The Europa is quite a curious model from Lotus. It’s supposedly a more useable and comfortable alternative to the Elise and Exige. The firm describe it as a ‘Grand Tourer’ but while it does offer slightly more interior space than other Lotus models, it’s still cramped compared to alternative sports cars. In essence there’s no hiding what the Europa is – basically an Exige or Elise underneath, but with a slightly different body on top.

What this does mean is that it’s great to drive with superb handling, wonderful steering and cracking performance. But it doesn’t deliver the refinement or comfort Lotus promises. It does come well equipped but ultimately it’s simply too similar to the rest of the Lotus line-up and not sophisticated enough to rival cars like the Porsche Cayman or BMW Z4.