Revered East Anglia-based builder of hardcore lightweights still basically true to the ethos by which Colin Chapman originally made them famous. Pleasingly unsullied by the governance of Proton and the odd run-in with GM, Lotus stands alone as the flag-carrier of scalpel-sharp, track-biased performance icons.
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Elise
$69,990 - $104,990
Rarely achieved mix of track cred and lusty looks. You can scare the pants off your girlfriend and then get a glimpse of said pants while she's struggling to get out.
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Europa
$109,990
Lotus gives us its definition of the Grand Tourer - which is ‘grand' by virtue of a cupholder but still shakes loose the contents of your tooth cavities and your wallet.
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Exige
$114,990 - $149,990
Too easy to get in and out of the Elise by taking the roof off? Here's the answer - a fixed-head, bewinged mega-version. Not even Houdini could have got in here.

