Lotus Esprit

The Esprit is a mid-engine, two-seat high-performance sports car that debuted as a concept in 1974 and went into production two years later with a 160-horsepower 2.0-liter engine. In 1981 a turbocharged 210-hp 2.2-liter engine was added. The Esprit was updated for 1988 with softer body lines and 228 hp; then bumped to 280 hp in 1990. After 20 years of tweaking the 4-cylinder engine, Lotus chose to breathe new fire into the Esprit with a twin-turbocharged V8—its first new motor in nearly 25 years. The 1997 Esprit V8 elevated the Esprit to true supercar status, delivering a top speed of 178 mph.