History of the Lotus Esprit
The Lotus Esprit was a sports car built by Lotus in the United Kingdom from 1976 to 2004. The silver Italdesign concept that eventually became the Esprit was unveiled at the Turin Motor Show in 1972, and was a development of a stretched Lotus Europa chassis. It was among the first of designer Giorgetto Giugiaro's polygonal "folded paper" designs and it was a major hit wit the public.
The Esprit was launched in October 1975 at the Paris motorshow, and went into production in June 1976, replacing the Europa in the Lotus model line-up. These first cars eventually became known as S1 (or Series 1) Esprits. With a steel backbone chassis and a fiberglass body, the Esprit was powered by the Lotus 907 4 cylinder engine, as previously used in the Jensen Healey. This engine displaced 2.0 L, produced 160 bhp (119 kW) in European trim (140 bhp in US/Federal trim), and was mounted longitudinally behind the passengers, as in its predecessor.
A series of improvements made to the Esprit during its initial run culminated in the S2 (or Series 2) Esprit. The most obvious of these changes are intake and cooling duct "ears" located behind the rear quarter window, tail lights from a Rover SD1, and an integrated front spoiler. S2 Esprits also used 14-inch Speedline alloy wheels designed specifically for Lotus.
In 1980 the first factory turbocharged Esprit was launched. Initially, this was another special edition model commemorating F1 ties and reflecting current sponsorhip, this time in the blue, red and chrome livery of Essex Petroleum, and is therefore known as the Essex Esprit. The new turbocharged dry-sump type 910 engine produced 210 hp (157 kW) and 200 lb·ft (270 N·m) of torque. 0-60 mph could be achieved in 5.6 seconds, with a top speed of over 150 mph (240 km/h). These performance improvements were coupled to a redesign and strengthening of the chassis and rear suspension, where an upper link was added to alleviate strain on the driveshafts, along with brake improvements.
In 1988 a new and major revision of the Esprit was introduced, incorporating rounder styling cues given by designer Peter Stevens of McLaren F1 fame. Giugiaro is said to have liked the restyling, claiming it was perhaps too close to his original design. The first Stevens styled cars were mechanically identical to their previous year counterparts, with Turbo and naturally aspirated variants available, though quickly a stronger Renault transaxle was used, as well as Delco GMP4 Electronic Fuel Injection. The exterior style changes were accompanied by a freshening of the interior. The Stevens styled Esprit is collectively known as the X180.
The Esprit was again improved with the SE version in late 89. Numerous changes including the addition of a water to air intercooler known as the chargecooler moving the car to the next level. Horsepower was pushed up to 264 with 280 available on overboost, and zero to sixty miles per hour times reduced to 4.7 seconds, with a top speed of over 160 mph (260 km/h). The chargecooled engine was known as the type 910 S. Modifications to the body kit are also noted.
Along with the SE, Lotus produced the little seen Esprit S, a midrange turbocharged car offering fewer appointments and 228 hp (170 kW), as well as the standard turbo still offering 215 hp (160 kW). The N/A and turbo were cancelled after 1990, and the S in 1991.
In 1993 another exterior and interior revamp of the car resulted in the S4 which was the first model to include power steering. This car was succeeded in 1995 by the S4s, which upped power to 300 bhp while retaining the comfort of the S4. This car was to be the end of the line for the Esprit but a cancelled project for a front engine car had left Lotus with a compact V8 and no car to put it into.
The Esprit was a popular and successful addition to the American IMSA Bridgestone Supercar Championship and as a result Lotus produced the SE-based X180R, with horsepower bumped to 300 and with racing appointments. The Sport 300 was a derivative of the X180R sold in Europe. These are known as the fastest of the 4 cylinder Esprits and among the most desirable. And in 1996 the Esprit was heavily revised again. Lotus dropped a V8 in the rear, boosting horsepower to 355 bhp.
An "Esprit replacement" is in the works at Lotus currently, and is the subject of much speculation, with many (inaccurate) spy shots and renderings in other magazines. This car was intended to be introduced in 2008, but current assumptions within the company imply that the actual release date will be December 2009. The new design is targeted to compete with cars such as the Ferrari F430 and the Lamborghini Gallardo among others, with pricing in the region of $130,000.
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