Although it always has offered plenty of power, the Lotus Esprit has lacked engine-bay prestige: In a costly mid-engined supercar, a 2.2-liter four-cylinder unit just doesn't sound right, either on the road or in conversation. Sure, the Esprit's powerplant was a dramatically effective one, inspired by racing, boosted by a big turbocharger, and good for 130 horsepower per liter-but on cold start-ups, it often clattered so badly you couldn't help wondering whether something had broken, and when warm, at high revs, its scream was strained and coarse. All of this was a shame, because Lotus knows better than most how to design and tune a chassis, and the Esprit held the road with a big-g bear-hug. Source - https://www.motortrend.com/news/lotus-esprit-v8-2/