Guide: Lotus Esprit S2 & S2.2
Background
In December 1977, Lotus unveiled the prototype for an updated Esprit.
Production of the revised Esprit S2 then started in June 1978. The S2 benefited from a host of improvements, most of which were focused on the exterior and interior.
The original Esprit S1 had been well received, but there was no doubt it could be made substantially better.
While its chassis dynamics were hard to fault, build quality, ergonomics and many of the design details were somewhat lacking for what was a fairly expensive machine. The chassis was also capable of handling considerably more power, but an uprated engine would have to wait until February 1980.
The Esprit S2 arrived when the Lotus F1 team were emerging from a troubled few years. 1977 had seen the Hethel team finish second in the Constructor’s championship. In 1978, they won it comfortably. That year, Mario Andretti and Ronnie Peterson also finished first and second in the Driver’s championship.
Bodywork
S2 Esprits underwent a raft of cosmetic changes, both internally and externally.
The S1’s rudimentary chin spoiler was switched to a fully integrated wraparound panel that, like the side sills, bumpers and boxier rear valance, was painted gloss black.
As per late S1 variants, the original Lotus nose decal was replaced with a Lotus badge and an Esprit decal underneath.
Esprit S2 decals were also now mounted on the sail panels.
To aid engine cooling, Lotus added a small vertical intake behind each rear three-quarter window.
In addition to a re-profiled rear apron, the tail fascia was updated with handsome new lights sourced from the Rover SD1.
A redesigned engine cover dramatically improved access as did a new hatch for carrying out oil and water level checks.
The battery was moved from above the right side of the fuel tank (under the rear three quarter window) to the boot floor.
Each retractable headlight mechanism was bolstered by the addition of a second motor.
A space saver spare wheel improved luggage capacity underneath the front lid.
Interior
The S2’s cockpit was enhanced with a subtly reworked dash layout, new white-on-black Smiths gauges and illuminated switchgear.
As before, the instrumentation comprised large read outs for road and engine speed flanked to the left by smaller dials for oil pressure and water temperature. To the right were gauges for battery amps and fuel.
The inward facing corners of the instrument binnacle were home to revised switchgear that was laid out more tidily than before.
The electric window switches were moved from behind the gear lever to the driver’s armrest.
An overhead digital clock was fitted.
New seats were two-inches wider than before and electric door mirrors were added.
Standard upholstery was faux suede fabric.
Engine / Gearbox
Relatively few mechanical changes were made to the existing Type 907 motor.
The all-alloy inline four cylinder unit featured dual overhead camshafts and advanced four valve cylinder heads. The S2’s uprated ‘E’-camshaft gave it a little more mid-range torque, but the peak rating was unchanged with 140lb-ft at 4900rpm. There was also a revised exhaust system.
Displacement was 1973cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 95.2mm and 69.2mm.
With compression set at 9.5:1 and a pair of twin-choke Dellorto DHLA 45 carburettors, the Type 907 engine produced 160bhp at 6200rpm.
Transmission was via a Citroen C35 five-speed gearbox.
Chassis
The Esprit’s steel backbone chassis was unchanged as was its fully independent suspension layout.
At the front were double wishbones and coil spring/damper units plus an anti-roll bar. At the rear, Lotus used fixed-length driveshafts that doubled as the upper transverse links plus lower transverse links, box-section semi-trailing arms and coil spring/dampers.
The twin circuit Girling brake system employed discs of a 9.7-inch diameter at the front and 10.6-inch diameter at the rear. As per contemporary racing practice, the rear brakes were mounted inboard.
Very late in S1 production, the original Wolfrace wheels had been replaced with new Speedline rims designed specifically for the Esprit. These 14-inch diameter wheels were standard equipment on the S2. They measured 7-inches wide at the front and 7.5-inches wide at the rear. This compared to 6 and 7-inches respectively on the Wolfrace-equipped S1.
Steering was unassisted rack and pinion type.
Twin fuel tanks with an overall capacity of 68.2-litres were located either side of the engine, up against the rear bulkhead.
Options
Optional extras included leather upholstery, air-conditioning and a choice of audio systems.
Weight / Performance
Weight and performance figures were officially unchanged from the S1.
The S2 tipped the scales at 898kg, had a top speed of 130mph and a 0-62mph time of 6.6 seconds.
Production
S2s started to roll off the production line in June 1978.
The first pair were delivered to Lotus F1 drivers, Mario Andretti and Ronnie Peterson.
By the time production ended in January 1980, 1060 had been completed.
JPS Special Edition
Another 147 S2s were also built as JPS special editions.
Unveiled at the Birmingham Motor Show in October 1978, the JPS variant was launched to commemorate Lotus’s 1978 Formula 1 Driver and Constructor titles.
Mario Andretti and Ronnie Peterson had finished first and second in the Driver’s Championship. In the team competition, the 86 points scored by Lotus comfortably eclipsed that of Ferrari (58) and Brabham-Alfa Romeo (53).
The JPS S2 was given a distinctive livery to reflect the colours of long-term title sponsor, John Player & Sons cigarettes.
All JPS S2s were painted black with gold wheels, gold ‘World Champion’ side stripes and a gold winners wreath around the black nose badge.
The otherwise black interior came with pale gold fabric seat centres and door inserts.
Additional JPS features included an individually numbered plaque on the centre console (signed by Colin Chapman) and a three-spoke leather-rimmed steering wheel engraved with the signature of Mario Andretti.
Lotus originally planned to build 200 JPS edition Esprits: 100 for the UK market and 100 for the rest of the world. However, only 147 are believed to have been completed. This figure comprised 94 UK cars, 10 for California, 16 for the other 49 US states and 27 for the rest of the world.
The first example was completed in December 1978 and the last in July 1979.
Esprit S2.2
When S2 production ended in January 1980, Lotus immediately replaced it with a stop-gap model until the heavily revised S3 was ready.
The Esprit S2.2 was available from February 1980 along with S2.2 versions of the Eclat and Elite.
The Esprit S2.2 came with a number of upgrades to include a newly galvanised chassis.
As its name would suggest, there was also an enlarged engine: the much-improved 2.2-litre Type 912.
Because the original Type 907 engine had already been bored out to its natural limit, the Type 912 was stroked from 69.2mm to 76.2mm. As a result, displacement rose from 1973cc to 2174cc.
Uprated equipment included the camshafts, main bearing support panels, sump and a thin disc flywheel. New Dellorto DHLA 45E carburettors were also fitted. The compression ratio was dropped from 9.5 to 9.4:1.
Although the new motor was still rated at 160bhp (albeit at 6500rpm instead of 6200rpm), it provided considerably more torque: 160lb-ft at 4900rpm compared to 140lb-ft at 4900rpm.
Fuel economy was also improved.
Top speed rose to 138mph, 0-62mph dropped to 6.5 seconds and in-gear acceleration was punchier.
The only cosmetic difference between the S2 and S2.2 was its new decals.
Production of the S2.2 ended in March 1981 when it was replaced by the S3. In total, 88 were completed.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Lotus - https://www.lotuscars.com
