RE: We drive the all-new Esprit

RE: We drive the all-new Esprit

Monday 3rd September 2012

We drive the all-new Esprit

Lotus has built a new Esprit - just the one - and we get a go before it goes on sale



This then is the all-new Lotus Esprit that Danny built. No, not Dany Bahar, Danny Golubovic, the Lotus technician tasked with finding and rebuilding a showcase 2002 Esprit V8 to accompany that ill-fated Paris motor show unveiling of Bahar’s ‘ambitious’ five-model plan.

Lotus man Danny and the Esprit he rebuilt
Lotus man Danny and the Esprit he rebuilt
Bahar then used the car as one of his runarounds, the Esprit now, like him, a disposable asset and about to be offered to the Lotus dealer network before going on sale publicly at a price to be confirmed – now’s the time to express your interest if it tickles your fancy. A fascinating car then, and one with some considerable emotional baggage given its many associations with where Lotus finds itself now. The metaphors are many and not especially palatable.

Lotus’s loss could be your gain though and the opportunity to own a better than new Esprit V8 will shortly be yours. Golubovic, like many of his colleagues, will be sorry to see it go. But how did the car come about?

2002 dealer-sourced car transformed to as-new
2002 dealer-sourced car transformed to as-new
“I was asked to find an Esprit in the dealer network and I found this one at Westover in Poole,” he recalls. “They’d had this car back a few times on trade-ins and the dealer principle knew it was a quality car. It has 36,000 miles on the clock but it’s now a brand-new car pretty much.”

So what did he do to it? “Well, it’s been completely stripped out, repainted – it was red originally – had a new interior, new suspension components, everything really,” says Danny. “The interior is bespoke because there was never an Alcantara dash at the time and the stitching is all different and you could never have bought one like this so it’s a one-off.” Mechanical changes are limited to adjustable height Bilstein dampers and a recalibration to the ECU that enables full boost in second gear as well as third, fourth and fifth – other than that it’s as stock.

Alcantara trimmings are a modern touch
Alcantara trimmings are a modern touch
Sounds like he really put his heart into it then. “And a bit of my finger,” he laughs, showing the scar and recounting a trip to casualty for some stitches after the Esprit’s restoration bit back.

A quick test drive round the Hethel test track reveals a car, just as promised, that looks, feels and smells like brand new though it’s in fact a decade old. Danny’s work really is top notch, the stitching all immaculate, the Alcantara tactile, smooth and beautifully finished and the look and feel all very dramatic. As is the driving experience, which is raw, physical and somewhat at odds with the luxurious feel of the cabin. The guttural flat-plane bark and whooshing turbos aren’t the last word in aural sophistication and the snappy triple-plate clutch, notchy gearchange and stiff throttle all make smooth driving a real challenge. This is a proper old-school supercar, 350hp not startling by modern standards but it feels properly quick and and pulse racingly exciting.

It's as immaculate as any Esprit ever made
It's as immaculate as any Esprit ever made
Creaks, squeaks and rattles are notable by their absence and the purity of the experience, albeit on just a couple of laps of the test track, underlines just how special a car this Esprit is. Perhaps the best example that ever left Hethel? Discuss...

Is it tainted by its associations with Bahar and all it represents though? That’s a tough one to answer but for the opportunity to own the only new Esprit Lotus stands a chance of building for some time yet, if at all, it would seem an opportunity too good to miss. After all, it should be about the cars, not the politics. Viewed as such this Esprit is a bittersweet tribute.







Author
Discussion

melvster

Original Poster:

6,841 posts

184 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
quotequote all
That looks the dogs.

HokumPokum

2,049 posts

204 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
quotequote all
+1

wonder how it is to drive (on road and on track) compared to a cayman?

adz13091982

185 posts

167 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
quotequote all
Still 5 speed?

LordFlathead

9,641 posts

257 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
quotequote all
What did they do to the engine, is it new or reconditioned?

Why can't they just keep making them and call them "Esprit Classics" smile

leon9191

752 posts

192 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
quotequote all
I saw that in the reception of the lotus technology centre earlier in the year, i thought it looked show room clean and this will be why!

kambites

67,442 posts

220 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
quotequote all
LordFlathead said:
What did they do to the engine, is it new or reconditioned?

Why can't they just keep making them and call them "Esprit Classics" smile
Safety and emissions regulations, sadly.

garypotter

1,465 posts

149 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
quotequote all
That is a car that has aged well, still a good looking car IMHO.

myhandle

1,178 posts

173 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
quotequote all
I've had a go in a mint Esprit GT3 with some extra power, but still way off the power of the V8. It handled splendidly and was seriously fast for a not especially large engine. The V8 must fly and I would imagine it would be way faster than a Cayman S (I have had a go in one of these too).

fentuz

91 posts

200 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
quotequote all
I thought the gearbox was a weak point... With did they put full boost power in 2nd gear without upgrading the gearbox?

Strawman

6,463 posts

206 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
quotequote all
fentuz said:
I thought the gearbox was a weak point...
It is, still the Renault sourced one. Apparently the engine could have easily produced 500 BHP if they'd have had a better gearbox to take the power.

john_r

8,353 posts

270 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
quotequote all
Sadly the new Esprit will probably be the final nail in the coffin of Lotus IMHO.

The press will rave about how good it is, but they won't tick the 'would you buy one' box - it will be very over-priced and under-supported.

Lotus should stick to small, lightweight, efficient, cost effective sports cars - it's the only way they'll survive I reckon.

Cheib

23,067 posts

174 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
quotequote all
Lovely. I wonder what it's worth ? Surely some Lotus nut will grab that!

The Wookie

13,892 posts

227 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
quotequote all
john_r said:
The new Esprit will possibly the final nail in the coffin of Lotus sadly IMHO.

It will be very over-priced, under-supported and only a few die-hard Lotus fans will buy it.

Lotus should stick to small, lightweight, efficient, cost effective sports cars - it's the only way they'll survive I reckon.
Just outside the first ten posts rolleyes

kambites

67,442 posts

220 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
quotequote all
john_r said:
Lotus should stick to small, lightweight, efficient, cost effective sports cars - it's the only way they'll survive I reckon.
You mean like the one's they're miserably failed to make a profit producing for the last 15 years?

As for the Esprit being over-priced, well I suspect that will depend on what people expect from it. If they're going head-to-head with the likes of the MP4-12C, then I can't see the price being much lower.

C.A.R.

3,967 posts

187 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
quotequote all
Saw this at Goodwood FoS last year, fantastic looking machine! My dad has always had a thing for Esprits, this one has got to be one of the best available?

soad

32,806 posts

175 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
quotequote all
melvster said:
That looks the dogs.
garypotter said:
That is a car that has aged well, still a good looking car IMHO.
yes I love it.

BBS-LM

3,972 posts

223 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
quotequote all
Someone send monkey down to Lotus and get a Video of this car in action, please. biggrin

Butters

268 posts

250 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
quotequote all
I would definitely have that in my garage. A great opportunity for someone with deep enough pockets.

No doubt it will find a good home shortly following this story...

Well done PH.

James.

Hellbound

2,500 posts

175 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
quotequote all
Reconditioned Esprit's with all the niggles ironed out. What a business opportunity! The chap responsible for Bahar's car should get an independent garage going on the side.

Mandatory Fields

52 posts

139 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
quotequote all
what a beautiful beautiful car.