It’s rare that we get to see a desirable car presented with all of its flaws accessible and disclosed. The seller of this 1991 Lotus Esprit SE has been quite clear that the car is not pristine, and it may have more than a few flaws to sort out. However, the honesty ultimately makes it all the more appealing, especially with the reasonable asking price that’s posted. I’ve waxed poetically before about how much value there is in a car like the Esprit, and this one could be a stunner with some basic cosmetic and mechanical sorting. Find it here on eBay with an ask of $24,000 and still wearing its old-school California license plates.
I love seeing cars presented with the old-school plate designs, as it lends some additional credibility that it’s simply been driven. Not neglected, but also not put on a pedestal like so many modern sports car owners tend to do. The Lotus wears white paint that has some clear coat failure and paint flaking, but fortunately, this is one of the best colors to have when you’ve committed to living with flaws. The bodywork looks good overall with no major dents or dings and the seller confirms panel gaps are decent. The taillights – one of my favorite bits of automotive trivia – are interchangeable with an AE86-era Toyota Corolla. The seller notes that fresh rubber has been fitted to the factory OZ wheels.
The interior is where you will want to concentrate your efforts in making this Lotus more livable. These were hand-built cars when new, and Lotus has never been a high volume manufacturer. To this end, quality is always all little suspect but not because of intentional negligence; rather, it’s just sort of charmingly screwed together, so it doesn’t take much for areas like the cabin to degrade. I would start with a visit to the upholstery shop to get the seats and center armrest redone, and then maybe move onto the door panels if you’re so inclined. The one detail I don’t like in the listing is the mention of aftermarket LEDs being installed in the headlights, as I believe old-school cars should always have old-school halogen bulbs.
The SE trim Esprit features a 2.2-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine emitting 264 horsepower and 261 lb-ft of torque. It featured the clever “charge-cooling” system. Good for almost 170 miles per hour and able to reach 60 in safely under 5 seconds, this was – and still is – a seriously quick car. The 4-cylinder status is what seemingly keeps the Esprit from becoming a truly sough-after sports car, and that’s understandable if you’re accustomed to V8s and flat-sixes. However, with an open mind and a desire to embrace British engineering at its 90s peak, this slightly tatty Esprit SE looks like a wonderful entry into 90s supercar ownership.
To bad we didn’t get the eBay pictures. Spent the ’80s as the dealer’s go to shop for paint and body work and test driving the paint and upholstery was always a lot of fun. Nice car.