2008 Lotus Elise SC

So light, so balanced, so poised, so pert, so pretty -- and now so powerful. The small but perfectly formed Elise has always been among the very favorite driver’s cars with its brilliant mid-engined stance, lightning-fast steering and point-and-shoot acceleration. Christmas has come early with the introduction of an even more powerful supercharged model, the Elise SC.

Clamped onto the Toyota-sourced engine is an Eaton M45 supercharger (produced by Magnuson of Ventura), sending locomotion up 14% to 218 horsepower, driving the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox. To connect that power to the ground are bespoke Yokohama tires. The car also has a new instrument pack with an LCD panel displaying scrolling text messages.

UNDER THE HOOD

1.8-liter four-cylinder engine
218 horsepower at 7,800 rpm
153 pound-feet of torque at 5,500 rpm
0-60 mph: 4.0 seconds
Top speed: 150 mph
24/29 mpg city/highway

WHEN?

February 2008

HOW MUCH?

$54,500

OUR TAKE

The best part of $55,000 is a considerable chunk of change for what is probably going to be a second (or third) car, but for driving thrills per buck the Elise makes the best toy ever. The engine always needed to be revved hard to get the best from it, so the supercharger should now provide a more elastic power delivery.