It’s not often that I feel compelled to see just how bad the interest rates are on getting a loan for a hobby car are, but this 1983 Lotus Esprit Turbo almost compels me to do so. Wearing awesome gold paint with fresh decals and lettering, accented nicely by a gorgeous set of BBS/Mahle wheels, this turbocharged Esprit is the stuff of every kid’s wall art collection featuring cut-outs of the most exotic cars of the period. This generation of the Esprit also gets kudos for being the one most often associated with some of the best years of James Bond films. Find the Lotus here on Facebook Marketplace with an asking price of $45,999.
The Esprit can sometimes be characterized as a nightmare of a vintage car to own, plagued by all sorts of quality control-related issues. The truth is, like so many other formerly high-line British cars, cheap owners and lackadaisical maintenance are the biggest reasons why 1980s exotics like this Esprit are characterized as being cars of ill refute. That’s not to say they don’t require more maintenance than a Camry, they almost certainly do – but they’re not nearly as bad as most armchair quarterbacks tend to think. This car, with its exquisite paint and graphics kit, along with other qualities, reeks of a vehicle that’s been lovingly maintained since new.
And then you move onto the interior, a space where even decently maintained Esprits tend to look like garbage after a few years. That’s not the case here, as the cabin still presents quite well with no obvious flaws from use. The leather buckets show zero tears or any place where the seat foam is spilling out, and it’s certainly possible these were redone at some point in time. In fact, the Esprit has an overall vibe of having never been restored but definitely freshened up in a few places. It’s encouraging to see original details like the steering wheel (it does have some sort of a wrap on it) and shift knob, and the door panels and dash look they’re in similarly good condition.
The listing states that the Esprit has under 30,000 original miles with just a tick over 22K on the odometer. That alone could be all the evidence we need that this car is a survivor, and not a hastily put-back-together “restoration” project with the seller hoping for a quick buck. The Esprit Turbo was one of the few performance cars of the early 1980s that made drivers feel like all hope was not lost, capable of ripping off a run to 60 m.p.h. in just over six seconds. Those are still respectable numbers today, and given the condition of this Esprit, I have little doubt it could pull similar times on a test track if given the challenge.
It’s in Kutztown,PA.
What’s that lettering on the door?
Special Edition 23. I believe there were 49 or 50 special editions for this model.
It says “Special Edition 23”
That car is so 80’s retro. I love it! I drove a Lotus Esprit but it didn’t give me the wow factor I was hoping for. I would consider the V8 later version though. Super cars to me have to have at least 8 or preferably more cylinders. Looking the part is one thing but sounding the part is just as important. I love this shade of gold. That color can be very polarizing as I have a Mercedes that color and a lot of people hate it!
I own a later 4 cylinder Esprit, and am a member of the local Lotus Club. The joke among Esprit owners is when someone asks if you have a V8 (Esprit) the answer is no, I have a car I can drive, that runs. The appeal of an Esprit is performance. The performance comes from the balance of power and weight.
Did you check the dealer’s site? They have 38 images up.
Supercars have to have 8 cylinders?? Ever heard of the Acura NSX? 0-60 mph in 2.9 seconds with Acura Super Handling!!
I have driven and worked on the NSX. Nice cars, reliable compared to anything European. I don’t consider it to be a super car. I place it in same segment as a Porsche 911 or a Dino.
You obviously haven’t driven the new generation NSX!!
Love the car, hate the color!
If anyone in Western New York is interested there is a Lotus dealership in Amherst, a suburb of Buffalo.
These cars look great in any color…….except this color!!
Nice car……just no big WOW factor.
I think this car might look better in person than in photos.
Used to see a few of these sitting in a junk yard I frequented for parts! They all had low miles but the fire damage was always the same! They seemed to burn from the mid mounted engine! Road in a Turbo once, nice ride but never considered these anywhere near a supercar!
“ill refute”? 🥴
It needs a bumper sticker –
“I COULDA HAD A V8″……
Nice wright up Jeff
From what I can remember about my nearly new S 3 Turbo, the steering wheel is ex factory. I’m sure it was stitched leather.
I have a 79 JPS commemorative NA 4 cyl…
Handles like a race car, not much on low end power, But the mid range and top end, its a beast.