The previous Elise was launched in 1996; we now have the Elise, second generation. The Elise took Lotus back to the volumes of the heady days of the '60s and '70s. The new Elise surpasses the previous Elise in most respects, feeling carved from the solid.

Wider, longer, more aggressive looking, almost looking set to give Lotus a corporate look for future Lotus models all based around evolutions of the Elise modular concept chassis.

The new Elise provides easier access yet still epitomises the 'less is more' philosophy of Lotus. To me the Elise is the Seven, Elan, Europa and 23B all rolled into one. Sitting low on the floor in the driving seat you get the real benefit of the light weight and 120BHP from the K-Series engine speeding the Elise to 60MPH in 5.7 seconds. Think of the Elise as a go-kart on steroids. Top speed is 125MPH, not mega fast but it is how it gets there, not the top speed itself that matters.

This latest Elise is a more complete package, with more supple suspension and less liable to break away suddenly on the limit.

If you really want a stimulating, raw uncompromising yet affordable package, the Elise is all you will ever want. Plus it makes a good company car under the latest rules for company cars.

My sincere thanks to Guy Munday of Stratton Motor Company for the opportunity to test the latest incarnation of the Elise.

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