The 2014 Lotus Esprit

 

My Brother's Favorite Car On Earth...For Now

 

     There is only one mid-engine car that Lotus has made between 1976 and 2004 and that is the Lotus Esprit. However there is now a new Esprit for 2014 and it looks very Lamborghini-like with some Ferrari in the design as well. 

     The new 2014 Lotus Esprit is rear-wheel drive like the older models and features a seven-speed paddle-shift dual clutch transmission. When you buy the Esprit you're given the choice of having either a V-6 or a V-8 engine installed. If you have the money I highly recommend that you get the V-8 because it gives off a displacement of 4 and 4.8 liters as opposed to the V-6 that gives off a displacement of 3 and 3.5 liters. As Jeremy Clarkson says "more is better" and I agree.

     The V-8 engine 550 horsepower in the original version and 620 in the Esprit R. The V-6 will deliver 350 horsepower or 500 horsepower depending on if the engine is naturally aspirated or turbocharged. Lotus says the top speed of the Esprit is 205 mph and will reach 62 mph in 3.4 seconds. The engine redlines at 9,250 rpm. Not bad. Expect this car to be a little louder than a Ferrari 458 Italia which has a redline rpm of 9,000 as said on British Top Gear.

     As far as design features go the Esprit features a space age front-end with LED front daytime running lights and in the rear is a center-mounted dual exhaust system. The interior has a digital instrument cluster, a sport steering wheel, and a carbon fiber trim throughout the car's cabin. The Esprit weighs 3,296 pounds. Lotus has said that a Hybrid option of the car will be available that uses a KERS regenerative brake system from Formula One. That's something to be excited about since most cars with Formula One tech usually perform very well.

     Now let's talk about the price. A standard Lotus Esprit will cost you about $175,000. Unfortunately I've recently learned that this wonderfully beautiful supercar has been cancelled so you can't buy one anymore. Even if my brother had the money he'll never be able to get his dream car. Thankfully the Lotus Exige is still in production and that is his second favorite car on Earth. 

 

 

The 2007 Nissan GT-R

 

Godzilla on Wheels

 

     Don't think for a second that all supercars have to be two-seaters. The supercar I'm about to tell you about has four seats. It's called the Nissan GT-R. It was made in 2007 at Kaminokawa, Tochigi, Japan by designer Shiro Nakamura. Despite being the successor to the old Nissan Skyline, the GT-R doesn't carry the "Skyline" badge. Like it's father the GT-R is all-wheel drive with a twin-turbo 6 cylinder engine and carries the same four round red lights in the back. The four-wheel-steering HICAS system was removed from the old Skyline, and the old straight-6 RB26DETT engine was replaced with a V-6 VR38DETT DOHC engine that delivers 485 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 434 ft. lb. at 3,200-5,200 rpm. Top speed is at 193 mph despite Jeremy Clarkson saying the GT-R had 1 million horsepower when he tested it on British Top Gear. Engine output also meets (ULEV) standards. Zero to sixty comes in at 3.2 seconds when using "launch control." Like the Skyline, the GT-R has been nicknamed "Godzilla" by Australian motor publication Wheels in it's July 1989 book.
     Let's talk design now. Nissan's American staff was responsible for sculpting the rear three quarters while the European staff sculpted the roofline. Polyphony Digital, the creators of the Gran Turismo racing simulators were contracted to develop the GT-R's multifunction display. Aluminum is used for the hood, trunk lid, and outer door skins. Die-cast aluminum is used for the front shock towers and inner door structures. All of the other body panels are stamped using a multiple-strike coining process to increase rigidity and precision. The chassis is made stiff with a carbon-composite front cross member/radiator support.
     Now for parts. The V-6 is given extra power through the installation of two parallel Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries twin turbochargers that provide forced induction. A rear-mounted BorgWarner dual clutch semi-automatic transmission built by Aichi Machine Industry is used together with the ATTESA ET-S system to give power to all of the wheels along with Nissan's Vehicle Dynamics Control to help with stability. However the transmission isn't the most reliable. Three shift modes are available for various driving conditions.
     Now the price. A standard Nissan GT-R for 2015 will cost you $101,770. That's almost what you would pay for a Chevrolet Corvette ZR1.