The Lotus Esprit remains one of the more accessible supercars from the 1990s despite being part of the same realm of vehicles like the Acura NSX and Porsche 911. While those cars were its classmates back in the day, the value of the Esprit has remained much more down to Earth compared to those high-flyers. While some of that has to do with performance potential, I don’t know that it’s necessarily fair that cars like this 1993 Lotus Esprit SE listed here on eBay don’t enjoy higher valuations even with a turbocharged four-cylinder powerplant. It’s offered $44,950 or best offer.
What’s interesting is the later Esprit V8 Turbo has less of an issue getting a strong sale price, which does lend convincing evidence to the fact that the performance numbers alone can shift the market’s perceptions of a car. However, models like the Porsche 912 have shaken off the perception of being cheap simply due to having two fewer cylinders compared to a 911 as prices have skyrocketed, and now a clean 912 is a $50,000 car. The Esprit doesn’t have that “foil” in the lineup where a lower output model makes the one sitting in front of you more desirable; until the V8, the Esprit has almost always replied on a four-cylinder with a turbocharger in recent years. Specific to this car, with under 30,000 miles, the interior remains in mint condition.
The 2.2-liter DOHC turbocharged inline-4 found midship makes an impressive 264 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque considering it’s coming from a motor that isn’t a V8 or flat-six. The Esprit always made good use of its output thanks to lower curb weights than expected for a car this size, and the listing notes that the “SE” trim stands for “Special Equipment” which triggered the release of 910S engine, revised aerodynamics for improved cooling, as well as a removable targa roof panel. This was the era when the styling was beginning to play a role in valuations as well, as the Esprit looked significantly more modern than previous generations.
The single-outlet exhaust is a reminder that there’s not a monster motor under the hood waiting to be opened up, but don’t let that fool you: the 1993 Esprit SE rocketed to 60 in under 5 seconds and went on to a top speed of 160 miles per hour. The seller notes that this example has been carefully looked after by a long-term enthusiast owner, but he doesn’t list any recent maintenance that has come out of that ownership history. Some spare parts are included along with a car cover and shop manual – always a good sign that the vehicle in question has been cared for by a hands-on owner. Would you buy an Esprit if you needed a 90s performance car in your life or choose a different model?
Liteweight rocket 🚀 spool up and hang on.
I’d buy it for the looks alone and take the drive train as an added benefit. Beautiful car.
The nice thing about looking for used exotics like this is four out five are going to be meticulously cared for. The fifth will be obviously trashed.
Guess I got the fifth one!
I don’t know anything about these cars, except for a friend who had a windfall back in the mid-90’s and bought one wanting something different from the others of his company who also were newly affluent. He considered a Continental like Arnie Becker but eventually decided on a Lotus. I think the car still sits in a barn on the property, as it has sentimental value, and last I heard still runs well. The fact that a man who has since owned most exotics still maintains his after 30+ years shows that it can be done. Whether it should be done is a personal conversation between Hip National Bank and the bathroom mirror. The design has aged well – to my eyes.
A beautiful car, no doubt. But a $40k+? My 90’s performance car has a Mustang badge on it.
Nice Fiero.
27,000 miles on a 32 year old Lotus – very strange especially when looking at the wear on the interior.
Does supercar and 4cyl. even go together?
LOTUS is “Lots of Trouble, Usually Serious” I couldn’t remember that acronym so I asked Google AI. Hey maybe the Singularity won’t be so bad.