We’ll be straight with you: none of us at Automotive Addicts are big into artsy concept videos. We have no idea what the latest video ad from Lotus, which features the new Exige S, a boxer and a whole lot of tire smoke, is supposed to mean. Is the Lotus nimble enough to dance around a pro boxer? Is the Lotus beefy enough to go round after round with the toughest competitors? Is the Lotus Exige S a good choice when you want to run over a guy who’s probably six foot three and 240 pounds? We don’t have answers to the first two questions, but we’re pretty sure the answer to the last one is “no.”
Here’s what you can take away from the ad: Lotus has a new Exige S for 2012, but it isn’t powered by a boxer engine. It is powered by a 3.5-liter V-6, mounted amidships, which sends its 345 horsepower to the rear wheels. Like all things Lotus (for now, at least), the Exige S is designed to be lightweight and to offer superior handling. As the YouTube video below (found on Autoblog) demonstrates, it’s perfectly capable of cranking out donuts and tire smoke all day long.
We understand the car, but the video just leaves us scratching our heads. To quote Shakespeare, “more matter and less art,” please.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
