Built between 1976 and 2004, the Lotus Esprit was unveiled in 1972 as a concept car and was a development of a stretched Lotus Europa chassis. It was among the first of designer Giorgetto Giugiaro's polygonal 'folded paper' designs. Originally, the name Kiwi was proposed but, in keeping with the Lotus tradition of having all car model names start with the letter 'E', the name became Esprit. Introduced in April 1981, the Turbo Esprit and Series III Esprit marked a necessary consolidation; both new models had a common chassis. The Series III continued to use the 2.2 litre, type 912 engine, whilst the Turbo Esprit reverted to a less complex wet-sump lubrication system, retaining the power and torque outputs of its dry-sump predecessor. The interior for both cars was revised and featured new trim; combined with changes to the body moulds this resulted in more headroom and an enlarged footwell. Externally, the Turbo Esprit retained the full aerodynamic body kit of the Essex cars and featured prominent 'Turbo Esprit' decals on the nose and sides.

The car we have here is supplied in the rare and very attractive colour of Mediterranean Blue with a cream interior and presents in very good order. The car is currently owned by an ex-Lotus technician who worked on these cars when new, hence deciding to purchase this example in October 2022 but he hasn't got around to using it as much as he expected, so has decided to offer it for sale. The car is supplied with a good history file showing continuous works over the years. During our vendors ownership, the car has been fitted with a new alternator, various gaskets and seals including rear main seal, a full service, a new clutch and clutch release bearing and many other smaller jobs in recent times. These X180 generation Lotus Esprits look like such good value today, they have the iconic wedge lines of the 70's and 80's supercars but can be bought for the same price as many modern shopping cars. This example is supplied with the earlier mentioned history file, a V5 registration document and an MoT test certificate valid until November 2025. Consigned by Fraser Smith

Lot details
Year: 1988
Make: Lotus
Model: Esprit Turbo
Registration: AXI 801
Chassis No: SCC082910JHD13253
Engine No: CP910880625101
Mileage: 68,389

* History file dating back to the mid 1990's
* Rare Mediterranean Blue
* Currently owned by an ex-Lotus technician