British Classic Cars- Lotus Esprit

This is my sixth post in a series entitled, British Classic Cars.  For those just tuning in, I have been writing (since October) about the cars that have made Britain one of the best car-building nations in history.  It is with great national pride that I try to "summarize" the high points of each car and state its place in the motoring world.

For post number six, I have chosen a car that is quite different to the cars about which I have written previously.  The first five in the series are certainly considered classics, simply because those models are not produced anymore.  The interesting thing about the Lotus Esprit is that it has been around since the 70's and hasn't really gone away.  Sure, Lotus stopped making them in 2004, but a newly updated version is scheduled for release in 2013 (I have actually seen the 2013 model in person).  So, this particular car marks a real turning point in my series of blog posts.  I will start featuring cars that we can call "future classics."  I have borrowed the term "future classics" from Top Gear.  Sometimes a petrolhead just knows when a car is destined to become a classic, and my writings will help to contribute to this list of future classic cars.

Enough of that... now let's talk about the car.



The Past

This car is the first mid-engined sports car that has been featured in my series.  To clarify, mid-engined sports cars have their engines just behind the driver/passenger seats.  This equals better weight distribution.  Better weight distribution equals better performance statistics.  Here is a list of famous mid-engined sports-cars: anything Lamborghini, Audi R8, Ferrari F40, F50, Ferrari Enzo, and the 458.  I could keep going, but you get the point.  A mid-engined car is purpose-built for one thing... speed.

The Lotus Esprit deserves a massive series of posts for the number of versions that have been built over the years, but I only wish to provide an overview, so I will keep things brief.  Lotus nearly named this car the Kiwi, but they decided to name the car the Esprit (all Lotus cars follow an "E... naming format).  The first model was dubbed the S1.  It produced 160 bhp and had a 2.0 litre engine (the same size engine as my Lancer).  This was the engine previously used in the Jensen-Healey (I will post on this car later).  The S1 had the looks of a sports car and is considered to be the best handling of any Esprit built since then.  The S1 garnered international attention by appeared in the James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me.  In that film, the Esprit transforms into a submarine following a lengthy car chase.  Check it out on Youtube if you haven't seen it!

S1 as a submarine!

The S2 and S3 came out several years after the S1.  A number of improvements were made on these cars and not as many were produced, so finding one in good condition can be quite difficult.  In 1980, the Esprit received a hearty performance boost in the form of a turbocharger.  This version of the car is referred to as the Essex Esprit because of the strong ties to F1 sponsorship.  The turbo kit brought the Esprit's engine up to 210 bhp.  Two Essex Esprits can be spotted in another Bond film, For Your Eyes Only.

So, in just four years, the Esprit found itself in two Bond films and available in seven different versions.  It became one of the first British supercars.

The Peter Stevens' Esprit Turbo

The Esprit is also one of the only supercars to go through several design changes.  Peter Stevens (known for designing the McLaren F1) created his version of the Esprit in 1987.  This car had Kevlar reinforcement for roll-over protection and was built using a Lotus patented process called Vacuum Assisted Resin Injection (VARI).  This Esprit was faster than the previous models due to an increase in horsepower.  This version also went on to become a movie star by being featured in Pretty Woman, Basic Instinct, and The Rookie.


Another redesign was performed in 1993 by Julian Thompson.  This Esprit became known as the S4.  This was to be the last of the Lotus Esprit, but all in divine timing, a canceled project for a front-engined car left Lotus with a V8 and no car to fit the engine.

2002 Lotus Esprit V8

The Lotus Esprit V8 is arguably the most well known version of the highly esteemed sports car.  It features in the dream garages of petrolheads all over the world.  The Esprit V8 has a twin-turbocharged all-aluminum V8 that originally produced 500 bhp, but had to be limited to 350 bhp horsepower in order to prevent damage to the gearbox.  The gearbox is made by Renault (the French can't get anything right).  Despite the gearbox, the Esprit V8 goes 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds and possesses a top speed of over 175 mph.




The Future

2013 Esprit

As mentioned before, the Lotus Esprit is the first car in my series of posts that has never really stopped being made (I don't count the new MINI's because they are made by BMW).  The future looks very bright for this car.  In 2013, the world will get to experience the Lotus Esprit all over again, but in a new way.  There will be a V6 and a V8 version offered (both with twin-turbos).  Within the V6 option, there will be several engine sizes to choose from and the same goes for the V8 option.  This new Esprit will also be offered in an environmentally friendly hybrid version which will have a KERS regenerative braking system.  Early figures state that the Lotus Esprit V8 (with a 4.8 litre engine) will have close to 600 hp and will go 0-62 mph in 3.4 seconds.  Lotus also state that the Esprit will have a top speed of 205 mph (making it one of the fastest production cars in history)!

The 2013 Esprit looks stunning!

Lotus plans to re-invent itself and surely everyone must view the Esprit as the figurehead of the new fleet of vehicles.  The Esprit is truly a working man's sportscar.  From the Renault transmission to the Jensen Healey engine, the Esprit was built using whatever parts could be found.  From the beginning, the Esprit has always been about getting the most power out of small engines.  The Esprit was never the fastest car, but it has always had a certain "spirit" about it.  The Esprits built before 2004 can now officially be called British classic cars because I am now stating that the 2013 Esprit is a "future classic."  The world is ready for a British company to give Porsche, Lamborghini, and Ferrari a run for their money.  Even though I am a little bias, my money is on the Esprit.

Goodnight and I can't wait to see you in 2013.  

2013 Esprit seen at the LA Auto show 2010

Esprit V8 that I saw at Cars and Coffee Irvine!