The last leaves to resist winter's inevitable desolation are fluttering down onto the front straight of Virginia International Raceway, and my bleary eyes are struggling to focus on a still-rising sun. It's early November in the mountains, and I'm supposed to have icicles forming on the tip of my nose, with a howling winter wind framing a dismal, drizzling sky.
But it's surface-of-the-moon quiet, and pure yellow sunlight from across the horizon splotches the track surface, revealing the tiniest waves in the snaking asphalt.
Before I can take a deep breath and finish my second cup of coffee, the breaking sun floods the canvas, unveiling six cars that represent the best that Lotus has to offer. I find myself in front of a white Exige, whose black wheels and accents lend serious intent to the cars already hunkered down demeanor.
It's a little early to be doing the gymnastics required to successfully plant myself in the diminutive cockpit of the knee-high sports car, but with a little contortionism and a lot of expletives, I pull it off.
In an instant, the mountain serenity is torn open like a ripping sheet as six "Engine Start" buttons are simultaneously thumbed. Birds quickly evacuate their homes in the trees above and make for the sky, as the pack finally settles down to a buzzing idle.
I haven't even moved the notchy shifter into first gear and it's already abundantly clear that these cars are not for the faint of heart. My feet rest on a raw aluminum floor, and the improved "ProBax" seats still rattle my bones like a 110v massage chair plugged into a 220v socket.
Who cares. Because as hard as I try, I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing, and that includes things that most guys would always rather be doing.
We're finally set free
Fallen leaves are turned into a vortex of swirling color as they wash underneath the Exige in front of me and I blast through the turmoil, banging into fourth gear.
The steering wheel dances delicately in my palms, transmitting every inch of asphalt digested. There seems to be no inertia as I throw the car into one corner after the next. Like playing a video game with cheat codes enabled, the handling is never a question of the cars ability so much as one of driver commitment.
The Exige is a different car than the Elise, sporting hand laid body panels and a clamshell style hatch, as opposed to something you can actually see out of. For some reason the rear-view mirror is still there, though. Removing it will clip a few grams from the curb-weight, so call it your first mod.
On the topic of weight, the Exige is slightly more portly than the Elise, checking in at 2015 lbs. According to Lotus, the slight increase in weight isn't enough to affect acceleration times.
The Exige makes a combined 100 lbs. of downforce at 100mph, due in large part to its unique front splitter and rear wing. Though slight, the difference in stability is actually perceptible when thundering up the straightaway at VIR.
The original S2 Elise is one of those cars that you can't imagine improving until after you've driven an improved version. But in the Exige (and in the 2006 Elise) there is a revised pedal set, reducing the brake pedal ratio by 30 percent, and reducing the throw of the gas pedal. Combined with the e-throttle, heel/toe maneuvers are much easier to perform. Were they hard before?
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