To hear Mr Yung Ong describe his car, you would be forgiven for thinking that he is talking about a recalcitrant lover. Words like 'beautiful', 'impractical' and 'hassle' are used, and the normally sedate young man becomes animated and garrulous. But then, he's not just talking about any car.

The object of his affection is his Lotus Exige - a two-door, two-seater sports car made for burning the race tracks rather than the roads. It's an exotic car with no power steering, sound-proofing, traction control or any of the creature comforts associated with many cars. In fact, it does not even come with an automatic transmission, and it's tiny to boot with a body that measures a mere 3.8m by 1.7m.

Mr Ong, a director at Novus Bar and Restaurant, says with a laugh: "It's like being inside an aluminium bathtub."

Despite all these impracticalities, the 26-year-old bachelor did not baulk at the $268,000 price tag when he bought it almost two years ago. For him, the Lotus Exige represents a pure driving experience.

It propels from 0 to 100kmh in 4.9 seconds, faster than most Porsches. "Most cars today have so many gadgets that you feel like you're playing a computer game when you drive," he says. "With the Lotus, I have a conversation with the road every time I step into the car - it's just me, the suspension and the road."

Mr Ong's love affair with his car is not all about speed and a powerful engine.

One of the reasons that drew him to the Lotus Exige is its design. The self-confessed 'designophile', whose family owns the F&B outlets at Peranakan Place, Novus Bar and Restaurant, and Wa Caf' Bar at the National Museum, as well as Proof and Vanguard Interiors, loves its sleek, compact and low-slung body.

Mr Ong says he thought hard before acquiring the Lotus because it was meant to be his 'daily drive'.

"When I first got it, I got a huge thrill driving it to work, but after six months, I was already weary," he says. "It takes a bit of effort getting in and out, and then you hit your head on the roof, and by the time you get out, your shirt is untucked and you're sweaty."

These days, he drives to work and parks it near his office in town, and then he takes a taxi or the MRT to his appointments.

It's on the weekends that Mr Ong puts his car through its paces. With the members of a racing car club, he drives to Malaysia on the 'B' roads.

He says: "We start at 6am, have breakfast somewhere, and we're back by lunch time. This is when I can push the car to its limits, which is what it's really designed for."