2008 Lotus Exige

Meet Lola, she's "Cherry Red" according to Lotus Motor Cars, LTD. Not sure how they came up with "Cherry Red" as the color, because it's more a a fuchsia, pink, magenta depending upon the light. But I don't see any red in her. She's the only one of her color that ever came across the cold Atlantic from Hethel, England - one of one.

If you've never driven a Lotus Exige or Elise you're missing out on one of the truly great car enthusiast experiences. Lola drives like a go-kart. No power steering. It's just you connected to the front wheels. It's the original design that led the Lotus pioneered in the 1960's which propelled Jim Clark to all his victories, and changed the design of racing cars for the entire future - all aluminum body, mid engine, with fully independent double a-arm suspension suspension, giant brakes.

The Exige keeps to the Lotus Ethos and Colin Chapman's motto "Simplify and Add Lightness." Lola has 240 horsepower, but weighs only 2075 pounds, which puts it in the "Exotic Car" category in terms of Power to Weight ratio...but feels much more nimble and visceral than most any other car that's ever been built for the street, and the supercharger wail at 8500 RPM is pretty insane.

I've only had one person say something negative about Lola - I was sitting in downtown Portsmouth, NH and a guy came up to me and screamed "A Lotus isn't a real sports car, and he then gave me the middle-finger." Not sure what made him so angry, because this car makes everyone smile, men, women, children...everyone loves Lola (except that one guy!)

Lola accelerates faster, corners better, and brakes harder than almost any other car that I've ever driven, and does so in a way that other modern cars cannot; in a Lotus Exige you are part of the driving experience because of how connected it makes you feel to the road.

How did she get her name? From the Kinks long: "she walks like a woman and talks like a man." She may be pink, but boy, she's all Motorsport.

The picture of Lola on the track was taken at Le Circuit Mont Tremblant.