Intro
Accessibility has always been a primary limiting factor when it comes to exciting driving. We don't all have access to a track or live close to epic highways like Angeles Crest or Tail of the Dragon, nor do most of us have the expendable income to buy every latest and greatest track-focused supercar. At its core, the exciting driving experience lies in the best-kept secrets. If you’ve ever wondered, “which fantastic-handling car do I buy, so I can enjoy every twist and turn on my local side road?”, we at John Scotti Classics are offering one of the best-kept secrets as an answer to your question. Unassuming yet classic in every sense of the word the 1998 Lotus Esprit V8 is the complete package for those looking to maximize their ratio of excitement-had to dollars spent.
Interior
More companies need to regard the Lotus Esprit when designing sports car interiors. For such a tiny car entry is easy and upon getting into the vehicle the first thing you notice is how alarmingly comfortable the seats are! No rigid, stripped-down racing seats here. While the comfort factor is positively Bentley-Esque, the seats still do an excellent job of holding you in place and providing the optimal driving position, even for taller drivers. Headroom and shoulder space between passengers is ample and the visibility from within the cockpit is almost completely unencumbered due to some thoughtfully designed window placement. While some of the parts used to assemble the interior were borrowed from other companies to save money, all the parts that matter are Lotus. In typical British fashion, the Magnolia Tan leather interior is excellently fitted and finished and matches very well with the Metallic Black exterior and interior accents. All of the gauges are classic white on black and very easy to read with the quickest of glances. Similar to the rest of our fleet, this Esprit stands head and shoulders above most others on the market due to its condition. Every aspect of the vehicle from the finishing of the leather to the plushness of the carpets remains in immaculate, showroom quality condition.
Exterior
From 1976 to 2004, if you thought of a Lotus, you imagined an Esprit. If you ask anyone who was a child in that era to draw a supercar, chances are their sketch would look a lot like this car. The fact is, in spite of stiff competition throughout the years from companies like Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche the Lotus Esprit was able to carve out a place in history with its iconic appearance and legendary ability. This Esprit is classically finished in an unflawed and illustrious Metallic Black. The fit and finish of the body panels along with their condition remain in the same quality as when they rolled off the production line. Some of the standout features on the exterior include the vented engine cover, OZ racing wheels and of course the pop-up headlights, the coolest forgotten feature from a bygone era.
Mechanics
For its time, everything about the Lotus Esprit was groundbreaking, this included the 3.5L twin-turbocharged V8. Capable of 350hp it was, at the time, putting out more horsepower per litre of displacement than any other car on the market. This was due, in part, to the use of twin turbochargers. The wail of the small board V8 balanced with the hiss of the turbo diverter valves equates to beautifully seductive auditory experience not found in many vehicles. Weighing in at just 3000 lbs the Esprit V8 is capable of dancing up to 100kph in just 4.3 seconds. Efforts to save weight also means this car is wonderfully simple by modern-day comparison. Non-existent driving aids like traction control means this car is light and responsive providing a beautifully honest driving experience. Showing only 9197km from new, this car's life has really only just begun and it patiently awaits a new owner so it can show off what it really means to be a speedy, agile supercar.
Conclusion
Colin Chapman, the creator of Lotus had a famous philosophy; add lightness. It's easy to make a car go fast in a straight line, but if you want to make it do everything better, subtract weight. Keeping weight minimal by simplifying the design means you can do more with less and they must have subtracted just the right amount of weight because this car is capable of so much! If you're looking to blend into the crowd with a practical daily driver, you might want to look elsewhere, but if you're looking to grin like an idiot all the way down your local b-road, this is your answer; the best-kept secret at John Scotti Classics.
