Some Assembly Required: 1980 Lotus Esprit

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This 1980 Lotus Esprit is a half-finished project offered but what appears to be a restoration shop specializing in British vehicles. They’ve done some of the hard work, going so far as to separate the body from the chassis and have already sanded and primed it for repainting. The project has since stalled out and won’t be finished, so it’s offered in pieces for the next owner to finish; fortunately, the pieces look pretty good. The drivetrain will need rebuilding and a spare engine will be included in the sale, along with some other desirable bits. Find the Lotus here on eBay where bidding is at $3,550 and the reserve is unmet.

The shop is one of the cleaner ones I’ve seen, and the pictures offer some insight into the work that has transpired on the Lotus thus far. The level of prep work is impressive, going so far as to separate the chassis from the body for the purpose of prepping for paint, but perhaps there’s some underlying reasoning that makes it necessary if you’re attempting to restore a Lotus Esprit of this vintage. The body looks sound in the pictures provided, and the seller doesn’t disclose any outstanding issues that still need to be resolved before going into the paint booth. The Lotus was purchased as a non-runner, so it clearly had been neglected for some time.

This is how I usually purchase projects, in need of significant work but also acquired quite cheaply. The seller notes that there was significant wear on the bottom end of the original engine, so between the presumably rough cosmetics and tired engine, the Lotus was in a thoroughly unloved state when they got it. The good news for the next owner is the seller has done the heavy lifting of tracking down the necessary parts to restore the Lotus, including new tan and brown leather to recover the seats, dash, and interior panels, and the seats actually look quite solid in as-is condition.

Mechanically, the Lotus arrived in their shop with its 2.0L 907 engine featuring twin sidedraft S.U. carbs. As noted, the engine was in need of a rebuild, and the seller sourced a second engine to either use in place of the original or possibly to pilfer parts off of. The replacement engine also has some desirable components attached, including Dellorto carburetors and an intake manifold taken from a 160 b.h.p. Euro-spec Esprit. Pictures show plenty of other spare parts seemingly neatly stored and organized, and should make finishing the Esprit’s restoration relatively straightforward for the next owner. If you have to buy a car in pieces, this is a good place to start from.

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Comments

  1. DayDreamBeliever DayDreamBeliever

    What the pictures also show is the commitment to British sports cars, notably the XKE coupe and the XK roadster in the background.

    Likely much better return on investment in the Jaguar projects. Could be that a bit of a $ shot is needed to bring one or both of the other two to completion, hence the sale.

    And yes, a very clean shop! Quite possible that there are other rooms in the building for dirty work, or paint, etc….

    Like 1
  2. Solosolo UK ken tilly UKMember

    Maybe it was being restored for a customer who ran out of money in order to finish the project.

    Like 2
  3. DETROIT LAND YACHT

    The motor that comes with it is a dog.
    Electric conversion.
    Do it…and be happier with the money sunk.

    Like 0
  4. KEVIN L HARPER

    Think of it as a kit car without an assembly manual. Only for the brave

    Like 4
    • John Walsh

      Nonsense, these cars are no worse to put back together than any other. The secret is to get the manuals as they are very explanatory. Time and patience and you will have a cracking car that is only going to increase in value.

      Like 0
  5. Ross W. Lovell

    Greetings All,

    Someone correct me…..

    I thought these started as turbo’d 4 bangers before turning into a V8’s?

    Dellortos on a Turbo?

    Like 0
    • KEVIN L HARPER

      No, Series 1 and 2 were normally aspirated. I think this is the last year of the series 2 and it could be a series 2.2.
      Series 3 was the first turbo and they came out in around 82. In Europe you could get the series 3 with or without a turbo, in the US we only got turbo. The first one were a blow threw carb setup and most used Dell’s. In 86 or 87 they went to Bosch CIS FI, and became much better cars. 88 got the Stevens body, and you got the v8 in the mid 90’s

      Like 3
    • John Walsh

      Yes, turbo on a set of Dellorto DHLA 45’s. Aslo none turbo versions, most of these were 2.2 Lt, the earlier 907 engine model was the 2.0 Lt running twin 40’s, while th American version had different carbs to comply with emissions. Then you had the 2.2 High Compression, which was a better and more tunable engine altogether. This is only a rough breakdown as there were many variants including fuel injection.

      Like 0
  6. Claudio

    What newer fuel injected turbocharged more powerful mill can easily be installed in this beautiful car that would make it faster and more reliable and less of a moneypit?
    These cars are beautiful but are known as unreliable dogs , so what is one to do ?

    Like 0
  7. Tim

    This one is
    VIN number 79110233T/ engine #AD9077911 17458,
    VIN Number 79110236T/ engine #AD9077911 17457 is mine… it’s out in the garage. That piques my curiosity, and I’ll be ‘following’ this auction, but little more. It would be nice to have my car’s close sibling, but there’s no room in the inn… or the till. Interesting that my car is three numbers newer, but has an engine that’s one number older.

    Claudio, the stock engine has plenty of un-tapped potential. I stroked my 907 to 2.2, hotrodded it, and it puts out about 230 hp without adding any weight. Or the similar 910 carburetted Turbo would be an easy swap without the wiring mess that would go with one of the fuel injected versions. Is it expensive to hotrod/ rebuild? Well, yes, compared to a Pinto or MGB. But engine swaps aren’t inexpensive either. I’ve built a lot of Lotus 9XX engines, so I’d just roll my own.

    Ross, the Esprit 1976 S1 and following S2, S2.2 & S3 were naturally aspirated. Dellortos in most of the world, but Zenith-Strombergs where emissions standards were more strict… like North America. The Turbo showed up in 1980 in the UK and Rest of the World, but The Federal market doen’t get it until 1983. Early Turbos were blow-thru Dellorto set-ups. 1986-88 Federal were Bosch injected, then they finished the run with GM’s GMP4 fuel injection/ engine management, making 300 hp. This one is a 1977 S2 with a California Emissions 2.0 liter 907 sucking on Zenith-Stromberg carbs… not a powerhouse stock, but plenty of potential. “IF” it came into the shop with SU carbs installed as stated, then that was not stock. The seller includes some upgrades, including Dellortos.

    Like 3
    • John Walsh

      Nice write up Tim. You obviously know what your speaking about, more than most.

      Like 0
  8. Tim

    The car is in New Orleans. Was it high ‘n dry during Katrina, or did it get flooded?

    Like 0

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