1997 Lotus Esprit
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Lotus rolled out their first Esprit in 1976 which featured a 2. 0L Inline 4 cylinder. The idea was a lightweight fiberglass body wrapped around a steel backbone which housed a mid mounted engine which delivered power to the rear wheels. The formula was one for a very sporty car which was fine tuned over the years. Power increased slightly and into the 1980s Lotus even added a Turbo to the 4 cylinder. This made for a nicely balanced car which was loved by enthusiasts. In 1996 Lotus released a big surprise in the form of a self-developed 3. 5 Liter aluminum V8 with is augmented by twin Garrett Turbochargers. This set up was capable of 500+ HP but was detuned to a safer 350 HP to prevent gearbox damage. The standard transmission is a 5 speed manual Renault transmission. Tests in the day achieved 0-60MPH in 4. 4 seconds and a top speed of over 175 MPH. With these stats, this 1997 model is still competitive against today's sports cars. This particular example is a clean stock example in beautiful red over black leather. It rides...