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With a unique paint job and 460 horsepower this Lotus shows everything good about the brand.

The plucky British manufacturer Lotus Cars seems to fly under the radar somewhat. Born out of Colin Chapman's philosophy of lightness overall else makes the cars somewhat hard to live with on a day-to-day basis. Over the early 2000s Lotus's fellow Formula 1 alumni as found in Ferrari and McLaren made their cars more usable with luxury features like sound deadening Lotus stuck in their ways. The most luxurious Evora didn't even add much regarding comfort. After an investment from Geely, everything changes for Lotus with an SUV and the Emira.

Yet carving their way across the British country back roads are plenty of Lotus fans in their Elise and Exige models. Available as both a coupe and convertible, the Exige sat at the top of Lotus' lineup for nearly two decades. The closest the band came to an Esprit replacement, it used much of the Elise as a base. With little money available to the company, developing an entirely new car seemed impossible. Yet, the Exige got Lotus through a rough chapter in their history.

With a unique paint job and 460 horsepower this Lotus shows everything good about the brand.

Featuring on photographer GFWilliams's YouTube channel, this Exige has had an extensive rebuild over the last six months. After a long hard winter's work, it now sees a power output of a massive 460 horsepower. In a world of 707 horsepower Dodge Challenger Hellcats this doesn't sound like much for a modern sports car. However, the Exige is still a Lotus. Looking incredibly similar to the highly successful Elise, the Exige is a lightweight car for enthusiasts. Only instead of a four-cylinder motor from the Elise, the Exige received excessive tuning. The first generation of the car saw power increase to 190 horsepower.

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In its third generation, all Exige models came with a supercharged 3.5-liter V6 from Toyota. With a curb weight of around 1000kg, this resulted in dizzying performance. The Cup 430 Final Edition propelled the Exige to 62mph in 3.3 seconds. Up 30 horsepower on this car GFWilliams' Exige can take on even some McLarens.

Most Exige on the roads are in green, red, and white. This William's Exige uses a unique blend that creates a TVR-esque shade of purple. As the sunlight hits the different panels multiple hues reveal themselves. Further enhancing the aesthetic of the vehicle come added front louvers that actually help cool the engine and generate more downforce. The front bumper has a new profile that sticks out around an inch further than before. More angular and aggressive this little British convertible can take on some of the world's supercars.

Williams speaks to his obsession with details, as a professional car photographer these are the most important. Drawing his audience to look at the hood he shows the herringbone effect of the carbon fiber. Almost imperceptible from more than a foot away.

Unlike many vehicles on the road, this Exige has yellow-looking laser lamps at the front which aid with nighttime performance driving. This creates a yellow motif that continues throughout the rest of the car. The brake calipers and rear brand name not only have this color but also have the new Lotus font that adorns the brand's upcoming models. The Elise and Exige Final Edition cars launched last year, ushering an end to this era of the company. However, Williams brings these models into the brand's future. The yellow motif continues in the cabin with the racing harnesses and Lotus logos.

With his focus on performance, the owner switched to HRE wheels that are in total 6kg lighter than those from Lotus. Importantly the car has a new rear wing. Top-mounted it puts the spoiler further back, meaning the hood still works by a hinge.

According to Williams, this Lotus Exige received this power increase from tuners Komo-Tech. The photographer gives no details on the total price of this built. However, according to Komo-Tech the Phase Work 490 tuning package increases horsepower to 470 and torque up to 383 lb-ft. This cost €16,300 or roughly $17,500. The work continued elsewhere modifying the exhaust and adding an air box. According to Classic, the average Series 3 Exige sells for $64,139 with the earlier generations of car coming in a little cheaper. This build likely cost over $100,000.

RELATED:10 Reasons Why We'll Miss The Lotus Elise And Exige

Not content to just add power Williams added a new suspension from Tractive. This system uses the touchscreen in the cabin to change driving modes, something that no Lotus Exige came from the Lotus factory. The damper stiffens and softens depending on the driving style. The rest of the drive line has further enhancements with a limited-slip differential, gearbox cooler, and bigger brakes. Essentially this Exige is the real-world equivalent of getting a Lotus in Forza and spending all the money one can. Other than an engine swap there's little left the owner can do.

Douglas Hamilton is a British gearhead with a degree in Literature. He grew up surrounded by F1, Need For Speed, and classic cars. He has a worrying obsession with Jaguar.