Lotus Esprit V8 Turbo

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No-one, in 1976, could deny that the new Lotus Esprit had pin-sharp styling (from Giugiaro) or that its handling – even for a Lotus – was exemplary, but all agreed that its performance was a little underwhelming. Lotus soon fixed that and over the following 28 years of production the Esprit only got better, culminating in the world-class supercar that was the Esprit V8.

Styling, handling and braking had all been tweaked along the way and the car received a distinctive rear spoiler in 1993, but the engine is what set the V8 apart. An all-aluminium DOHC, 32-valve, 3.5-litre design with twin turbochargers, the V8 turned out 350bhp – but only because Lotus engineers decided to ‘de-tune’ it from 500bhp in order to protect the gearbox! In this form the car was good for a 0-60mph time of 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 175mph.

This 1996 V8 Turbo Esprit has to be one of the cleanest cars available. The low mileage of 44,873 can be verified through its service and MOT history – there are 16 stamps in the service booklet, a comprehensive service history and 17 MOT certificates on file. The condition of the car inside and out shows that the four owners who have enjoyed this car have also been meticulous in caring for it.

The car really does stand up to close scrutiny and the service history will support its soundness. The car has an MOT to July 2019 with no advisories.

Our vendor has owned it since 2012 and it featured in the January 2013 edition of Classic & Sportscar magazine – where the car was compared with the Porsche 993 Turbo and the Ferrari F355GTS. And the conclusion of that august magazine? Not only was the Lotus a car that would “take your breath away, even when standing still”, but was “the complete and utter bargain of the group”. It still looks like a good buy at the very reasonable guide price quoted.