Titled as it is, the book starts with a chapter briefly profiling the
history of Lotus Engineering from its post-war beginnings in 1952 through
to when the book was first published in 1991. All productions cars (up to
1990) are mentioned, set in their historical context, as well as a quick
portrayal of the Lotus racing pedigree.
Having set some context behind both the modern and classic Esprit,
Walton then takes us behind the scenes of the creation of the first
prototype, a collaboration between Lotus and Giorgio Giugiaro, following
its rapturous reception at the Turin motor show in 1972. It was a further
three years before the first production car was exhibited at the Paris
motor show, having been in frantic development throughout that period.
Walton explains how Colin Chapman shrewdly supplied Jenson Healey with the
first of the new Lotus 907 engines, letting them contribute towards the
development costs, which unfortunately contributed to the demise of
Jenson.
Road Tests
Whilst detailing the development of the Esprit throughout its
production, Walton colours the chapters with period road tests, reproduced
from 'Autocar & Motor', which also provide interesting comparisons
with other supercars of the era from Ferrari, Maserati and Porsche,
helping to underline the status of the Esprit. However, it was not until
the introduction of the Turbo Esprit in 1980 that supercar status was
truly obtained, and Walton chronicles the first turbocharger trials, which
continued into production of the first turbocharged cars, the Essex
Esprit.
Walton then explains the rationale behind the re-bodied and
re-engineered Esprit which debuted in 1987, sculpted by Peter Stevens
earlier in his career. However, Walton leaves the best to last, and
positively revels in his descriptions of the chargecooled Esprit SE,
introduced in 1989 and at the time of writing this book it was the fastest
Esprit to be put into production so far. A further chapter is devoted to
experiences of the SE Esprit on the track, and the success achieved by Doc
Bundy racing in the 1990 SCCA championship.
Buying Guide
The book is concluded with a buying guide, which although it was
written over ten years ago and therefore the prices are somewhat adrift,
is still useful today when looking to buy any Esprit, whether it be old or
new.
Throughout the book, not only are period road tests included, but also
first hand interviews with members of staff, which given the benefits of
hindsight, describe the problems they encountered and how they were
overcome. All the text is illustrated with copious quantities of colour
pictures of all the Esprit models produced, including pictures of the
assembly lines and other oily bits.
Overall a very enjoyable insight into the behind the scenes work
involved in producing the Esprit, and heartily recommended to any fan of
the Esprit or Lotus in general.
Reviewed by Laurence Vaughn
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