1978 Lotus Esprit

The Lotus Esprit was shown as a prototype on a modified Europa chassis at the 1972 Turin show before being launched at the 1976 Paris Motor Show and entering production in June of 1976, replacing the Europa in the model lineup. Lotus handled the engineering while the styling was tasked to Giorgio Giugiaro and his then-new Italdesign studio. Giugiaro suggested the name Esprit, which remained on the production car.

The Esprit was Colin Chapman's first serious attempt at building a sports car capable of competing in the marketplace with well-established marques such as Ferrari and Porsche. Its Italian styling was modern and futuristic, complimenting Lotus' supercar formula of lightweight materials with small-capacity engines. While the 2.0-liter engine received criticism for its lack of power, the performance received a boost in the late 1970s with the addition of a turbocharger. The redesigned 16-valve four-cylinder engine with dry-sump lubrication and a Garrett AiResearch turbocharger mounted behind the cylinder block brought output to 210 bhp, officially elevating the Esprit Turbo to supercar levels with its 150 mph top speed on par with the likes of Porsche's own Turbo and Ferrari's 308. Ital Design reworked the styling, adding front and rear spoilers, side skirts with NACA-type ducts, 15-inch wheels by BBS, and black louvers over the engine bay. The Esprit name would remain part of Lotus's model lineup for nearly decades, ending in 2004.

The early examples of the Esprit were powered by an all-new, all-alloy, mid-mounted, 2.0 liter (1973cc), twin-cam, four-cylinder engine developing 160 horsepower (European guise; the U.S. version produced 140 horsepower). The steel backbone chassis was clothed with a wedge-shaped fiberglass body. The wheelbase measured 96-inches, had a width of 73.3 inches, stood 43.7 inches tall, and had an overall length of 96 inches. The longitudinally mounted engine was paired with a Citroen C35 five-speed manual transaxle, and disc brakes were at all four corners with the rear brakes positioned inboard. The front suspension used upper A-arms and lower lateral links triangulated by the anti-roll bar. In the back were tapering box-section trailing arms and lower lateral links. The steering was by an unassisted rack and pinion.

The Lotus Esprit was produced between 1976 and 2004 with approximately 10,675 examples built. The first generation of the Esprit was known as the Series 1, built through 1978, and distinguished from the second series car by its shovel-style front air dam, lack of rear quarter ducting, and Wolfrace alloy wheels. The interior featured green-faced Veglia gauges. The Esprit's popularity increased in 1977 when it appeared in the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me.

Zero-to-sixty mph was accomplished in about 6.8 seconds and had a top speed of nearly 140 mph, less for the U.S. market which used an engine stifled by emission controls.

The Series 2 was built from 1978 to 1982, externally distinguished from the Series 1 by its intake and cooling ducts located behind the rear quarter windows, an integrated front spoiler, 360mm Speedline alloy wheels designed by Lotus, and taillights sourced from the Rover SD1. Beneath the surface, the battery was relocated from above the right side fuel tank under the rear quarter window to the rear of the car. An access door was added to the engine cover, and the interior gained wider seats and individual gauges made by Smiths. Many of the new illuminated dashboard switches and buttons were from the Morris Marina.

Lotus won the 1978 Formula 1 World Championship and in celebration, they created a special commemorative edition of the Esprit wearing the black and gold livery of John Player & Sons (JPS), Lotus' F1 sponsor at the time. These models were known as the Commemorative Edition Esprits and were mechanically identical to the 2.0-liter Esprit, but were powered by a 2.2-liter (2174cc) Type 912 inline four-cylinder engine except for examples destined for the U.S., which continued to use the 2.0-liter engine. The 2.2-liter engine produced the same amount of horsepower as the 2.0-liter engine built torque rose from 140 lb/ft to 160 lb/ft.

The 2.2-liter engine began powering all Esprits in May of 1980. Known as the S2.2, they were mechanically similar to the regular 2.0 Esprit except for the galvanized chassis.

As the 1970s came to a close and a new decade began, Lotus greatly improved its Esprit by redesigning the chassis, rear suspension, aerodynamics and styling, upgrading the brakes, and installing a turbocharger to the engine. A Lotus dealer named Bell and Colvill had been offering turbo conversions for the S2 Esprit from as early as 1978, but a factory turbocharged option would not become available until 1980. The Essex Turbo Esprit, introduced in 1980, was the first Lotus factory-supplied turbocharged model. These special edition models wore the blue, red and chrome livery of the Essex Overseas Petroleum Corporation, the sponsor of Team Lotus from 1979 to 1981. The Type 910 dry sump engine with the turbocharger developed 210 horsepower at 6,250 RPM and 200 lb/ft of torque at 4,500 RPM. Zero-to-sixty mph improved to 6.1 seconds and the top speed was now achieved at 150 mph. To cope with the increase in power, the chassis and suspension were redesigned, with the latter receiving an upper link. The bodywork gained a rear lip spoiler, larger bumpers, a deeper front airdam, air ducts in the sills,1 5-inch Compomotive wheels, and a louvered rear hatch.

The Lotus Essex Turbo Esprit was exclusive with just 45 examples being built. When Essex production ceased, the turbocharged and modified Esprit continued, along with the Series 2.2 versions.

The Series 3 and Turbo Esprit was introduced in April of 1981 and both used the same bodywork and chassis. Instead of a dry sump, the Turbo Esprit had a wet sump engine while the Series 3 used the 2.2-liter Type 912 engine. The Turbo Esprit retained the aerodynamic body kit of the Essex cars but with prominent 'turbo esprit' decals on the sides and front section. The Series 3 had larger bumpers, and both the Turbos and S3 had 15-inch BBS alloy wheels.

The Lotus Esprit HC was the final iteration of the Giugiaro-styled Esprit and arrived in April of 1986. The 'HC' versions had higher compression ratios for the engine, with the naturally aspirated version developing 170 horsepower and 160 lb-ft of torque. The Turbo Esprit HC developed 215 horsepower and 220 lb-ft of torque. For markets with strict emission regulations, such as the United States, Lotus offered the HCi variant with Bosch KE-Jetronic fuel injection and a catalytic converter.

Lotus commissioned British designer Peter Stevens to restyle its Esprit, resulting in the project code X180. Introduced in 1987, production would continue through 1994. Although the styling was new, most of the mechanical components remained similar to the earlier HC Esprit and Turbo Esprit.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2022