Auction Highlight: 1978 Lotus Esprit S1

A great sports car should feel like an extension of the driver, with the mind and body in harmony with the machine. Manufacturers across the world strive to achieve this connection through a variety of means, but the winning formula for Lotus has always been to remain as lightweight and analogue as possible.

The acclaimed British marque boasts an impressive motor racing legacy, with Team Lotus securing no less than seven Formula One World Championship victories. This legacy of extraordinary engineering prowess has filtered down through the decades into the marque’s rewarding road-going sports cars, which offer drivers raw and unfettered driving pleasure through a combination of low weight and precise handling.

Launched in October 1975 at the Paris Motor Show with production starting in June 1976, the Lotus Esprit was introduced to replace the Europa, and brought with it bold new styling with its mid-engined layout, and quickly became a movie legend courtesy of its iconic appearance in the 1977 James Bond film ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’.

The Esprit’s dramatic wedge-shaped fibreglass bodywork was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, with a radical ‘folded-paper’ style, and sat over a steel backbone chassis. Power came from a naturally aspirated 2.0-litre ‘Lotus 907’ inline-four, producing 160bhp, which drove the rear wheels via a Citroen-derived five-speed transaxle manual transmission.

The 1978 Lotus Esprit offered on Collecting Cars in September 2020 was one of just 718 ‘S1’ examples produced, and boasted an impressive finish and strong service history; though sadly it stopped short of its famous movie roots, with no sub-aquatic equipment fitted.

The ‘S1’ Esprit can be easily spotted by the Fiat X1/9-sourced rear lights, cleaner body lines, Wolfrace alloy wheels, a shovel-style front lip spoiler, and a one-piece instrument cluster featuring green Veglia gauges.

This example was first registered in January 1978, and was originally ordered in black with a beige cloth and brown Marcasite interior. Prior to the seller’s ownership this Esprit was professionally resprayed in an eye-catching shade of yellow, and the cabin was retrimmed in black leather upholstery with contrasting yellow stitching.

Presented in very good overall condition given its age, with a modest 76,619 miles on the odometer, and accompanied by the original handbook alongside no fewer than 21 historical invoices dating back to 1985, this eye-catching sports car attracted 28 bids, eventually selling for £37,000.

If you have an equally impressive or well-maintained classic British sports car, then speak to one of our Consignment Team today, to discuss how we can help you achieve the best result at auction.