Occasionally, a classic will land on our desks at Barn Finds, leaving us to ponder its history. Such is the case with this 1991 Lotus Esprit SE. It has spent many years hanging from this shop ceiling as a piece of garage art, but the seller wants to send it to a new home. Quite what the buyer will do with it is an open question, but the Lotus has generated interest since the seller listed it here on eBay in Addison, Illinois. Bidding sits at a mere $1,025 in a No Reserve auction.

Lotus released the original Esprit in 1976, and its styling immediately captured the public’s imagination. Penned by renowned designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro, the company bolted a fiberglass body to a steel backbone chassis. Interestingly, the same chassis with minor modifications also served under the DMC DeLorean, another Giugiaro design. The car evolved and was refreshed during a production run that saw the last examples leave the factory located in Hethel, Norfolk, England, in 2004. The history of this Monaco White SE is unclear, although the damaged fiberglass on the front left corner suggests it may have been parted out following a fender bender. It is a case of “what you see is what you get.” There is no trim, no glass, no hanging panels, and no frame. However, with the body being so light, it is easy to see why the seller suspended it from the ceiling. I think that is a shame because I’m sure that most enthusiasts would prefer to look at almost any angle except the underside. The seller points to one rather cool factor that can’t be ignored. The Aston Martin DB5 is long associated with the James Bond movie franchise. However, an Esprit received its star turn in the 1977 film, The Spy Who Loved Me. Why is that significant? The fact that this car’s VIN ends in the digits “007” adds to its inherent desirability.

This Esprit would have originally featured a mid-mounted 2.2-liter turbocharged four that sent 264hp and 261 ft/lbs of torque to the road via a five-speed manual transaxle. The curb weight of 2,974 lbs allowed it to scorch through the ¼-mile in 13.4 seconds on its way to 163mph. These cars were seriously fast in their time, although the complete absence of mechanical components means those figures are a distant memory. It is a similar story with the interior, which is bare-bones. Fabricating a bespoke frame to create a track day car is plausible because the new owner will know that there will be no unnecessary brackets or other items that would add unwanted weight to the finished product. Otherwise, returning this Lotus to active service would require a mountain of parts that could cost the winning bidder a small fortune.

The chances are that this 1991 Lotus Esprit SE will never return to our roads unless the buyer has a huge selection of donor parts as their starting point. That poses the question of what to do with a car that is a British icon. It will probably continue its career as garage art unless someone bolts the body to a bespoke frame to create a track day car. My imagination has been running riot, and there is a vision that I can’t shake from my head. These bodyshells follow the Chapman creed of simplifying and adding lightness. Therefore, it could form the base for what could be the coolest hovercraft on the planet. I acknowledge it is a left-field idea but think about it for a moment. It won’t rust, there’s room to squeeze the mechanical components into the engine bay and trunk, and it would undoubtedly capture plenty of attention when it hits the water. Do you agree, or do you have another idea in mind?