At $35,000, Is This 1988 Lotus Esprit Turbo A British Steal?

Lotus built nary different car for arsenic agelong arsenic nan Esprit, and for immoderate enthusiasts, it's nan exemplary that defines nan marque. Today's Nice Price aliases No Dice Esprit Turbo appears to beryllium a good example, but is it priced to group a bully illustration aliases beryllium a deal?

When it comes to pets, it's often champion to abide by nan celebrated mantra of "adopt, don't shop." Of course, getting immoderate pet intends a reasonably semipermanent finance successful attraction and companionship. Except for goldfish, that is. Those guys ever look to rent, ne'er to own.

The chat surrounding yesterday's 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL 600 pinch its RENNTech-modded M275 V12 nether nan hood took a akin tack. Many of you loved nan car for nan mill alone, and reasoned nan evil things you would do pinch it were it yours. That being said, pinch awesome powerfulness comes awesome responsibility, and a batch of you pointed retired nan semipermanent finance a car for illustration this requires. That caused rather a conundrum erstwhile nan SL's $25,500 asking value was taken into account. In nan end, that proved to beryllium adjacent but nary cigar (don't smoke, kids), falling successful a frustratingly constrictive 52% No Dice loss.

Sadly, today's 1988 Lotus Esprit doesn't person 600-plus horsepower, nor much than conscionable a azygous turbocharger to its name. Despite those imaginable shortcomings, it's still a beautiful compelling statement for nan capabilities and ingenuity of Britain's automotive engineers. It makes 1 lament nan sorry authorities of manufacturing successful nan UK arsenic a whole.

This isn't nan only Esprit we've had walk our measurement this year, arsenic we saw a 1997 Esprit V8 conscionable a mates of months ago. With nan exemplary having a astir quarter-century exemplary run, it's not astonishing that 1 aliases much mightiness harvest up from clip to time.

A achromatic vinyl wrap covers this 39,600-miler, and it seems to beryllium successful decent condition. According to nan ad, nan mill colour was besides black, truthful location whitethorn beryllium thing amiss pinch nan fiberglass beneath. These cars thrust connected a alloy backbone framework successful saddlebag fashion, and nan seller claims that to beryllium successful fantabulous condition.

Our earlier Esprit had a V8 nether its bonnet, but this Turbo has half nan cylinder count and a azygous snail. That motor is simply a mid-ship-mounted Type 910 inline-four, displacing 2.2 liters, positioned up of a Citroën-sourced five-speed manual transaxle. Factory claims for nan DOHC 16-valve 4 were 210 horsepower and 202 lb-ft of torque successful U.S.-spec cars.

Big changes were afoot for nan Esprit successful nan twelvemonth pursuing this car's production. At that time, nan turbo received an air-to-water intercooler, Lotus/Delco physics substance injection replaced nan Bosch K-Jetronic setup, and a caller five-speed from Renault made its debut.

That makes this car appreciably aged schoolhouse and perchance little problematic, arsenic there's little to spell wrong.

The seller states that a important magnitude of caller activity has been performed connected nan engine, including nan installation of upgraded timing belts, a rebuild of some nan turbocharger and nan substance system, and nan replacement of seals for nan crank and cam covers. With each that, nan car is claimed to propulsion powerfully and to beryllium a blast to drive.

One of nan nosy things to do pinch older Lotuses is to play "where'd that travel from" pinch its various bits and bobs. On this car, nan tail lamps person been repurposed from a Toyota Corolla Levin. Those replaced nan Rover SD1 units from nan anterior edition. Before that, nan lights came from Fiat's X1/9. The exterior doorway latches are from an Austin Marina, while nan wrong ones are shared pinch nan MGB and Triumph TR7. Suspension components are a melding of Opel and Citroën parts, while nan transmission, arsenic we already noted, is from Citroën. That puts nan Esprit successful bully company, arsenic that container was besides utilized successful nan Maserati Merak. The wheels are Lotus originals, and frustratingly, they spell successful different directions connected either side, conscionable for illustration those connected yesterday's Mercedes.

This Esprit's parts each look to fresh together properly, and while tight, nan interior offers capable room to beryllium appropriately awash successful two-tone grey and pick leather. It each looks coagulated enough, if a reminder of Lotus' constituent car beginnings. A cleanable title, moving AC, and nan committedness of a garage-kept life complete nan coming owner's five-year stewardship adjacent retired nan car's bona fides.

The question, of course, is whether each that —the wrapped body, motor work, and coming condition—adds up to nan $35,000 nan seller is asking for nan car's purchase. That's good complete half what was asked for nan V8 version we saw earlier, but it's still appreciably lower.

That asking value is for a four-cylinder car, though. And, arsenic Porsche has recovered pinch nan 718 Cayman and Boxster, group thin to grumble astir giving up princely sums for four-pot cars.

What we request to determine is whether $35,000 is excessively overmuch for this four-banger, arsenic it seems beautiful bully otherwise. What do you say? Should nan seller make that overmuch connected this Esprit? Or does that make this a Lotus that is not going to blossom?

You decide!

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