Our new set of Great Drives videos have now gone live, where MotorTorque travelled to Bylchau, in North Wales. It's here you'll find some very interesting stretches of road, compiled together they are known unofficially as the Evo triangle, a popular UK driving spot amongst both motoring journalists and car enthusiasts. On these roads we had an impressive collection of cars at our disposal ready to be tested out. The set included luxurious supercars like the Aston Martin Vantage S, family car-based performance models like the BMW M5, hardcore sports cars like the Lotus Exige S and fascinating oddballs such as the Morgan Three Wheeler and the Renault Twizy. We hired professional racing driver Annalese Ferrari to test out this collection of cars, and MotorTorque was on hand to witness the driving and the filming and pick up on Annalese's impressions on each car. Here is just one of the cars we enjoyed at our Great Drives shoot. Lotus Exige S This low-slung and lightweight sports coupe was launched earlier in 2012 and serves as a rival to similar shaped and sized cars such as the Porsche Cayman R for example. The Exige S uses a 3.5-litre supercharged V6 petrol engine originally developed by Toyota. The unit has been heavily altered however by Lotus and it delivers 345bhp on the Exige, with power fed through a six-speed manual gearbox. This same engine can be found on another Lotus model, the Evora V6 coupe. When focusing on the Exige, the engine is fitted within an aerodynamic aluminium bodyshell which features a front splitter and rear spoiler. From these features alone you know the Lotus is meant for some serious driving. The performance figures certainly make pleasant reading for driving enthusiasts. The Exige S can cover the 0-60mph sprint in just 3.8 seconds, a time not far off most modern supercars. The coupe's top speed meanwhile is 170mph. Inside the cabin is very simplistic; a radio and cup holder is basically all you get in terms of luxury. The safety equipment list is small as well; the car includes driver and passenger airbags, plus anti-lock brakes and electronic stability. Overall though, the amount of technology involved within the car is fairly minimal, a common trait amongst pure driver's cars. The Lotus Exige S is challenging enough just to try and sit yourself inside even if your relatively fit. If you manage that task, then taming this beast takes skill particularly in slippery conditions. The Exige is a straightforward kind of sports car with little in the way of driver aids or luxuries. The series of roads which make up the Evo triangle, the very place we were set up for our supercar shoot, certainly seemed a very suitable setting to test the capabilities of both the driver and the Lotus being tested. The area's many twists and turns, huge variety in elevation and the wet conditions summoned by the recurring shower spells would make the roads a daunting proposition for many in a sports car that's limited on driver aids. Not that it seemed to faze our driver for the day, Annalese Ferrari. After sampling the Exige's drive through the Welsh countryside roads, Annalease found the car to be impressively fast and sharp through the corners, but the ride was also twitchy and very stiff at the same time. She also concluded that the Lotus was by far best suited for taking to race circuits on track days for instance. Regardless Annalese still found the car fun to drive and arguably even the most potential fun out of all cars at this shoot. Considering the rest of line-up she tested, that's no mean feat. To see more of our Great Drives feature with Annalese Ferrari, check out our round-up video from the shoot below. Written by Stephen Goldasz http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vRhuCkb39g&feature=plcp http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq8ulpvDtH8&feature=plcp
