See the Lotus Esprit Time Travel from 1976 to 2004

I consider the Porsche 911 the most prime example of automotive evolution. Perhaps we can award second place to the Lotus Esprit. If you thought it was addictive to watch a row of 911s in sitting in successive-model-year formation, just take a look at the video below. I’m betting you’ll want to watch it twice.

This video of 19 Lotus Esprits was shot at the 2013 Lotus Festival at Brands Hatch in England. Going down the row of parked Esprits from 1976 to 2004 is an amazing voyage through the ages. The video begins in the Giugiaro years, continues through the car’s Peter Stevens redesign, and ends with the final generation redesigned by Julian Thompson. After that, the cameraman pans back in time to the 1976 Esprit parked at the beginning of the row.

While I’m saddened the 2014 Lotus Esprit got canceled, I feel consoled by how the proposed design below will remain separate from the Esprit name. Evolution worked so well for the Esprit’s first five generations — the 2014 Esprit concept spat in the face of tradition.

If Lotus ever builds a successor to the Esprit, I would hope its design would be inspired by the original car’s timeless shape, much in the vein of how the Lancia Stratos was reimagined by Pininfarina.