Lotus

No Reserve: 1995 Lotus Esprit S4

The Lotus Esprit remains one of the more under-the-radar exotics on the market today. It’s surprising given its primary competitor, the Acura NSX, has made considerable strides value-wise, often commanding close to $100,000 or better when in excellent condition…. more»

Twin Turbos! 2001 Lotus Esprit V8

Lotus’ long-running Esprit model incorporated more than twenty variants, many of them made in overlapping production years. For instance, in 2001, buyers could opt for the Esprit V8, the V8 GT, the V8 SE, and the tremendous Sport 350…. more»

Garage Find: 1970 Lotus Europa S2

Hiding in this garage is a 1970 Lotus Europa with a story to tell. The current owner has been its custodian for forty-five years, commencing a restoration that would have returned it to its former glory. However, advancing years… more»

Low Miles? 1993 Lotus Esprit Turbo SE

Though the Lotus Esprit was produced for twenty-eight years in 22 variants, fewer than 11,000 examples were made in total. The cars were handbuilt by a slender workforce at Hethel, Norfolk, UK, at the rate of about one per… more»

Parts Stash Included: 1973 Lotus Europa Twin Cam Special

It is fascinating how we sometimes go for months without seeing a particular classic at Barn Finds, and then several will appear in quick succession. Such has been the case with the Lotus Europa. Those we’ve recently seen require… more»

Solid Series 2: 1979 Lotus Esprit

The early model variant of any iconic car or truck is going to be sought after for a few different reasons each time, but there are some consistencies model-to-model. In the case of the Lotus Esprit, it’s a matter… more»

Tarp Life is No Life: 1974 Lotus Europa

Lotus Europas have a reputation for being rather fragile.  Part of that is due to Colin Chapman’s never-ending desire to make his cars as light as possible.  Another part of that is Chapman’s perchance for being parsimonious.  When you… more»

Pre-Production Model: 1983 Lotus Esprit Turbo

These days, automobile manufacturers don’t seem particularly nostalgic. We see quite often how cars kept for decades in a factory museum are inevitably sold off, oftentimes to raise money or otherwise just get some assets off the books that… more»

Hemi Head Power: Modified 1969 Lotus Europa

In the late sixties, racing was evolving.  The front engine was out at Indianapolis and across the pond, and the mid-engine was in.  A few enterprising automobile manufacturers with a background in racing decided to capitalize on this by… more»

Forty Years Hidden: 1974 Lotus Elite

Colin Chapman, the founder of Lotus Cars, was an interesting fellow.  Obsessed with racing, Chapman’s creations won races in everything from amateur hill climbs to Formula One.  His design principle was simple: the lighter the better.   Sometimes too light… more»

British Wedge: 1977 Lotus Esprit S1

Sent in new directions by the popularity of placing a car’s engine in its mid-section, auto designers of the 1970s were winnowing down the frontal area of cars right and left. The Lotus Esprit owes its striking looks to… more»

Gordini Upgrades: 1969 Lotus Europa S2

The seller has been the custodian of this 1969 Lotus Europa S2 since 1974, but it has been parked in a dry and warm garage since 2007. It requires a total restoration, but the engine upgrades mean it should… more»

Cheap Mid-Engine Project: 1970 Lotus Europa

In the mid-1960s, Britain’s Lotus Cars conceived an affordable mid-engine sports car (or GT, if you prefer) that could draw from existing technology, with engines borrowed from Renault as an example. They were in production for 10 years (1966… more»

15k Miles One-Owner 1974 Lotus Europa

There is a running gag among some members of the motoring fraternity that Lotus is an acronym that means “Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious.” However, that is an unkind assessment because a good Lotus of any description can offer… more»

No Reserve! 1972 Lotus Europa

In the roughly 17 months that I have been writing for Barn Finds, one rare car shows up quite often in the “sell this thing NOW” category: the Lotus Europa. We’ve covered fourteen of them since April of ’22…. more»

Bargain Supercar: 2002 Lotus Esprit V8

Lately, the Lotus Esprit has popped up in some round-ups of supercars that remain surprisingly affordable – specifically, the later production versions equipped with a sonorous V8 powerplant. While many of these “lists” are often poorly constructed and researched,… more»