On days like this the alarm clock does not offend quite as much as usual; the morning coffee tastes that little bit sweeter and the birdsong outside my window welcomes the new day with a melodic and peaceful tune. That is until the harmony is cruelly destroyed by the sound of the turbocharged VX220 driven by Dave Jenkins, as he makes his way up my road. Ah yes, this is going to be a good day.

Writing about cars does allow access to a wide variety of machinery, but days such as this bright October Thursday remind me why I love doing it. Today, Jenkins and I drive the 90 or so miles to Hethel in Norfolk to collect the latest Lotus creation - the Exige S2. By a stroke of luck, we've managed to wrangle a VX220 Turbo from the grasp of the Vauxhall press office, which makes an intriguing comparison. The gods obviously approve as we are bathed in early morning sunshine. Just when you thought that it couldn't get any better, Lotus also invited us to try the Exige on its own test track - the hallowed ground it was developed on.

The Hethel test track is overlooked on one side by the sprawling factory and engineering buildings and on the other by a farmer's field (mental note to self as we look around: plenty of run-off...). The track was constructed around a World War 2 landing strip and after one lap you can see that this contributes to its character; surface changes are frequent, from racetrack-smooth tarmac to broken concrete and bitumen. Hethel is certainly a challenge to drive, but flowing, and wide enough to push a car up to and beyond its limits safely.

When we rumble up to the security building it strikes me how much the whole place has grown since my last visit (at the time of the launch of the first Elise). Potash Lane is no longer a through road, now dominated by the Proton building, and what was once kindly referred to as a security hut is now more plush than my own house. The efficient security staff guide us into reception where our black VX220 is practically invisible next to a hoard of multi-coloured Elises and Exiges.

We are met by John Lamb and make small talk over coffee while we prod and poke a US-spec Elise 111R. Graham (one of the many talented engineers working at Lotus) turns up with a set of keys and we are lead outside to a sight for sore eyes - the 'Chrome Orange' Exige sits burbling on the tarmac. I reluctantly clamber into the passenger seat as Graham shows me around the track. Thankfully, knowing the Elise 111R quite well, I can concentrate on the layout of the circuit rather than the minimalist interior, as it is soon my turn.

I take a few laps to familiarise myself with the corners and to let the tyres warm up before exploring the Exige's outer reaches. Even driving at seven tenths you will love the Exige. The 1.8-litre Toyota engine really suits this car, and when on the high lift cam it shrieks as impressively as most race cars.

As we all know, the Lotus name is synonymous with clever chassis design and inspiring handling; the Exige does not let the side down. If the Exige's steering was a school kid, it would be up before the headmaster every day for talking too much in class, as would its brother the Elise. There are detail differences between the Exige and Elise elsewhere in the suspension though: the Exige is stiffer and has sharp enough turn-in to cut slivers out of the tarmac. Not that the Elise is a blunt instrument; it's just that the Exige is even more keen to go around corners at silly speeds. Allied to the bespoke semi-slick Yokohama AO48, and over 40kg of positive downforce at 100mph, the Exige makes for an effective trackday car. The springs and dampers are Lotus Sport items, and like the Elise 135R tested in 2003 (though not quite to the same extent), are a compromise on the road. No matter, direction change in the Exige really has to be experienced to be believed. Many cars have a lot of grip; the Exige lets you use it to the full.

Mid-way through the fastest corner on the Hethel track (titled Windstock) at a turn-in speed of 120mph, there is a hole where the new tarmac meets old runway. Even at such high speeds under cornering load the Exige soaks this up and stays on line as you brush close to the (wonderfully forgiving) rev limiter down the straight. Lap after lap, it never failed to impress me.

Hethel is used these days for driver training as well as car development, so gone is the inviting right-left chicane ahead of the North Hairpin. The sequence remains, but the cones have been replaced by a wall of black and white painted tyres - they certainly discourage pushing too close to the limit at this point. It is a tight chicane and testament to the Exige's inertia free responses that I never felt that I wouldn't be in the right part of the track for the 180 degree right directly after. There are a few quick lines through this hairpin, with a wide expanse of road to toy with. The Exige allowed a whiff of oversteer on the exit as it tracked true to the outside of the corner. Power oversteer is not really an option such is the traction available, and I have yet to learn the art of drifting, so I tried for smooth lines instead, and the Exige comes alive driven in this manner.

Up through the gears again with the needle arcing quickly around the rev counter. The next sequence of corners is my favourite, and DJ reported that I managed to make the tyres squeal from entry to exit on every lap. You brake hard to bring the weight forward; this pushes down on the front tyres as you turn right for the first corner and get back on the accelerator. From then on it is a case of balancing the throttle against the grip as the Exige scythes from apex to apex. Go in too hard and it is easy to feel the rear tyres relinquish grip. I know this is a cliché, but the Lotus is as easy to control on the limit as a go-kart. No go-kart I've driven has brakes as dependable as the Exige's though. Lap after lap was had without a trace of fade. The Exige features ABS and the brakes are servo-assisted (the Elise 111R has the same set-up), but it is very well judged. Only once or twice did I manage to provoke the electronic headmaster to rap my sweaty knuckles.

An hour behind the wheel later I emerged grinning. The Exige is everything it should be on track. The journey home, in convoy with the VX220 should be interesting, as should living with the Lotus everyday for a week. My alarm clock will never have been used with such care...