2011 Lotus Exige

Base MSRP $66,815

Closely related to the Elise roadster, the Lotus Exige S is a solid-roof racing-oriented sports car that shines on the track, with excellent grip, handling, braking and overall athletic ability--along with straight-line acceleration that's on par with much more expensive exotics. It's very much a street legal race car with few compromises. That means all but a small group of enthusiasts will be deterred from everyday driving. Considering that--and the Exige's very cramped interior quarters--very few will end up in driveways but more than a few will do plenty of weekend track time.