1981 Lotus Esprit

First registered in September 1981, this Lotus Esprit was rebuilt in 1995 from a normally aspirated car to full late-eighties S3 Turbo specification including a rebuilt Lotus Twin Cam HC Turbo engine sitting in a fully galvanised chassis and fed by two stainless-steel fuel tanks.

Originally painted silver before being meticulously resprayed Lotus Lemon Yellow. It is also fitted with a set of gold BBS alloy wheels and Pirelli tyres and comes with a hefty history file to support the vendor’s claim that it drives as well as it looks.

Being offered with a very sensible reserve, this is your chance to get your hands on the car that the boys on Top Gear were raving about in this week’s episode on the cars that James Bond drove!

“You are gold (gold)”

Originally silver, the Esprit was carefully and painstaking sprayed Lotus Lemon Yellow in 1995 as part of its conversion to Turbo specification. The work was clearly done by someone who knew their stuff as we can’t see any trace of the original hue.

The panels all align well too but that’s no surprise as Lotus had had years to get its eye in by the time this one was assembled in the early eighties. It’s weathered the years since then with aplomb and even the front and rear bumpers, which are vulnerable to the sort of parking-by-touch driving that seems so common these days, have fared well.

Further proof of its treasured status comes via the headlamp clusters, which rise and fall as they should (heh, not all of ‘em do…). The rear window also sports the sort of black louvres we all used to fit to our Golfs and Escorts courtesy of the Richard Grant catalogue; honestly, if it screamed ‘1980s’ any louder it would break into a verse or two of Spandau Ballet’s seminal hit…

Speaking of which, given the choice of colour what else would you fit except a set of gold 15-inch BBS cross-spoke alloy wheels? Utterly fit for purpose, they’re in great shape and fitted with Pirelli tyres too, all of which look to have plenty of meat left on ‘em.

Issues for the new vendor to sort are minor: The paintwork might be good but it isn’t pristine. Aside from the usual stonechips and minor marks you’ll find on even the most carefully curated car, there are some circular marks on the roof (#57) and headlamp (#58) plus some cracking here and there, most notably #78, #79, and #81. The edge of the driver’s door is a bit chipped, too (#125).

Still, a solid colour like this should be easy to match so localized repairs could be made on a piecemeal basis, allowing the new owner to avoid the expense of a full respray.

“Thank you for coming home

Sorry that the chairs are all worn”

Except they aren’t, not really because the cockpit’s acres of cream leather still look sensational. The underlying seat fabric of the seats feels like it is in good shape too because they still feel supportive and comfortable.

If the seats are snug and shapely, the rest of the interior is angular and very of-the-period. Ruched and ruffled and clearly influenced by the New Romantic movement, if it doesn’t remind you of the ruffled shirts we used to wear then you’re probably too young to appreciate how evocative its design is.

There’s also a neat little three-spoke Momo Race steering wheel plus the trademark wooden gearknob atop the ultra-short gear lever. It’s a lovely set-up and proves that Lotus understands the importance of having a tactile interface between man and machine.

A set of white-on-black Smiths gauges convey all the important information and the air-conditioning controls could not be more elegantly arrayed or labelled.

Your feet sit on Royal Blue carpets, and your head will brush against the headlining. Still, that’s all part of the Gold Lotus experience, isn’t it? (“Nothing left to make me feel small. Luck has left me standing so tall“)

Problems are few. There are a couple of small holes in the carpet and the gearknob is missing its emblem. The frunk could do with tidying too, although it does have a useful steel spare wheel.

“Always believe in your soul

You've got the power to know

You're indestructible”

We aren’t sure that the turbocharged Lotus Twin Cam engine is actually indestructible but given the fact that it was rebuilt before being fitted in the mid-nineties, the chances are that it’s got a fair bit of life in it yet – and that it’s powerful is beyond dispute, endowing the old girl with the sort of power the chassis had been crying out for for years.

Th Esprit comes with a photo album documenting its mid-nineties rebuild, plus a hefty invoice from 2009 from NTC Cars for a huge number of mechanical parts and a thousand pounds-worth of labour to fit them all. The final bill, which can be seen on #292 and #293, came to more than £3,200.

Another, from the same company in 2016, saw the Esprit receive new rear dampers and springs, plus new front trunnions and a wheel bearing as part of that year’s MOT. This bill came to £905. SJ Sportscars sent £441-worth of bits out in 2017, and an Alpine DAB Bluetooth receiver was fitted in the same year.

This work has left the Esprit running well and driving as it should. Please take a look at the video to hear the Lotus starting and ticking over – and then crank the volume up to hear it roar. (“Now he's in love with you, he's in love with you“)

The engine bay is, if we’re being honest, a bit grubby. Still, given how we’re all now heartily fed up with being confined with those we used to love spending time with the chance to spend a few hour alone in the garage detailing it is practically a positive by now, surely?

The Esprit doesn’t have a current MOT certificate, and while it is shortly due to be exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have the car re-MOT’d at the earliest. The cost of an MOT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic car, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

That said, its last MOT certificate, which expired in October 2020, was gained without any advisory points, as were the previous couple, so we can’t imagine getting a new one would be unduly onerous.

It has a number of expired MOT certificates plus plenty of old invoices to confirm the work that has been done to it over the past few years.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a good standard.

A HPI check run at the start of the auction highlights that vehicle was listed as stolen and damaged back in 1992. Given the age and subsequent rebuild that the vehicle underwent, we see no reason for concern. Please see the full copy of the report in the document section of the gallery. 

“Oh, but I'm proud of you, but I'm proud of you”

Yes, it’s a honey and while not everyone is going to fall for the colour - although a friend of ours, a man known to many of you through Twitter, is sure to appreciate it - we think that if you’re going to buy a period sports car like this then you might as well go all-in and get something as vibrant and exciting as the car itself.

That it has been rebuilt to full S3 Turbo specification is also a solid point in its favour; now performing as the chassis engineers always knew it could, that it is not a factory Turbo means you will almost certainly get all of that extra performance without having to pay the usual premium.

And how much do we think it’s going to sell for? Well, it’s a bit of a lottery but we think the virtual hammer will fall somewhere between £20,000 and £26,000.

That’s not a lot to pay for a slice of fried gold like this, is it?

Viewing is always encouraged, within Govt. guidelines of course, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.