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Lotus Exige Roadster S: Roofless and fast

The Lotus Exige S Roadster takes the roof off the hardcore Exige and makes it a little more sane for road use. It's still pretty crazy, though.

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drew-stearne-headshot1
Drew Stearne
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Drew Stearne
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1 of 27 Phil Feather/CNET
Without a roof, the Exige S looks a little less angry.
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Its 3.5-liter V6 is on full display in the back.
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The coupe's splitter and spoiler are absent here, giving the car a more restrained look.
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We'd be fibbing if we said the wheels aren't a bit nice.
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It may look very similar to an Elise, but it's actually longer, as Lotus needed some extra space to squeeze the engine in.
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Likelihood is, you'll be seeing more of these than you will the front of the car...
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Exige is Lotus-ese for "really, really fast."
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The exhaust may look like a snout, but it fires out the most wonderful noise.
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And petrol. It also fires out petrol.
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Despite its extra length, it's still pretty small.
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The Exige S' 345bhp certainly makes it a giggle.
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And it shoots the car from 0 to 60mph in around four seconds, depending on how committed you are.
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On the road with roof off, you get to hear its glorious engine at full chat.
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Unlike its hardtop brother, it's less at home on the track. It'll still be a laugh, though.
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Being a Lotus, it's built to handle the UK's awful roads.
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Still, on the smooth stuff it feels awesome.
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With a top speed of 145mph, it's certainly quick.
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Though not as quick as the coupe, which can hack 170mph. If you're brave.
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You sit low to the ground, which means that even at low speed, it feels quite fast.
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Its interior is quite sparse, as there's not much space there.
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That said, the less that's in there, the lighter the car will be.
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There's also quite a bit of boot space on offer...
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...if you don't want to go anywhere for too long.
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The Exige S comes with parking sensors, as it's not the easiest to see out of the back.
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As names go...Exige S is pretty awesome.
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The Probax seats are very, very comfy.
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The engine may be sourced from Toyota, but we prefer it in a Lotus.

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