Lotus Esprit V8

The Lotus Esprit prototype was shown in Turin in 1972. Italdesign developed its styling under Giorgetto Giugiaro. The first production Esprit with a two-litre engine appeared in 1976. This scale model represents the 1996 Esprit V8 unveiled in Paris.

The most powerful version used a twin-turbo 3,506 cc V8 producing 355 PS at 6,500 rpm and 400 Nm at 4,200 rpm. The rear-wheel-drive car weighed 1,455 kg and reached 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds. Its injection system, unusual intake manifolds and Lotus-designed combustion chambers used advanced technology and synthetic materials.