Some of my buddys swear by the Lotus, despite the rindonkulus price for a toyota 1.8 or whatever. And not one of them complains of the modest HP. Its for the track/autox not for cruising on the real world streets. They've got a version of the Elise for that, but it won't ever be sold stateside.
of course power isn't always a substitue for big weight and lesser handling
particularly in the hands of a A+ driver
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11Fp5Nzdp9s