I have seen a couple Exiges. There must be at least 7 or 8 in So. Cal. alone. Lotus USA does import them in the states. Too bad it's not street legal. Not that it can be a daily driver but it is a fun ride.

pentoman,

Lotus elans usually have the Ford Cortina DOHC engines which in their lowest HP form were 105 HP. Doesn't sound like much but considering the car weighs about 1300 pounds the weight to horsepower is great. Like several other people said they corner like on rails.

The car is mostly fiberglass with a box frame down the center. The box frames have a bad rep for rusting out but are available new and are now galvanized and can be replaced by an non-professional mechanic.

Check the frame for sure and if the owner says he replaced it, have him show you the frame invoice.

The Ford engines are reliable and very easy to work on. They do manage to dribble oil here and there.

Lots of people are still racing cars like the Elan with the Ford engines and winning over much bigger mills.

Check the frame!!!!

Ben