Lot 403: 1996 Lotus Esprit V8 Twin Turbo

The Lotus Esprit was first built in 1976 with production ending in 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. Originally, the name Kiwi was proposed, but in keeping with the 'E...' naming format of Lotus tradition, the name became Esprit.The Esprit V8 used Lotus' self developed type 918 3.5 litre twin turbo engine, in front of the same Renault transmission as before. Derek Bell developed an uprated gearbox that overcomes the gearbox problems with a much thicker single piece input shaft. Power was up to 355 bhp, with zero to sixty miles per hour in under 5 seconds and a 175 mph top speed.Manufactured in 1996, this car was from the first year of V8 production. The car boasts full Lotus service history from new and is described by the vendor as being in excellent condition throughout. Finished in blue metallic with a contrasting cream leather interior the car is supplied with a V5 document and a current MoT certifcate. With blistering performance on tap and the sublime handling Lotus' are renowed for, this British car is a serious alternative to either Ferrari or Porsche.