British International Motor Show - Lotus

Nice of you to turn up...
There will be lots of interest in the Lotus stand this year, not least because many of the other mainstream sports car manufacturers, such as Ferrari, Porsche and Maserati, have declined to attend this year's London show.

This won't be the only reason for the interest, though, because Lotus has some very tempting attractions. Chief among them is its first all-new car for a number of years, the Europa S.

So what is it?
The Europa is a two-seat coupe designed to be a roomier, more civilised alternative to the current Lotus offerings.

As with its other cars, Lotus uses lightweight design to achieve its performance, but makes the whole thing more sophisticated by providing a bigger boot and easier cabin access, as well as creature comforts such as leather upholstery and satellite-navigation.

The company also promises that refinement and cruising capability will be well up on what Lotus fans are used to.

Power comes from a mid-mounted, turbocharged 2.0-litre Vauxhall engine, which gives 197bhp and 200lb ft of pull. Because the Europa weighs just 995kg, this means it'll hit 60mph in 5.6 seconds, and keep going until it reaches 150mph.

The Europa S will cost £32,995 when it goes on sale in the middle of September. It'll also be the start of big things for Lotus, which recently announced that a new version of the Esprit will arrive in 2008.

Lotus expects to sell 500 cars a year - and it has already sold a third of this year's allocation, so iget your skates on if you want one.

Anything else?
You'll also see the quickest production car that Lotus has ever made, the new Exige S. It's powered by a 216bhp 1.8-litre supercharged engine, which means it can tear through to 60mph in just 4.1 seconds - and being an Exige, its has phenomenal cornering capability.

We've driven it, and take it from us, it's breathtaking. This sort of performance for just £33,995 puts many more expensive cars to shame.