Lotus built no other car for as long as the Esprit, and for some enthusiasts, it’s the model that defines the marque. Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Esprit Turbo appears to be a fine example, but is it priced to set a good example or be a deal?
When it comes to pets, it’s often best to abide by the popular mantra of “adopt, don’t shop.” Of course, getting any pet means a fairly long-term investment in care and companionship. Except for goldfish, that is. Those guys always seem to rent, never to own.
The discussion surrounding yesterday’s 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL 600 with its RENNTech-modded M275 V12 under the hood took a similar tack. Many of you loved the car for the mill alone, and postulated the evil things you would do with it were it yours. That being said, with great power comes great responsibility, and a lot of you pointed out the long-term investment a car like this requires. That caused quite a conundrum when the SL’s $25,500 asking price was taken into account. In the end, that proved to be close but no cigar (don’t smoke, kids), falling in a frustratingly narrow 52% No Dice loss.
Neat Esprit
Sadly, today’s 1988 Lotus Esprit doesn’t have 600-plus horsepower, nor more than just a single turbocharger to its name. Despite those potential shortcomings, it’s still a pretty compelling argument for the capabilities and ingenuity of Britain’s automotive engineers. It makes one lament the sorry state of manufacturing in the UK as a whole.
This isn’t the only Esprit we’ve had pass our way this year, as we saw a 1997 Esprit V8 just a couple of months ago. With the model having a nearly quarter-century model run, it’s not surprising that one or more might crop up from time to time.
A black vinyl wrap covers this 39,600-miler, and it seems to be in decent condition. According to the ad, the factory color was also black, so there may be something amiss with the fiberglass beneath. These cars ride on a steel backbone frame in saddlebag fashion, and the seller claims that to be in excellent condition.
Under pressure
Our earlier Esprit had a V8 under its bonnet, but this Turbo has half the cylinder count and a single snail. That engine is a mid-ship-mounted Type 910 inline-four, displacing 2.2 liters, positioned ahead of a Citroën-sourced five-speed manual transaxle. Factory claims for the DOHC 16-valve four were 210 horsepower and 202 lb-ft of torque in U.S.-spec cars.
Big changes were afoot for the Esprit in the year following this car’s production. At that time, the turbo received an air-to-water intercooler, Lotus/Delco electronic fuel injection replaced the Bosch K-Jetronic setup, and a new five-speed from Renault made its debut.
That makes this car appreciably old school and potentially less problematic, as there’s less to go wrong.
The seller states that a substantial amount of recent work has been performed on the engine, including the installation of upgraded timing belts, a rebuild of both the turbocharger and the fuel system, and the replacement of seals for the crank and cam covers. With all that, the car is claimed to pull strongly and to be a blast to drive.
Parting is such sweet sorrow
One of the fun things to do with older Lotuses is to play “where’d that come from” with its various bits and bobs. On this car, the tail lamps have been repurposed from a Toyota Corolla Levin. Those replaced the Rover SD1 units from the prior edition. Before that, the lights came from Fiat’s X1/9. The exterior door latches are from an Austin Marina, while the inside ones are shared with the MGB and Triumph TR7. Suspension components are a melding of Opel and Citroën parts, while the transmission, as we already noted, is from Citroën. That puts the Esprit in good company, as that box was also used in the Maserati Merak. The wheels are Lotus originals, and frustratingly, they go in different directions on either side, just like those on yesterday’s Mercedes.
This Esprit’s parts all seem to fit together properly, and while tight, the interior offers enough room to be appropriately awash in two-tone grey and cream leather. It all looks solid enough, if a reminder of Lotus’ component car beginnings. A clean title, working AC, and the promise of a garage-kept life over the present owner’s five-year stewardship close out the car’s bona fides.
Super-duper?
The question, of course, is whether all that —the wrapped body, engine work, and present condition—adds up to the $35,000 the seller is asking for the car’s purchase. That’s well over half what was asked for the V8 edition we saw earlier, but it’s still appreciably lower.
That asking price is for a four-cylinder car, though. And, as Porsche has found with the 718 Cayman and Boxster, people tend to grumble about giving up princely sums for four-pot cars.
What we need to decide is whether $35,000 is too much for this four-banger, as it seems pretty nice otherwise. What do you say? Should the seller make that much on this Esprit? Or does that make this a Lotus that is not going to blossom?
You decide!
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