Squeeze into the slim bucket seat of the Lotus Exige S and you are greeted by one of the most purposeful cockpits produced by a car manufacturer. Only looking at the scenery through the windscreen reminds you this is indeed a road car, and you’re not on the grid at Le Mans. For those who appreciate driving, its unapologetically sparse layout is anything but ugly. Bare aluminium struts, a dessert plate-sized steering wheel and delicate dials are more motorbike than Mercedes SLK. It can’t fail to raise your pulse, but, whether or not your passenger has the same appreciation is another matter entirely.