An interesting way to test brand loyalty is to quiz people on whether they enjoyed the James Bond franchise more when Lotus was the exotic car of choice or the 90s era when Pierce Brosnan and BMW took over. I’m in my 40s, so the latter are the movies that resonate with me (still shudder when the BMW Z8 gets sawed in half) but there’s no denying that the Esprit was always a solid choice for a Bond escape vehicle. The one shown here on Facebook Marketplace is a 1993 SE model, and looks about as classic as it gets with white paint and color-matched alloy wheels. The seller is asking $45,000.
The year is 1993 and supercars are beginning to roam the Earth. Porsche has the 959, Ferrari introduces the F40, and Lamborghini has rolled out the Countach’s replacement with the Diablo. And just beneath this, the Japanese makes are offering some very compelling performance models of their own, from the near-supercar Acura NSX to the classic Mazda RX-7 and Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo. It was a very good time to be a car enthusiast, and we’re not even getting into the models that weren’t offered for sale in the U.S. But within this high-powered network was the Esprit, a supremely capable car in its own unique way.
It seems that the four-cylinder, turbocharged engine is what often causes us to forget that in 1993, Lotus was building a car that ran to 60 in less than 5 seconds. Top speed exceeded 160 miles per hour. All from a 2.2L engine! The key to Lotus, as it always is, was low curb weight. The Lotus weighed under 3,000 pounds, so despite not having supercar power, it could deliver performance that rivaled the best of them. The tried-and-true formula of modest weight with an engine that didn’t overpower the chassis but was still plenty powerful is a Lotus Hallmark, and the Esprit captured this ethos beautifully.
The seller reports that he imported this Lotus from Canada, and that it is one of just 5 that was imported north of the border when new. The car came to the U.S. during 2020, and the seller reports using it for fair weather cruising. Various repairs to the suspension have been made along with a new timing belt, and tires were replaced in September of 2025. The seller notes that he is getting older and the low-slung profile of the Lotus makes getting in and out a chore. It seems to me that the Esprit has been under-valued for years, and I wonder if the asking price will someday seem cheap.
I like the looks of the early cars better. This is still very nice, but priced a bit too high.
Always liked the style and wanted to drive one. Maybe someday!
Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious— watch Hoovies Garage for more info.
I own a 1994 Esprit S4. Since there was some mention of price in the write-up……from what I see the price is appropriate, but it is certainly not a bargain barn find.
Everyone not a child knows that James Bond drove a DB5. It was all downhill after that…
I’ve never been a fan of the pop-up headlights (despite my own 84 RX7 GSL having them). I love the Esprit’s looks overall, but it would benefit (IMO) from the newer integrated headlight style.
Whenever i pop-up the headlights in my Fiat Bertone X1/9/ any kids in the car or bus in front are smiling and giving me thumbs up.
Who doesn’t like a cartoon frog :-)
The frog was called in Europe ‘the baby Ferrari’ and in some instances it was sold in Ferrari dealerships for the Ferraristi that couldn’t afford a Ferrari. In England my mechanic wanted to exchange his yellow Ferrari 308 with my X1/9. I declined thinking mainly about maintenance (right hand drive and color also played a role)
The only way to have a decent headlight in the 70’s and before was this kind of mechanism. (See also Corvettes in the other side of the pond). In the 80’s the technology of inner reflective mirrors was discovered and applied.
Much more prefer the harder edges of the first generation of these cars.
Thought it was a different Z car that was sawed in half.