YKYWT... 1976 Lotus Esprit S1

An interior that clashes with itself? They don't build 'em like this anymore!

Like the Vauxhall Firenza HPF we looked at last week, when this Series 1 Esprit appeared in our classifieds a couple of days ago it sparked off an emailing frenzy at PH HQ.

Even those who didn't particularly like it felt compelled beyond their will to gaze at it, and wonder if that trim is as per the original. Which it is, but more on that in a bit.

The vendor bought this car back in 2003 and describes its condition then as 'a complete dog' - which is entirely believable. I went to look at a cheap Esprit once and walked away, leaving the vendor scrambling underneath it with a hammer trying to convince the fuel pump to see things his way...

This one sat on the drive somewhat neglected and was in danger of being moved-on until the vendor's son persuaded him to sort it out. 'If I was going to keep it then it had to be fully restored' he explained. 'So I sent it to SJ Sportscars in Devon with the instruction to carry out an every-last-nut-and-bolt rebuild.'

That was in 2003. In 2007 the car was delivered back to the vendor in near-concours condition. So, did he park it in a heated garage and gingerly load it onto a trailer in order to take it to the odd show? 'Oh no. Having spent so much on the restoration I wanted to use it. I'd promised my son that once it was finished we'd take it to Monte Carlo... so we did! The car behaved superbly and gave us no issues at all, although it wasn't exactly the most comfortable long-distance tourer.'

Oh and that way-cool trim? It turns out that the interior work was left to Nick Fulcher who'd worked on the original James Bond Esprit at Pinewood studios and who'd restored one of the two movie cars. As such he knew how to acquire the correct tartan cloth.

The Bond 'submarine' car was meant it to have tartan headrests too but apparently it played havoc with the cameras, so Mr Fulcher re-trimmed them in plain green. An interesting piece of trivia, but don't expect it to help you appear momentarily more interesting at parties.

£29,950 is market-leading money for an S1 Esprit, but surely there can be few in the world in this condition? All you need is a suitcase full of Brut and some roll-neck sweaters to go with it...