Friday 20th February 2004

The 10,675th and last Lotus Esprit rolled off the line after 28 years in production. A mid-engined sports car, launched in the early 1970s, the Esprit shocked many at its launch – its geometric, laser-cut lines seemed far more futuristic than anything on the road. It featured in the 1977 Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me and briefly in For Your Eyes Only; it also appeared in the 1990 movie Pretty Woman.