Truth be told, my main goal for the day is to not get arrested. Flinging Lotus' latest take on its iconic Elise around twisty California hairpins is simply too much fun to be legal.

Legal or not, this is what a Lotus is for. Though the latest versions of the minuscule roustabout pay passing tribute to the everyday comforts that most automobiles take for granted -- there is, for instance, a decent audio system and air conditioning -- much of what civilized automobiles offer gets tossed in favour of Lotus' guiding mantra that light weight is good weight.

For instance, the ProBax seats -- which Lotus' public relations people so proudly point out are ergonomically correct for back sufferers -- are adjustable only fore and aft. If the seat back's slope doesn't accommodate your particular shape, that's just tough noogies. Floor carpets are optional, all that fleece obviously weighing too much for Lotus purists.

Even when the company is bragging about its latest concession to comfort -- the Senosoft soft touch material that's supposed to make the dashboard feel, well, soft -- the real emphasis is on the fact that it doesn't add any weight.

The result of this single-minded dedication to weight watching is a car that tips the scales at a paltry 912 kilograms. And, if you're looking for a reason as to why anyone would buy a car that's difficult to get in and out of, has fewer comforts than a $9,999 Hyundai and barely enough luggage space for a MacBook Air and lunch, it is in those few kilograms, for they turn what would otherwise be a nice little sporty car into a giant killer.

Make no mistake about it, an Elise SC, despite its minuscule 1.8 litres of displacement and four small pistons, is a supercar. There may be only 218 horsepower emanating from that mid-mounted Toyota-sourced engine, but they scoot the lightweight Elise to 100 kilometres an hour in just 4.6 seconds, about the same as the 414-hp, V8-powered BMW M3.

Usually, when you wring that much performance out of a small-displacement engine, it turns into a revvy, snarly beast with no low-end power and a light switch powerband. Certainly, the previous-generation Matrix XRS from which the VVTL-i engine is sourced is just such a personality.

Well, the Lotus' supercharged version may be snarly, but, thanks to the low-profile, non-intercooled supercharger Lotus adds to the engine bay, it's actually more civilized. The little four-cylinder Elise does a remarkable impression of a big-block Corvette by torquing out of tight corners from as low as 2,500 r.p.m.. And the surge when you hit 5,000 r.p.m. belies the engine's small size. It really is a wonderful package.

That light weight is also a key factor in the Elise's incredible handling.

Lotus has been at the business of chassis development longer than anyone and, if ever the expression that the front tires are hardwired to the driver's brain was true, it would be in the Elise. Had I been so foolish in any other car -- and I count Ferraris and Corvettes in that group -- I would have surely ended up at one with the ditch somewhere along Highway 76. The most amazing thing is how quickly the Elise can change directions for an ess bend. The front tires stick like glue and there is no discernible body roll.

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