sunflower: the Lotus Esprit V8

In 1993, Lotus' Esprit had been in production for over 25 years when the legendary English car marque founded by Colin Chapman, had decided it was time for a redesign. Up until then, the Esprit had been boxy and aggressive; with the redesign, codenamed the S4 and drawn up by Julian Thomson, the Esprit became a classy and beautiful supercar. In 1997, they released the Esprit V8, one of the most beautiful cars of the 1990's and a defining example of why I love British cars. It was given a 350 hp twin turbocharged V8, very nice new 6 spoke rims and some other changes. When new, the Esprit V8 costed a little over $70,000, but by now, the Esprit V8 has decreased in value and along with the Ferrari F355 it is one of the relatively affordable exotics I will work towards owning one day, hopefully! Until then, this AutoArt model can hold me over, it is a very well detailed model that is worth the high price. I especially love the pop up headlights.

hypercar: the Lotec C1000

The Lotec C1000 was a German supercar and one of the most special exotics ever dreamed up. Commissioned in 1991 by a wealthy oil magnate from the United Arab Emirates, and built by former race car driver Kurt Lotterschmid, the one of a kind C1000 has a fascinating story behind it. Costing $2.2 million dollars, Lotterschmid used lightweight aerospace framing in an aerodynamic shape to sculpt the car, and a huge engine to power it. The C1000 had a claimed output of 1000 horsepower (hence the name) from a twin turbocharged V8 placed in the middle while being driven by the rear wheels. Sheikh Mahktoum wanted the fastest road legal car ever made, and that he got. According to Barrett Jackson, the C1000 has a top speed of 268 mph, a number which even Bugatti and Koenigsegg have yet to top. Despite the impressive performance figures, the C1000 is a little known and obscure supercar, but sometimes, those turn to be the hidden gems.

There aren't too many one-of supercars available in 1:18 scale, and I already have most of them in my collection (including the Lotec Sirius) but any car like this C1000 will be a must have for my colection.

fresh kraut: the Artega GT

The Artega GT is a brand new exotic that fits right in with Wiesmann and Young Engineers in the German sports car scene. As soon as you lay eyes on it, the Artega is a striking design. It was penned by Henrik Fisker, the same man whose design credentials include the BMW Z8 and Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Unveiled at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show, the GT had critics raving and customers lining up to place orders. Not dissimilar to Porsche, the GT is a rear wheel drive car with a 6 cylinder engine in the rear. The Artega has some supercar cues though; some say its lines are reminiscent of the Porsche Carrera GT or Ferrari 360. With only 500 to be made per year, it has some exclusiveness to it. All in all, the Artega GT is in important and exciting new exotic to watch out for on the city streets of Europe.

This model is made by Revell and it's one of my favorites. It's composite plastic, not diecast, but the build quality is just as good as my other models. The blue paint is absolutely stunning and I wish every car in my collection would have such pretty blue paint. It's also a perfect companion for my Wiesmann GT, and if Revell can make a YES! Roadster, then that will be a perfect trio.