When it comes to lightweight sports cars, Lotus is easily one of the best known amongst the car community. The highly regarded and historic brand has been producing high performance, driver-focused vehicles for many years in small numbers. I for one am a fan of the brand, so you could imagine my excitement when I saw this dazzling green Exige 410 Sport parked up at Highball Cars and Coffee. The car, owned by Fabio, is one of the best examples I’ve ever come across and easily warranted a feature on it’s own.
The third generation Lotus Exige was more or less created by accident, taking an unusual development path compared to other models. Some of the engineers at the Hethel facility decided to bolt an Evora rear subframe to the chassis of a third-generation Elise. This subframe included the same Toyota-derived V6 engine as the Evora and the test drivers really enjoyed the experience. After some more tinkering and refinement, the new Exige was born. Even though it was bigger than the previous version and used a different powerplant, it still produced some serious performance. Since then, a variety of trim levels and packages have been produced.
Fabio’s Exige is the Sport 410 variant with a distinct aero kit and a supercharged V6 engine. The car is painted in a fantastic shade of metallic green with some Signature Wheels in silver, a few pieces of carbon fibre, a small yellow stripe going through the middle, yellow brake calipers and a number on the doors for an extremely tasteful track-day package. The car also has a special tune, a different set of headers and a cold-air intake which boosts power from 410 horsepower to 475. Fabio has really made this a special car, which is no surprise considering that he’s wanted a Lotus for at least 5 years and loves the Exige.
Fabio acquired the car in July 2020 and occasionally takes it out to track days on circuits like Phillip Island. To him, the car doesn’t have any drawbacks because it provides an engaging driving experience that he likens to a go-kart. It’s a “magnificent” car to drive and the pure enjoyment he gets is the best part of owning such a vehicle. The front splitter, the rear wing and the rear diffuser all act in tandem with the mechanical grip provided by the suspension to make what was already a capable car even better. This is a proper piece of kit.
I think it’s fair to say that this Exige 410 Sport is an eye-catching item, built for purpose and hugely entertaining behind the wheel. Fabio hasn’t owned the car for that long relatively speaking but it’s clear to me that he really cares about it.
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