Lotus Esprit S1

Some of you may recognize this from the James Bond flick The Spy Who Loved Me, especially the scene when it converted into a submarine after a thrilling car chase. The first-gen Lotus Esprit's production run lasted from 1976 to 1978. It replaced the Europa in Lotus' line of flagship sports cars. Since it was introduced at the height of the oil crisis, the Esprit S1 is viewed as underpowered to many individuals with only 140 horsepower from its two-liter four-banger. The launch from 0 to 60 mph happens in 8 seconds, onto a top speed of 133 mph. It is available with a 5-speed manual sourced from Citroen and has a fiberglass body on a steel chassis. Not many first-gen Esprits have survived to this day, primarily due to drivetrain issues. All told, the Esprit is my favorite Lotus model of all time. However, I feel like it gets overlooked when compared to other sports cars.