Lotus Esprit Series 1

The Lotus Esprit S1 shocked the world at its 1975 debut. Penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro, its 'folded paper' wedge design was radical and defined supercar styling for the next decade. Its starring role as a submarine car in the 1977 James Bond film 'The Spy Who Loved Me' cemented its place as a pop culture icon.

Collectors seek out the S1 because it's the original, purest expression of Giugiaro's vision. With its lightweight fiberglass body, steel backbone chassis, and mid-mounted 2.0L 907 engine, it offers a famously direct and unfiltered driving experience. It's a rare car, with just 718 S1s built between 1976 and 1978, making it significantly scarcer than later iterations.

The market for the S1 is broad. While the average sale price sits around $37,000, condition and provenance create a huge spread. Project cars can be found for under $10,000, while concours-quality or celebrity-owned examples have sold for over $150,000. It remains one of the more accessible ways into 1970s Italian-designed, British-built exotica.

Prices for the Esprit S1 range from around $9,000 for projects to over $150,000 for the very best examples.