Description
1982 Lotus Turbo Esprit
Here we have the very First Wet Sump Lotus Turbo Esprit, (chassis no. 11193, evidenced on the Provenance certificate & letter from Lotus Cars)
18, 600 miles from new
1 previous owner, with myself being the second.
XPW960X is the original Norwich (* PW) number as per PPW & OPW of the James Bond Lotus cars. Original dealer plates still on car. Original Bill of Sale and Sales Pack including 2 sets of original keys. Tailor fitted indoor fleece lined car cover in black with red piping.
This particular example of the early Turbo Esprit was bought in 1982 by the 1 previous owner, who lived in Essex. The car was in use until taken off the road from 1993 to 2015 due to a hole in the exhaust manifold. Unable to find a suitable replacement, the car lay unused for 22 years.
I purchased the car when it came up for sale in ‘14, where it took almost 2 years to find a replacement manifold. Recommission work was then carried out by Craig Moncrieff Cars Edinburgh - the Team who worked at Murray Lotus for 17 years. During the recommision the following work was carried out :
Exhaust Manifold replaced
Refurbished Turbo & Wastegate
Wheel refurbish with new Pirelli tyres fitted
New Engine Oil/ Gearbox oil change / Coolant changed with new original Lotus stock
tank - full C service
Brakes - front discs skimmed
New fuel & air filters etc
New front bushes including anti-roll bar etc
The car was then used sparingly at sensible low speeds as the car hadn’t been driven for more than 2 decades. After some time, other issues started to show. I felt additional focused time was needed on the car, so I decided in 2020 to send it to GST Lotus Esprit specialists in Newmarket. The car was cover-transported on a drive-in trailer there and back, and a list of all the work carried out can be found in the paperwork history file that comes with the car. Part of the work carried out, was the full rebuild of the carburettors which subsequently got the car running perfectly, which it’s done ever since. It’s now a pleasure to drive but only used sparingly on dry days and to attend some local Summer car shows. The car has attended Glamis Classic Car Show twice in my ownership, and each time has won a trophy - it attracts a lot of positive attention, which has to be due to the fact it’s still so factory original.
The car still enjoys the factory original paintwork, other than the wheels which were refurbished in ‘15 as the original paint had begun to dull. The seats currently fitted in the car were retro-fitted in ‘15 so the originals could be preserved from further wear & tear and deterioration and are currently stored away. The original seats will be refitted, for the new owner but the seats currently fitted can be sold separately, as they are worth £2000 as a pair, being as rare as they are.
There are some areas of the car where further improvement would be beneficial, such as the heating not working (never needed it so haven’t remedied), electric aerial not working (can still be raised manually) and there’s an intermittent issue with the right side radio speaker. The original headlining & sunvisors would also benefit from recovering as they sag a little when the car is cold inside, but as soon as the car is out in warm conditions the sagging is much improved & hardly noticeable so I’ve chosen to leave as is.
As a child the Turbo Esprit was my own personal “poster car” and I searched for many years to find this spec. First seen in Fast Lane magazine, back when I was 12 in the article photographed here, was a Calypso Red paintwork, Black Bumpers (early Turbo spec) & Black interior with Black decals car. A popular combination now, but back then Red would normally come with the impossible to keep shade of cream……black is much easier to look after.
I’ve now owned the car for 11 years, and in that time only found time to cover just over 1000 miles, and now feel the time has come to move it on so someone else, can get more use of it, take it to more shows & let people see just how original it still is. The car really is in fantastic condition which is really quite incredible, seeing the car is now 43 years old!
2025 is the 50th Anniversary of the Lotus Esprit, so now is a great time to own this truly loved Lotus variant - this particular one has to be a guaranteed future investment due to the low number of owners and truly extraordinary original low mileage from new.
Offers Invited
