When it comes to collector cars, provenance is a big deal, but oftentimes a lack of it can be forgiven if the car in question is rare enough. In the case of this 1978 Lotus Esprit S2 John Player Special World Championship Edition, it is documented as being the first car built out of a narrow 100 car allocation for the UK. Not only that, it was reserved for predominant Lotus dealer Bell & Covill as their company car, and the example that they installed a turbo kit on the car when new, along with a sunroof. It is also the only one claimed to be titled as a ’78, with all others registered as 1979 models. Find it here on eBay with one bid to $18,500 and located in Pennsylvania.

The seller doesn’t provide much insight into how this desirable Lotus ended up covered in dust in a facility occupied by many other classics. The Esprit is clearly a British market vehicle due to its right-hand drive steering configuration, so it was imported at some point. The John Player Special Championship Edition cars were limited to 100 examples in Britain, 55 sent to the U.S.A., and an additional 30 examples for the rest of Europe. The special editions featured unique paint schemes with gold trim, including around the front and rear screens and along the doors where the words “World Champion” were displayed in celebration of the company’s 1978 Formula 1 World Championship .

The gold theme continued to a set of unique alloy wheels and the interior upholstery, which appears to be missing in this example. The wheels have also either been replaced or stripped of their gold finish. There’s a lot of work to be done to bring this rare model back to its original form, which the next owner will almost certainly do considering the rarity and desirability of this model among vintage Lotus fans. The question is what happened here? Why was it torn down, and was any actual restoration work completed before it apparently stalled in between phases? At the very least, what is present doesn’t appear to be damaged.

The engine in stock form is a 2 liter, 16-valve mill that produced around 160 b.h.p., good enough for a run to 60 in under seven seconds and a top speed in excess of 120 miles per hour. The engine is clearly in a state of disarray, with no background info offered as to whether it was healthy when removed or what is needed to put it back together. This is a rare specimen and I have to imagine Lotus fans are chomping at the bit to own one of the more desirable Esprits made even more so by its unrepeatable production number. This one will need many thousands of dollars of work, but for a car like this, it seems worthy of the expense. Would you restore it back to original condition?