Lotus Esprit
The Lotus is a well-loved sports car made between 1976 and 2004 in the United Kingdom by the Hethel factory. It is considered one of Giorgetto Giugiaro’s first of the ‘folded paper’ designs.
The S1 Lotus Esprit started at the Paris Motor Show in October of 1975, as a 1976 model. It saw production in June of 1976 and replaced the Europa for the lineup of Lotus Models. The chassis provided a steel backbone to which the wedge-shaped fiberglass body was mounted. It had a 4-cylinder 907 that produced 160 hp in Europe and 140 hp in the US. The engine was in the back, operating the 5-speed Citroen manual rear-wheel drive. All four wheels also had disc brakes and coil-over shock absorbers. Unassisted steering was by a rack and pinion.
1978 brought about the S2 and variants with some external changes, such as cooling ducts at the rear quarter windows. The battery was relocated to the rear of the car. Other changes were the addition of intake and cooling ducts, an access door added to the engine cover, wider seats, and the addition of individual gauges. These versions of the Esprit also got Lotus-designed 14-inch Speedline alloy wheels. The Veglia instrument cluster was also replaced with Smiths’ individual gauges plus illuminated dashboard switches in a new style.
The Essex Turbo Esprit came about in 1980 and offered special editions in a variety of colors. This was the first factory-turbocharged model of the Esprit. It got a dry-sump-type 910 engine with 210 horsepower and 200 pound-feet. It also had redesigned rear suspension and chassis, with improved brakes. The Turbo also featured a Giugiaro-designed aerodynamic body kit with more substantial bumpers, air ducts for the sills, a rear lip spoiler, and some other features.
1981 saw the Turbo Esprit or S3 with a few new changes and the same exceptional style. You’ll notice a front suspension improvement as well for this series. This version of the Esprit got the 2.2-liter Type 912 engine and the Turbo Esprit had the wet sump engine. The end of the Esprit styled by Giugiaro was announced in 1986, including higher compression ratios in the engines, which rose power output. This also included the first Esprits with fuel injection, specifically designed for markets with stricter emissions requirements, including the US.
This was followed by the X180 in 1987, which Peter Stevens, a British designer, restyled. Then, the S3 arrived in 1993, this time by Julian Thompson. The final redesign was in 2002 and by Russell Carr, who went on to be the head of Lotus Design.
