The Esprit

Styling started in 1971 following a chance meeting between Colin Chapman and Giorgetto Guigiaro at the Geneva Motor Show.

Giugiaro asked Colin if he could design a car for Lotus, and as they needed a replacement for the Europa, they let him.  A modified Europa chassis was delivered and the dramatic result of his work was shown at the Turin Motor Show in 1972.

The classic Italian supercar shape won much critical acclaim, and production was set to start in 1975.

The first Esprit deliveries were made in the summer of 1976, but the motoring press were disappointed.  It was not as fast as it looked, it was harsh, with a lot of engine noise being transmitted through to the cockpit.  Build quality, ventilation and visibility were also poor, this lead Lotus to redesign it and release the series 2 in 1978.

Performance had increased, Autocar reported 130 mph and a 0-60mph in 8 seconds, still short of its mouthwatering looks. The Esprit matured in 1980, when the Turbo version was announced, new chassis, new 2.2 ltr engine producing 210 bhp and rebodied rather than ‘touched up’.  This boosted the top speed to over 150 mph.

In 1988 the car was redesigned again, this time by Peter Stevens, and featured a more rounded style, making it look sleeker and younger. Power output went up to 264 bhp and top speed to 164 mph.