Lotus Esprit V8

Price $85,200

SPECIFICATIONS:

Engine type: DOHC 32 valves V-8 twin-turbo
Displacement: 3.5L (3504cc)
Power: 350 bhp
Torque: 295 lb.-ft.
Redline: 6900rpm
Transmission: 5 speed manual

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PERFORMANCE:

 0-60: 4.4sec
 0-100: 11.0sec
 0-150: 29.7sec
 1/4 mile: 13.0sec
 Top Speed: 173 mph

   When you think of exotic sports cars around the world, images of a roaring 12-cylinder Ferrari or a Lamborghini immediately pop into mind. But when you think of a Lotus Esprit, well, you certainly see the style of an exotic car, but perhaps not all of the sound and the fury that should accompany it.
   Why did Colin Chapman, famous for his engineering achievements, put a whiny turbocharged 4-cylinder engine into the Esprit in the first place? Well, for 1997, the Esprit now comes with double the cylinders it had, making deep throaty sounds through tailpipes, the Esprit can truly call itself a supercar. The engine is a Lotus type 918 V-8 32-valve 3.5-liter twinturbo capable of 350 bhp at 6,500 rpm and 295 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,250 rpm. This engine occupies the same volume as the previous 2.2-liter turbo inline-4, but weighs only 485 lb. Now that the Esprit has all of the basics to be an exotic sports car -the look, the feel, and finally a proper guttural sounding V8- we can perhaps experience what Colin Chapman intended the Esprit to be in the first place.

UPDATES: New interior changes and rear spoiler.