The Lotus Esprit was a mid engined sports car introduced in 1976. The Esprit is one of Lotus' most recognizable models, and was responsible for large parts of the company's success during the 80's and 90's. The Esprit was built across five generations: Series 1 (1976-1978), Series 2 (1978-1981), Series 3 (1981-1987), X180 (1987-1993), and Series 4 (1993-2004).