Lotus Elise
When the Elise was introduced in 1996, it made a huge splash in the automotive world. Such a compact yet beautiful roadster with a lightweight body and precise handling was unique on the market and influenced many big manufacturers to produce similar models (via Evo).
The Lotus perfectly captured the essence of sports car dynamics and introduced it in a sleek and balanced package. The early models had a mid-mounted 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine and just over 100 HP, but that was more than enough for a lively performance.