While these traits are sometimes irritating, they also make you feel like you're driving a car that's different, more involving on practical as well as dynamic levels than the sports car norm. On the odd days that snow, ice and agricultural goo haven't plastered the roads, the Elise has been every bit the entertainer I'd hoped it would be. Once you're in it and in the groove, it's as if you're bonded with some sort of connective tissue; most other cars' responses seem too 'arcade' in comparison.

The only trouble is, it seems to have a magnetic attraction for all the local modified Nova/Escort/205 heroes, who feel compelled to prove their manhood by trying to tickle the Elise's tailpipes whenever they see it in front of them.

Sadly the little Lotus has seen more motorways than byways this month; even more tragically, one of those motorways was the M11 during the snow. Determined to get home, I came off at Stansted and took to the back roads. The Elise was good through the drifts, up to a point... It is possible to sleep the night in an Elise, but frankly I don't recommend it. A Good Samaritan also managed to snap off the driver's door mirror to compound the night's misery; superglue and gaffer tape are currently providing a temporary fix.

Talking of fix, my Mk1 Elise has been in at the Lotus service centre over at the factory having its 54,000-mile service. Normally I'd just go to a dealer, but Hethel is only a few miles further than my local dealer and I fancy having a 'factory' stamp in the service book, even if it is only the once. Manager Glen and his crew gave the car a thorough going-over and discovered that it also needed new front dampers, a ball-joint, various bushes, a fresh gear-linkage and a replacement exhaust section.

They also repaired damage (from the previous owner, I hasten to add) to the rear spoiler and resprayed the whole rear end - when I went to take pictures of the car in the workshop I didn't recognise it until I spotted the evo sticker in the rear window. I haven't had a chance to pick the car up yet, but with all the work that's been done the driving experience should be transformed. Glen and his merry men also do all of Lotus's aftermarket performance upgrades - including the ballsy Sport 190 I drove last month - so it's a shame my funds don't yet extend to a 135bhp conversion.