This year's high-performance headlines are all about Nissan's gigantus GTR, a two-ton nuke lobbed at Newton's laws of physics. Meanwhile, way below the fold in mouse type we read that Lotus has quietly strengthened its longstanding alliance with fellow Brit, Sir Isaac, by introducing an Elise with Exige S power and 63 fewer pounds worth of "resistance to motion."

Granted, a lightened Lotus is no newsflash, but there's quite a bit more to this one than appears at first blush. For one thing, the engine is quite different from the Exige S's. Both start off as Toyota 2ZZ-GE 1.8-liters, but you'll note right off that there's no intercooler and air scoop blocking the rear window of this one. Instead, an entirely new intake manifold by Magnuson incorporates an Eaton M45 Roots-type supercharger that blows a slight boost directly into the intake runners with no detour through a heat-exchanger. This setup shaves 17.6 pounds off the engine's weight, at a cost of just two horsepower and 12 pound-feet from the Exige S motor's output (leaving 218 and 153).

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