950s, it allowed production of cars that could
use smaller, less powerful engines than their rivals to do the same job.
Today, with the Elise SC, this translates into a car which will whip from 0-60mph in 4.4 seconds, yet only produce 202grams of CO2 per kilometre in the process.
Let's put that in perspective. A Porsche 911 3.6 GT3 is marginally quicker than the Elise (0-62 in 4.3sec).

Perhaps the biggest threat to the Elise SC is the other cars in Lotus’ stable

But thanks to its increased weight, the 911 needs a 3.6litre 409bhp flat six engine - which chucks out 307grams of CO2/km - to achieve it. It's also £46,000 more expensive, and you can expect only 21mpg on average, instead of the Lotuses 33mpg.
As natural resources dwindle and cars become subject to stricter and
harder to meet regulations, the ones that survive will be the cars that
can make use of a small, economical engine, an aerodynamic shape and
super-light weight.
Perhaps the biggest threat to the Elise SC is the other cars in Lotus’ stable.
The standard Elise is still excellent, and although the £32,500 SC represents a significant power increase, is it worth the extra £10k? I suspect it might be.
Porsche owners will lament the boring noise from the Toyota engine; BMW owners the lack of satellite navigation and heated seats. But when you're cruising through Kent, the sun beating down on you, driving a lightweight British sports car with a Lotus badge on the snout, it really won’t matter.