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- For other meanings of "Esprit", see Esprit (disambiguation).
The Lotus Esprit was a sports car built by Lotus from 1976 to 2004. The Silver Italdesign concept that eventually became the Esprit was unveiled at the Turin motor show in 1972, and was a development of a stretched Lotus Europa chassis. It is held to be among the first of designer Giorgetto Giugiaro's "folded paper" designs. Originally, the name Kiwi was proposed, but in keeping with the E naming format of Lotus tradition, the name was changed to Esprit. Historically it was able to match or better most of its contemporary rival's performance in many areas, of whom are included the Ferrari 308, 328, and 360, and many Porsche sports cars in a production life that lasted nearly 30 years.
The Early Esprit
The Esprit was launched for the 1976 model year in the S1 guise. These fiberglass bodied cars were equipped with a derivative of the type 900 4 cylinder engines used in the Lotus 62 sports racer, subsequently used in the Jensen Healey and race winning Lotus Talbot Sunbeam rally cars. The type 907 used in the Esprit displaced 2.0 liters, produced 160 hp, and was mounted behind the passengers as in the Europa and in front of a Citroen 5 speed transaxle. The car embodied Lotus’ performance through light weight mantra, weighing under 1000 kg. The car gained some fame through its appearance in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) where it converted into a submarine. Because of the 007 films, those who pre-ordered Esprits were placed on three year waiting lists.
The original Esprit was lauded for its handling and is said to have the best steering of any Esprit. However, it was generally regarded as lacking power, especially in markets such as the US where the engine was downrated for emissions purposes, and Lotus’ claim of 0-60 in 6.8 seconds and a top speed of 138 mph may be thought of as optimistic. Actual road test times indicate a top speed of around 133 mph and 0-60 in 8 seconds. *
These models are visually distinguishable from later Esprits by their lack of an integrated front air dam, Fiat X1/9 taillights, lack of bodyside ducting, and Wolfrace alloy wheels.
The S2 was introduced as a gradual improvement on the original Esprit, facilitating a few minor but important changes to the design including intake and cooling duct “ears” behind the rear quarter window, Rover SD1 taillights and an integrated front spoiler for stability. S2 Esprits also used the 14” Speedline alloy wheels designed specifically for Lotus.
During this era, a claimed (but improbable) 100 Special Edition cars were made to commemorate Lotus’ racing victories, commonly known as the John Player Special (JPS) among collectors after Lotus’ racing sponsor at the time.
The S2.2 was produced as a stopgap model in 1980, identical to the S2 but with an enlarged (2.2 liter) type 912 engine used. This kept horsepower the same, but bumped up torque to 160 lb ft. from 140. These cars are extremely rare even among Esprits and only 88 are thought to have been produced. *
Essex , turbo, and S3 era
In 1980 the first factory turbocharged Lotus, the Essex Esprit was built, and these special editions were superceded by a production turbo car. The new turbocharged engine was known as the 910 type, and produced 210 horsepower, with an impressive 200 lb ft. of torque. 0-60 mph could be achieved in the low 5 second range, with a top speed of over 150 mph.
These performance improvements were coupled to a revamping and strengthening of the rear suspension, where an upper link was added to alleviate strain on the halfshafts, along with brake improvements (with the front suspension upgraded again in 1985) Turbo cars are recognized by an aerodynamic body kit with a ducktail spoiler and boxy bumpers, with more and larger ducts all around. Essex cars were delivered in a special livery, and Essex cars (and early turbos) possessed 3 piece compmotive wheels and dry sump oiling.
In (1981) the Esprit (two Esprits actually) was again used in a Bond film, For Your Eyes Only.
The Giugiaro designed Esprit’s final incarnation, the turbo HC, was produced in 1986. Higher compression (from 7.5:1 to 8:1) yielded 215 hp and 220 lb ft. of torque. Lotus created the HCi, with Bosch jetronic fuel injection, for markets with high emissions standards such as the US. Creating this amount of power from only 2.2 liters continued the Esprit tradition of remarkable specific output. *
The refinements of the Turbo Esprit were carried on to its naturally aspirated sister, making the Esprit S3 a car that had much appeal to those who wanted a driving experience without a turbocharger. The S3 can be distinguished from a turbo by its smaller air dam, lack of ducting on the sills, and rear end without the ducktail spoiler as well as different, mesh lined intake ears
The Peter Stevens Era
In 1988 a new version of the Esprit was introduced, incorporating rounder styling cues given by designer Peter Stevens of McLaren F1 fame. Giugiaro is said to have liked the restyling, claiming it was perhaps too close to his original design. The first Stevens styled cars were mechanically identical to their previous year counterparts, with Turbo and N/A variants available, though quickly a stronger Renault transaxle was used, as well as Delco GMP4 EFI. The exterior style changes were accompanied by a freshening of the interior. The Stevens styled Esprit is collectively known as the X180.
