Keeping it British and niche, an equivalent-era Lotus Elise clamps down on fuel bills with an official 40.9mpg. And although the Rover (later Toyota) 1.8 has half the power, the dash from 0-60mph ...
It may not have been borne directly from a race series in the manner of its K-series-engined predecessor, but the Lotus ... S2 swiftly established itself as a circuit star, eclipsing the Elise ...