Lotus Esprit Turbo SE

Warsaw Phat: Cruising the Polish Capital in a Lotus Esprit Turbo SE [Video]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-aZv_yCyZE[/youtube]

Is it just us, or were the high-endgrand tourersandexotic carsthat debuted in the ‘70s kept in production (with some revisions and updates, of course) longer than any before or since? Just off the tops of our heads, we can think of theLamborghini Countach(introduced in 1974, discontinued in 1990), theR107-chassis Mercedes-Benz SL(made from 1972 to ‘89),De Tomaso Pantera(1971 to ’91),Jaguar XJS(1975 to ’96) and theLotus Esprit(1976 to ’04). Whether they were designs with staying power or allowed to wither on the vine is a matter of interpretation and personal preference, but the fact remains that these pricey performers stuck around for quite a while.

As a result, people who spot thisLotusEsprit Turbo SEzipping around the streets of Warsaw, Poland might recognize it as a Lotus Esprit, but they might not be able to pin down what vintage it is (1989 to 1993, FWIW). But we doubt the owner of this classic British doorstop is terribly upset by that, particularly if the Esprit’s garagemates are his, as well…