2003 Lotus Esprit V8

Mar 2

Written By Derek So

Generously Lent by Museum Member Ken Fardie

· One of the last of Lotus’ V8 powered sports cars produced

· The Esprit was one of the last cars produced with retractable pop-up headlights

· The Lotus Esprit enjoyed a long production run from 1976-2004. A total of 10,675 models were produced

The Esprit was among the first of the (near) straight-lined, hard-edge creased, and sometimes wedge-shaped, polygonal "folded paper" designs of the prolific, and highly successful Italian industrial and automotive designer Giorgetto Giugiaro.

In 2002, the Esprit received another styling update done by future Lotus Design head Russell Carr.[48] Carr, who had contributed to the S4 update, revised the car with changes that included replacing the pre-facelift Toyota AE86 taillights with a new design that incorporated the same round taillights as the Lotus Elise S2. Few, if there were any, mechanical changes were made to the car.

A total of 10,675 Esprits were produced over a 28-year period. Alongside the Chevrolet Corvette C5 (which ended production on July 2, 2004), the Esprit was one of the last cars produced with retractable pop-up headlights.

“James Bond made it famous when he drove a white Lotus Esprit straight into the ocean, turning it into a nifty, wedge-shaped submarine complete with fins and propellers. What Agent 007 didn't tell us, though, was that the 2.0-liter Esprit was more under-powered than a hairdryer with flat batteries” – CARBUZZ. The Bond car is now owned by Elan Musk.