Lotus Esprit - Definition and Overview

Lotus Esprit Turbo

1993 Lotus Esprit

The back of a 1993 Lotus Esprit

The Lotus Esprit was a sports car built by Lotus from 1976 to 2004. It was unveiled as the Silver Car concept at the Turin motor show in 1972 and was based on the Lotus Europa chassis. Originally, the name Kiwi was proposed, but in keeping with the E naming format of Lotus tradition, the name was changed to Esprit.

It was an example of Giorgetto Giugiaro's "folded paper" design ideas of the early 1970s.

The car gained some fame through its appearance in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). In the film, Bond's Esprit converts into a submarine.

The Esprit was launched with a two-litre engine. An upgrade to a 2.2-litre engine followed in 1980 and a turbocharged version joined the range a year later.

In 1987, Peter Stevens redesigned the Esprit, keeping the same proportions for engineering reasons. Giugiaro felt it was a fine design, if a little too close to his original.

The Stevens silhouette has largely been kept as the Esprit evolved into the 21st century. The addition of a V8 engine has kept it very competitive amongst sports cars. However, in terms of the packaging, the Esprit is considered to be archaic, reflecting its 1970s’ origins.

Giorgetto Giugiaro designed

• Esprit - 1976 - 77
• Esprit S2 - 1978 - 1981
• Esprit JPS (John Player Special) - 1978 - 1979
• Esprit S2.2 - 1980 - 1981
• Esprit Essex - 1980
• Esprit S3 - 1981 - 1987
• Esprit Turbo - 1981-1986
• Esprit Turbo HC - 1987
• Esprit Turbo - 1987 - 1990
• Esprit - 1987 - 1990

Stevens Designed

• Esprit SE - 1989 - 1991
• Esprit S - 1991
• Esprit SE HighWing - 1992 - 1993

Thomson Designed

• Esprit S4 - 1993 - 1996
• Esprit 300 Sport - 1993
• Esprit S4S - 1995 - 1996
• Esprit GT3 - 1996-1998
• Esprit V8 - 1996-1998
• Esprit V8 GT - 1998-2001

Carr Designed

• Esprit - 2002-2003
• Esprit - 2002-04