It's not enough just to love cars. If you want to own a Lotus Elise, you've really got to love driving. The Elise is about as pure a driving machine as you'll find. Finally available in Canada 10 years after its UK launch, the tiny two-seater keeps faith with Lotus design principles -- simplicity and lightness. So light is it, that a mere 1.8-litre, 190-hp Toyota "four" is enough to deliver 0-100 km/h sprints in about 5.2 seconds. There's no need for power assist, so the steering is almost telepathically precise and communicative. All the controls are linear and harmonious. You drive this car with fingertips and toes. Sure, it's a noisy little beggar, but who cares when you're having this much fun?

A precision tool for performance driving

Tall and wide drivers need not apply