LOTUS built its reputation in motor racing and its recent road cars have followed founder Colin Chapman’s principles of light weight and racing-style dynamics. But the demand for a more user-friendly sports car than the track-ready Elise and Exige models has led to the development of the Europa. Though based on the Elise platform, the Europa coupe is more user-friendly for daily use, but is still a challenging ownership proposition. With a GM turbocharged 2.0-litre engine developing 147kW/272Nm, it has plenty of power but does not possess the refinement of its German rivals, the Porsche Cayman and BMW Z4 Coupe.