I'm a little mystified about choosing these two for an either/or comparison. NONE of the automotive press, and no enthusiasts I've spoken with put these two cars in the same pigeon hole

This is a little like comparing a Mercury Mountaineer with a HumVee Hummer (the first, not the effete Suburban/Tahoe based H2).

Re the Hummer and Mountaineer: One is a purpose built, unapologetic machine that requires the driver's invovlement and participation 100% of the time. It rewards the driver's putting up w/lack of comfort with a machine that will do what it's meant to do extremely well.

The other is a blvd cruiser that coddles the driver, but will get you out of the mud or through a little snow once in awhile. Good for commuting and trucking the kids to/from soccer, but nobody would seriously consider off roading with it.

So it is with the Lotus and the Crossfire.

One is a 2 seater Formula Atlantic street car with lights. It's all about driver input and uncompromising performance, at the expense of creature comforts. Doesn't care what it looks like, either (which is good, because it is homely). Totally non pretentious.

The other is an eye catching, in a draw dropping way luxo sports coupee that comforts the driver, with moderate sporting pretensions that can put a grin on his/her face when hanging on to a decreasing radius exit ramp. For this car, it's more about how you look getting from point A to point B, and how many fingerprints it collects in the Applebee parking lot.

The Lotus will put a grin on the driver's face in the same situation, right before the g forces matched by only a handful of other street cars, forces his stomach to expel breakfast.

In other words, both cars do what they're designed to do very well. I doubt seriously if Crossfire owners rethinking their choice and casting about for an alternative would even have the Lotus on their short list. They're completely different cars.