Lotus Exige
The hard-roof Elise that grew into a supercharged V6 weapon.
The Toyota era. The S2 Exige dropped the fragile Rover K for Toyota's 2ZZ-GE and the C64 six-speed, first naturally aspirated (~190 hp) and then, in the Exige S, Eaton-supercharged toward 220–260 hp depending on year and trim. The formula clicks here: a stiff bonded-aluminium coupe, real downforce, sub-tonne-ish mass, and an engine that finally takes the abuse. The ladder runs Exige S → S 240 → S 260 and the track-built Cup cars, plus a rare Exige S Roadster. Watch items are heat — supercharged cars work the cooling system hard — and the 2ZZ's rocker arms. Where it places: the Exige that made the name, and the sweet spot for buyers who want the hardcore coupe without S3 V6 money.
- Exige SEaton-supercharged 2ZZ-GE
- S 240 / S 260escalating power and aero
- Cup / Cup 260track-spec
- Exige S Roadsteropen-top variant
Supercharged S2 Exiges run hot — oil temperature and cooling upgrades are common talking points. The 2ZZ's VVTL-i lift gives the car its top-end character but shares the rocker-arm wear failure mode to inspect.
No primary reviews scraped yet for this nameplate. Check back as the pipeline crawls more publications.
