Lotus Exige - Hapa-Liscious

roof That White Girls Should Get With Asian Guys

writer: Carter Jung
photographer: Jonathan Wong

Hapas. One part Asian and another White; it's the human equivalent of a cream cheese and rice mish-moshed Philly roll, only less disgusting. Sometimes.

As hybrids, Hapas affirm the advantages of biological diversity and the potential cross-breeding has for our future-i.e., hot chicks. One need not look further than Vanessa Minello or Kristin Kreuk for substantial evidence. However, occasionally there are the Danny-DeVito-twin-brother, freakish instances. *Cough, Rob Schneider, cough*. Despite crappy male whore sequels, the Lotus Exige is a prime example of Eurasian done right.

Already a competitive track car, the stock Exige combines years of British chassis know-how with Toyota's zesty 1.8L 2ZZ-GE motor (found in the Celica GTS). 190 hp might not sound like a lot, but throw that in a 2,000 lb chassis and you have a go-kart with body panels. Now, take a custom 3ZZ kit bumping displacement to 2.0L like this Trial version and you have 227 hp of all-motor individual throttle-bodied sucking goodness. Throw on limited edition Time Attack TE37s, Trial-dialed (it rhymes!) suspension and transmission, sweet-sounding Trial exhaust boasting titanium tips and a host of other lost in translation modifications, and we can only imagine how fast the Trial Exige would be on Tsukuba. This further proves that, despite historical acts of forced Imperialism, Asians and Europeans can co-exist.

See white girls? Give Ricky and I a chance. If not out of pity, do it for reparations.

Faster Facts

Lotus Exige

Owner Trial

Hometown Osaka, Japan

Daily Grind Tuning shop

Power 227hp

Under The Hood Trial 3ZZ stroker kit (TRD high-compression pistons, H-beam rods, crankshaft, flywheel), individual throttle bodies; strengthened oil pump; oil pan baffle; sports air cleaner; aluminum radiator; custom exhaust

Drivetrain 1.5 way LSD,4.8 final gear

Brains A'pexi Power FC (controls VVT); HKS Pro (controls spark and timing); Trial ECU

Stiff Stuff Trial suspension STOPPERS AP brakes

Rollers Volk Racing TE37 Time Attack wheels; Dunlop tires

Outside Front spoiler; carbon rear wing

Inside Recaro seats;

Ice HKS gauges