The Lotus Esprit gained its own moment of fame when the contemporary James Bond chose a different British sports car for the film 'The Spy Who Loved Me'. If its distinctive modern angular lines weren't enough to make the car a screen icon, the ultimate product placement came with its ability to transform into a submarine and look even more svelte in the water. Those few minutes on screen almost certainly cemented the future of the model which has become one of the longest running series of sportscars. Its design was unmistakably from the pen of Giorgetto Giugiaro and had originated as an Ital Design project car at the 1972 Turin Motor Show, the silver prototype having come about following a chance encounter between Giugiaro and Lotus boss Colin Chapman. The car was well received, and following a protracted development programme finally entered production in 1976. The Esprit retained Lotus's trademark backbone chassis but deviated from previous designs by employing front and rear sub-frames to support the all-independent suspension and engine/gearbox unit. Lotus's own 2-litre, 16-valve, four-cylinder engine provided the power while the five-speed transaxle was sourced from Citroën. Disc brakes were fitted to all four wheels, the rears being mounted inboard. The Esprit metamorphosed through several series over the next two decades, its first revision being when it gained a 2.2-litre engine and then turbo-charged induction. Introduced in 1980, the Garrett-blown Esprit Turbo produced 210bhp and was good for a top speed of 148mph, with 60mph attainable in 6.1 seconds. With the Lotus brand going from strength to strength today and styling still owing much to the 30 year old Esprit lines, it seems certain that these cars will have long term collectibility and finding good cars is already becoming increasingly difficult. This is a great benchmark example of an iconic model, offered in its most well known guise of Monaco white, with black decals, and a black leather interior. Amazingly for a sports car its mileage has been a modest 25,000 miles from new and unusually it retains all of its service books, duplicate keys and fastidious maintenance records, thanks to a single long term former ownership which dated back to the 1980s. Most recently, it has received a new clutch and slave cylinder. A good, straight, correct and original, rather than restored example it is an entry level classic that surely has good long term appeal as one the few iconic sports cars from the 1980s; an era that is gaining recent interest amongst collectors.
The Lotus Esprit gained its own moment of fame when the contemporary James Bond chose a different British sports car for the film 'The Spy Who Loved Me'. If its distinctive modern angular lines weren't enough to make the car a screen icon, the ultimate product placement came with its ability to transform into a submarine and look even more svelte in the water. Those few minutes on screen almost certainly cemented the future of the model which has become one of the longest running series of sportscars. Its design was unmistakably from the pen of Giorgetto Giugiaro and had originated as an Ital Design project car at the 1972 Turin Motor Show, the silver prototype having come about following a chance encounter between Giugiaro and Lotus boss Colin Chapman. The car was well received, and following a protracted development programme finally entered production in 1976. The Esprit retained Lotus's trademark backbone chassis but deviated from previous designs by employing front and rear sub-frames to support the all-independent suspension and engine/gearbox unit. Lotus's own 2-litre, 16-valve, four-cylinder engine provided the power while the five-speed transaxle was sourced from Citroën. Disc brakes were fitted to all four wheels, the rears being mounted inboard. The Esprit metamorphosed through several series over the next two decades, its first revision being when it gained a 2.2-litre engine and then turbo-charged induction. Introduced in 1980, the Garrett-blown Esprit Turbo produced 210bhp and was good for a top speed of 148mph, with 60mph attainable in 6.1 seconds. With the Lotus brand going from strength to strength today and styling still owing much to the 30 year old Esprit lines, it seems certain that these cars will have long term collectibility and finding good cars is already becoming increasingly difficult. This is a great benchmark example of an iconic model, offered in its most well known guise of Monaco white, with black decals, and a black leather interior. Amazingly for a sports car its mileage has been a modest 25,000 miles from new and unusually it retains all of its service books, duplicate keys and fastidious maintenance records, thanks to a single long term former ownership which dated back to the 1980s. Most recently, it has received a new clutch and slave cylinder. A good, straight, correct and original, rather than restored example it is an entry level classic that surely has good long term appeal as one the few iconic sports cars from the 1980s; an era that is gaining recent interest amongst collectors.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
