The Exige S Roadster, unveiled at 2012 Geneva Motor Show, is the fastest roadster ever by the Norfolk-based car maker Lotus. Drop-top versions of the normal sports car are usually not as good as the hard-top, but with a targeted weight of 1,100kg and o to 60mph in 3.8 seconds, the Exige Roadster delivers more than satisfying performance. The engine is the same 3.5 liter Toyota-sourced V6.

The car will also get uniquely tuned chassis and suspension to compensate for the lack of the roof. Even when it’s up it wouldn’t make that big a difference in the car’s dynamics, because it’s an old-fashioned factory-fitted soft top roof. A folding hardtop affair would make the car heavy and spoil pretty much everything.

The car comes with two different suspension settings. There’s the standard setting for an active driving experience suited to public roads; and an optional setting as part of the Race Pack for maximum performance, developed for track use. The launch control system can be activated when the car is in Race mode.

You can have the Roadster with either a six-speed manual or Lotus’ Serial Precision Shift (SPS), a paddle-operated automated manual transmission.

Performance figures: According to Lotus, the Exige S Roadster does 0 to 100 km/h in 4 seconds (0 – 60 mph in 3.8 seconds) and 0-160 kph (0-100 mph) in 8.5 seconds, and can reach a top speed of 233 kph (145 mph).

Fuel consumption (with manual gearbox): Urban 14.5 l/100km (19.5 mpg), Extra urban 7.6 l/100km (37.2 mpg), Combined 10.1 l/100 km (28.0 mpg). CO2 emissions for the Exige S Roadster: 236 g/km