You know that guy who starts shit at a bar with another dude, and when that dude's three brothers show up, the shit-starter says "This isn't a fair fight, you better go get more of your bitch-ass friends"? In this Best Motoring test, that's what the Lotus Elise is.
The brothers in question are the entire Mazda Miata family from the early 2000s, including the hardtop coupe, the Roadster Turbo (Mazdaspeed Miata to us yanks) and two 1.8-liter convertible models.
Advertisement
There's also a Honda Integra Type R in there for good measure. It's the Type R version of the car we knew as the Acura RSX.
Who's gonna come out on top in this three-lap battle at Tsukuba Circuit? The answer may surprise you.