One to Buy: 7500 mile Ruby Red 1997 Lotus Esprit V8
Other than Porsche’s 911, few cars can rival the Lotus Esprit for the longevity of its styling.
Originally penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro and subsequently updated by the Ital Design chief for the Turbo / S3, the Esprit was then further evolved by Peter Steven during the late 1980s and thereafter intermittently tweaked in order to remain fresh. Amazingly, despite having been born during the wedge era, the Esprit was still a great looking car by the time production ended during 2004.
In addition to its cosmetic transition, the Esprit also received many mechanical updates during its life. Most significantly, Lotus introduced a turbocharged version of the four cylinder engine in 1980 while 16 years later a twin turbocharged V8 power unit came on stream (in 1996).
A superb example of one of these late model V8-powered Esprits is currently on the market with Classic Throttle Shop in Sydney.
Completed in 1997 and supplied via the Haydon Cars dealership in Salisbury, Wiltshire, it was retained by the first owner until 2008 and has subsequently resided in the hands of just two further keepers, both of whom have evidently cherished it as a potentially best of breed example.
Configured in Ruby Red with cream leather upholstery, burgundy carpet and the optional sunroof, this exceptional Esprit V8 has covered a little over 7500 miles from new and remains in magnificent unrestored condition throughout.
Reprinted below is Classic Throttle Shop’s description:
Ruby Red Metallic
7,626 miles
AU $149,995
As the longest model run for Lotus, the Esprit went through more changes in its 28 years than the Elise did in its 25 - it began life with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and ended with a twin-turbo V8, this accompanied with an iconic design, famously penned from Giugiaro, and quintessential Lotus handling, today makes the Esprit a highly desirable sports classic.
Under leadership of Italian businessman and owner of Bugatti, Romano Artioli, it was his dream to steer two innovative brands back on track. This is where the new Lotus Elise, V8 Esprit and the Bugatti EB 110 came in.
The new V8 Esprit took some talented engineering from the people in white lab coats down in Norfolk. An all new flat-plane crankshaft 4 valve 3.5 litre V8 was developed in house with two T25 Garrett turbochargers to produce a whopping 350hp and a top speed of 282 km/h. With these performance figures, Lotus had a car that would take on the Ferrari 355 for a fraction of the price.
The design was a modernized evolution on the original Giugiaro Esprit “colby cheese” wedge with curved corners, new spoiler, wheels, updated interior, and it was one of the last cars to feature pop-up headlights.
The Esprit certainly has not been camera shy over the years, famously featuring in Roger Moore’s, Spy Who Loved Me and the V8 Espirit most notably was James May’s pick in Top Gear’s Patagonia Special to make it across the challenging terrain of Chile and Argentina where it was triumphant over the Porsche 928 and Mustang in the V8 challenge.
As the last iteration of the Esprit, we are excited to bring to market this exceptionally low mileage example. With just 7,626 miles travelled since new, this Ruby Red 1997 Lotus Esprit V8 is an absolute time-warp.
Delivered new through Haydon Cars, Sailsbury, in 1997 it remained under its first ownership until 2008 where it was purchased by its second owner which the Lotus remained with until 2023. In 2023 it was purchased by its third owner and imported into Australia.
The exterior paintwork presents original and in excellent condition and the original interior leather shows little to no signs of wear. The motor runs perfectly with smooth changes through its manual transmission. Power delivery is linear and exciting thanks to its flat-plane crankshaft.
Accompanied with its factory glass targa sunroof and interchangeable solid colour roof panel as well as its original video tape, MOTs and brochures this turn-key and very rare Lotus Esprit V8 is a Blue-Chip classic that would make the perfect addition to any garage or established collection.
