Lot 06: Lotus ESPRIT SERIES 3

From a silver Ital Design concept shown in Turin in November 1972 evolved the Lotus Esprit, its angular 'folded paper' design going into production in 1976 and continuing, through various evolutions, until 2002. Gaining international recognition through big screen appearances in the James Bond The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only films, the first, a white Series 1 that converted to a submarine was destroyed on screen in the opening sequence of the second film. This was replaced with a Metallic Copper Turbo for the scenes filmed in the ski resort of Cortina, complete with custom ski racks. The sub-aquatic antics of the white Esprit in the Spy Who Loved Me were second only to those of the Goldfinger DB5 in Bond car lore.From 1980, a turbo-charged model was added to the line-up with a new chassis and revised body. These were transferred to the normally aspirated car with the introduction of the Series 3 the following year, while the mid-mounted 4-cylinder twin-cam engine had grown from the original 2-litre unit to a displacement of 2.2-litres. In recession hit Britain, many cost improvements had been made in the Lotus organisation, enabling the new car to be launched at a saving of more than �1,800 in comparison with the outgoing version. In fact these cuts had led to the production of a much-improved car at a keener cost and the attractive headline price ensured that most examples left the dealers' showrooms at a similar price to the outgoing model, once options had been added. This 1986 example is finished in black and has the optional 15-inch BBS Mahle wheels from the Turbo model. Just one of only 72 normally aspirated cars produced that year, with just a handful sold in the UK, these cars are often regarded as better than the sometimes troublesome and fragile Turbo. Of very fine appearance and with a black cloth trimmed cabin, this 67,000-mile example is one of the best Esprits we have seen for some time. Mechanically, all appears to be in good order with a significant file of service history showing that the car has been well cared for with seemingly little expense spared and a continuous run of MOT certificates from 1989 to date with the current certificate valid until September 2008, verifying the total mileage. Also included in the file are various magazines, catalogues and club information along with the fitting certificate for the immobiliser. Rarely do such well documented and cared for examples present themselves.