We all tend to assume that finding an old sports car ripe for restoration is an exciting moment for almost anyone. However, no matter how intriguing the vehicle is, many people just see an anchor, or a nuisance. Nostalgia only goes so far, so it’s not surprising to see the seller of this 1989 Lotus Esprit Turbo that belonged to his late father ready to let it go here on Facebook Marketplace. He’s looking for offers in the neighborhood of $20,000, which may be a reach given it hasn’t been driven much in the last decade.
Lately, I’ve noticed less excitement in my own garage for cars that run and drive, and have thought multiple times that it’s a sign I need to wind things down a bit. After all, there’s only so many hours in the day to actually drive these things, and sports cars of a certain era all need to be exercised regularly. The worst thing to happen to a British sports car like an Esprit is for it to sit for years at a time, and that’s exactly what you’re up against if you choose to restore it. The seller notes the water pump has failed, which may be the reason his dad parked it all those years ago. It’s hard to tell whether it’s been outside for the entire time, but the paint does look like it’s fading in places.
The interior is in rough shape, and I’ve always contended one of the bigger nuisance areas for restoring a Lotus of this vintage or a Maserati from the late 80s is in the cabin. With lots of leather-covered surfaces and already questionable build quality, it doesn’t take much for the interior to look wrecked. With plenty of dirt and mold to address, this interior is close to needing a complete gut. The more I look, the more it seems likely the Lotus was left outside or at least some where wet for the past few years. It’s a shame, but it also seems like it was actually driven with 120,000 miles on the clock – so some of the damage is just simple wear and tear.
The turbocharged 2.2-liter, 16-valve inline-four in non-SE trim pushed out a respectable 215 b.h.p. and 220 lb.-ft. of torque. The seller doesn’t likely know whether this is an SE car or not, but since there is no rear wing or the distinctive side skirts, it seems likely to be a standard model. This also, sadly, will make the asking price even more unrealistic, as most enthusiasts want to find one with the hotter engine setup which yields a significant boost in horsepower. The Lotus undoubtedly deserves saving, but it will have to be a fair bit cheaper to make sense.
That car is from my locale, and with all the rain we have around here I’m surprised there’s as much left as there is. I think it’s too far gone..bad mechanicals and even worse interior scream “parts mule” and certainly, the $20k ask is fantasy.
And this is after they cleaned it up. The listing says it is a automatic.
It looks to be sinking into the ground. I’m assuming it has been parked outside for the whole time. The seller must have added an extra zero to the price by accident.
If the water pump failed then the engine is most likely siezed and is now toast along with much of the rest of the car, and that’s why it’s been sitting outside for the rest of it’s life. Deep pockets, full of big notes will be required to restore this car.
It really hurts to see a car like this just withering away. I just don’t understand today how people take pictures of cars with all their junk and disarray… Do they actually think it will attract a buyer? Obviously this guy has no knowledge of the car and just wants to unload it. He probably did a quick search somewhere as to value and came up with $20K. If you got this for 2K or for free, it might still end up costing more to restore than the value of this Lotus. And this Lotus does have some value…………..
The “amusing listing” for today?