There are few greater automotive thrills than hurling a Lotus Elise down a bendy back road—or around a racetrack. But it’s almost not fair to compare the intense and delightful responses of the Elise or the related Exige with other street cars because, with curb weights that hover around 2000 pounds, there aren’t really any other street cars like them.

Hidden Deep in a Norfolk skunkworks, some men have been experimenting. With hemp. Which - for those of you who aren't of a narcotic persuasion - is cannabis. There's a spiky leaf decal underneath the rear scoop to ram the point home.

Lotus released its Exige Cup 260 for the 2008 model year to terrorize much larger and pricier cars on race tracks 'round the world. For 2009, the British automaker has spiced things up by 'adding lightness' in the marque's grand tradition. Weight drops by over 80 pounds this year to just under a ton thanks to copious use of carbon fiber.

You would never have thought a cupholder would have much significance, especially in a Lotus story, but the new Elise SC has been given one and, in a single, neat, lightweight aluminium package, it sums up all of Lotus' problems... and its brilliance. It's been put there for the Americans, even though there's no way it would take even a big bottle of Volvic, let alone a super-sized soft drink. Mad perhaps, but Lotus needs details like this to tempt Americans and others into its cars, safe in the knowledge that they don't have to forego every luxury.

Highly optimistic attempt to refine and enlarge the Lotus template, then sell it for lots more money as some sort of Grand Tourer. The Europa S is a great car, but don't swallow the spin. Lotus claims the Europa S is a Grand Tourer. A long journey in this still ends at the chiropractor.