1998 Lotus Esprit V8 GT – Auction Car of the Week

There’s just something about the compact, pointy aesthetic of the Lotus Esprit that does it for us. Granted, by the end of its rather impressive 28 year production run the lines had become a little less severe with the advent of the Series 4 in ’94 but it was always still quintessentially an Esprit, despite some softening of its ’70s, kid with crayons silhouette. And please don’t misconstrue that rather glib statement, we’re not for one second intimating that Giorgetto Giugiaro’s penmanship was anything but a masterpiece, just that there is a certain beautiful simplicity to the car’s design that resonates with us, as we’re sure it does with many of you. Arguably, however, what matters more is how the car drives and the Esprit’s roadholding and performance dynamics have always been a cut above, even by today’s standards and especially where the Esprit V8 GT is concerned.

The car’s proportions may seem a little modest by the standard of today’s mammoth offerings from the likes of Lamborghini and Ferrari but back in Paris in ’75 when the Esprit was unveiled, its long, low and wide fibreglass body mounted to a steel backbone chassis was a shot in the arm for Lotus following the distinctly esoteric Europa. This was Lotus doing what Lotus does best: building a driver-focussed sports car that was developed on track to provide a well-tuned sportscar that handled like nothing else on the road. Validation then came not only from the public and motoring press’ response to the car but also as a bright white S1 that turned into a submarine at the flick of a switch. You know you’ve made an impression when one of your cars makes it into a James Bond film.

The Esprit went through a number of revisions culminating in the S4 in 1994, which saw design tweaks by Lotus’ own Julian Thomson – a man that would go on to design the Elise. It was a continuation of Peter Stevens’ previous, more rounded design that debuted in ’87 but the inline four-cylinder turbo remained, with a fruitier 300bhp, 2.2 with enlarged inlet ports, new gas-flow engineering and a hybrid Garrett AiResearch T3/60 turbo available in the S4S. It wasn’t until ’96 that Lotus went all Spinal Tap on the Esprit, dropped in its very own 3.5-litre, twin-turbo V8. The Esprit V8 GT as it was known no delivered 350bhp and 295lb ft of torque, enough to propel the Lotus to 60mph from a standstill in less than four-and-a-half seconds. The S4S was quick but the V8 GT was next level so if you’re a thrill seeking performance junkie, this is the model for you.

Luckily we have a beautiful example available via our auctions platform. We’re so good to you. It’s a ’98 model with just 42K on the clock and bot does it look amazing with its striking Azure Blue metallic paintwork and OZ Racing six-spoke alloy wheels which further enhance the car’s stance. There are some subtle enhancements present such as quad lamp rear lights from of a Final Edition version of the car, a centre-exit PNM twin pipe sports exhaust and a shark fin style aerial to replace the factory unit, all of which are welcome additions in our eyes.

The interior has also been fettled somewhat with, drawing inspiration from across the Esprit range. Retrimmed carbon fibre bucket seats have been pinched from an Esprit Sport 300 and the door cards have been enhanced to match. Not only that but the instruments are surrounded by a stainless steel panel, the same as the Esprit Final Edition cars alongside a fancy pants Alpine stereo system but let’s face it, you’re never going to get tired of that V8 growl emanating gloriously from behind you.

Mechanically speaking this Lotus Esprit V8 GT has been supremely cherished and recently treated to all kinds of love, care and maintenance – all carried out by Lotus specialists PNM Engineering. You can read all about it on the listing but suffice to say all of the big jobs have been well and truly taken care of. From new cambelts and turbo refreshment to a new clutch and flywheel there’s simply nothing that would make us question the reliability or history of this particular Esprit V8 GT and it was last serviced just 600 miles ago in June of 2021, adding to the 15 other stamps in the service book.

Suffice to say this is a pretty special car. With only 204 Lotus Esprit V8 GT models made, and even less actually driving on UK roads exclusivity is guaranteed, along with a permanent smile that will be indelibly etched into your fizzog thanks to the car’s phenomenal performance and sublime handling characteristics. So, head over to the listing and grab yourself a proper, rare British supercar that has been tastefully enhanced to make it just that little bit more individual. The want with this one is real.