Fastest-ever Lotus lands

The latest addition to the Exige range weighs in at 935kg and is powered by a 162.5kW (let's just say 163...) supercharged engine, giving it acceleration from 0-100 km/h in 4.3 seconds.

The Exige S is powered by a Toyota-sourced supercharged 1.8-litre four-cylinder twin-cam, mutli-valve engine with fuel injection and variable valve timing.

According to Lotus it boasts a power-to-weight ratio of 173.8kW/tonne and a specific power output of 90.5kW/litre making it one of the most powerful production cars in the world for its engine size, as well as delivering a top speed of 238km/h.

The Exige S is based around the lightweight extruded and bonded aluminium Lotus tub, which weighs 68kg with a rigidity rating of 10,500 Nm per degree.

The body of the Lotus Exige S is unchanged from the Exige, however key body components including the rear wing, front splitter and side air intakes are body-coloured to differentiate it from its naturally aspirated cousin.

The Lotus Exige S is manufactured at the Lotus manufacturing facility at Hethel in the UK as a full production model.

According to Lotus Cars Australia sales and marketing manager, Jon Stretton, there are very few cars that can match the Exige S's speed and agility.

"The Exige S is the ultimate extreme production Lotus, with performance that trumps supercars costing twice or even three times as much," said Stretton.

Standard equipment includes air-conditioning, passenger and driver's SRS airbags, cloth-trimmed ProBax racing seats, Alpine MP3-compatible CD player, remote immobiliser and alarm system. The Exige S rides on Lotus design Y-Type eight-spoke alloy wheels with Yokohama Advan A048 street-legal competition tyres.

The Exige S will be priced from $114,990 plus on roads for the base model with a range of option packs to enhance its on road or circuit capabilities depending on buyer preference.