The Esprit was again improved with the addition of a water to air intercooler known as the chargecooler producing the SE. Horsepower was pushed up to 264 with 280 available on overboost, and zero to sixty times reduced to an amazing 4.7 seconds, with a top speed of over 160 mph. The chargecooled engine was known as the type 910 S. Modifications to the body kit are also noted. Again the Esprit continued to keep a small or nonexistent gap between itself and competition from rivals such as Ferrari and Porsche.
Along with the SE, Lotus produced the little seen Esprit S, a midrange turbocharged car offering fewer appointments and 228 hp, as well as the standard turbo still offering 215 hp. The N/A and turbo were cancelled after 1990, and the S in 1991.
Esprit SEs were in the films Basic Instinct and Pretty Woman.
The Esprit was quite popular and successful in the American Bridgestone Supercar Championship and as a result Lotus produced the SE-based X180R, with horsepower bumped to 300 and with racing appointments. The Sport 300 was a derivative of the X180R sold in Europe. These are known as the fastest of the 4 cylinder Esprits and among the most desirable. *
In 1993 another exterior and interior revamp of the car resulted in the S4 which was the first model to include power steering. This car was succeeded in 1995 by the S4s, which upped power to 300 bhp while retaining the comfort of the S4.
The V8 Era
The league of the Esprit had long demanded larger displacement engines, which Lotus’ competitors possessed; V8s, V12s, or similarly exotic piston configurations would always have more weight in a consumer’s mind than a 4 cylinder, no matter how powerful or efficient. Thus the Esprit V8 was born in 1996. The V8 Esprits used Lotus’ self developed type 918 3.5 liter twin turbo engine, in front of the same Renault transmission as before. Power was up to 355 bhp, however the capability of the 918 engine was limited by the fragility of the Renault transmission. Zero to sixty miles per hour came in under 5 seconds. Some examples of the engine are noted however to suffer from a leaking cylinder liner problem.
Alongside V8 models was produced the GT3, a turbocharged 4 cylinder car with a 2.0 liter chargecooled, turbocharged engine as used exclusively in Italian market cars previously.
In 1998 the V8 range was split into SE and GT specs, both cars with a much changed interior configuration, both offering similar performance with the SE being the more luxurious of the two.
The ultimate incarnation of the Esprit came in 1999 with the Sport 350. Only 50 of these were made, each offering 350 horsepower (as per the name) and various chassis and braking improvements. By this time the Esprit could reach 60 mph in well under 5 seconds, and weighed 1300 kg as a result of their hand laid fiberglass bodies. Lotus built only 50 of these. *
Esprit production continued on until 2004, Lotus content on producing the Esprit with little development aside from minor cosmetic changes including a switch to 4 round taillights in 2002. Over 28 years a total of 10675 Esprits were produced before production eventually halted due to a lack of Renault gearboxes.
The Future
An “Esprit Replacement” is in the works at Lotus currently, and is the subject of much speculation, with many (inaccurate) spy shots and renderings in magazines. This car is intended to be introduced in 2008. The new design is targeted to compete with cars such as the Ferrari F430 and the Lamborghini Gallardo among others.
Giorgetto Giugiaro designed
- Esprit - 1976–1977
- Esprit S2 - 1978–1981
- Esprit JPS (John Player Special) - 1978–1979
- Esprit S2.2 - 1980–1981
- Esprit Essex - 1980
- Esprit S3 - 1981–1987
- Turbo Esprit - 1981–1986
- Turbo Esprit HC - 1986–1987
- Turbo Esprit HCi (Bosch Fuel Injected) - 1986–1987
Stevens Designed
- Esprit - 1987–1990
- Esprit Turbo - 1987–1990
- Esprit SE - 1989–1991
- Esprit S - 1991
- Esprit SE HighWing - 1992–1993
Thomson Designed
- Esprit S4 - 1993–1996
- Esprit 300 Sport - 1993
- Esprit S4s - 1995–1996
- Esprit GT3 - 1996–1999
- Esprit V8 - 1996–1998
- Esprit V8 GT - 1998–2001
Carr Designed
- Esprit - 2002–2004
External links
- Lotus Esprit World provides many in-depth articles on the Esprit.
- Lotus Esprit Forum is home to an online discussion group.
- The Esprit Fact File provides much information for those considering buying and/or fixing a Lotus Esprit.
- Lotus Esprit at www.robinchampion.com has many interior and exterior photos including the engine bay of a 1981 Lotus Esprit S3 NA.
- Lotus Esprit Turbo
- Lotus Esprit GT3
- Category at ODP
"Lotus Esprit"