Vehicle Description
1991 Lotus ?sprit SE This is the third of 4 1991 ?spirit SEs
exported to the US in this exterior/interior combination; one of
1,608 ?sprit SE models made between 1987 and 19932.2L turbocharged
four-cylinder engine with Lotus/Delco multi-point fuel injection
and air-water-air intercooler ?Chargecooler? (code 910S)Renault
UN-1 five-speed manual transmissionMonaco White exterior (code A21)
with New Raven leather interior with grey carpetAir-conditioning,
power windows and power mirrorsDriver?s side airbag and four-wheel
disc brakes with anti-lockRemovable roof panel, rear wing, fog
lights and VDO gaugesFull timing belt service and tensioners
performed on 12/2015 Widely known for its original wedge shape,
penned by Giorgetto Guigiaro, and a famous turn as James Bond?s
supercar and supersub in the movie, ?The Spy who Loved Me,?
designer Peter Stevens restyled Guigiaro?s original Lotus ?sprit in
1987, rounding off some of the original?s angles to carry it into
the next decade. This particular Lotus has spent time in New
Jersey, Florida and New Hampshire. This example is one of 1,608
?sprits SE models made between 1987 and 1993 and the third of four
?91 SEs exported to North America in this exterior/interior
combination and was made in August 1990. It was imported into the
country via Lotus Cars USA, Inc., and the original dealer was
Summit, Inc. in Summit, New Jersey. It went into service on
September 5, 1990. The car was acquired by the previous owner in
2019, reportedly after an extended period of storage and services
in preparation for the sale are reportedly to have included fluid
changes, refurbishment of the headlight motors and window motor
wiring and an air conditioning service but currently the AC blows
warm. A full timing belt service and tensioners were performed on
12/2015 at Precision Imports in New Hampshire. Dressed in Monaco
White (code A21) with body-colored sideview mirrors, the car?s
paint and trim are in overall very good order with some
imperfections such as a small crack on the passenger rear fender.
The bodywork is straight. There?s a removable roof panel in place
of a sunroof or T-tops. The car?s frunk is clean and contains a
spare tire and wheel, fuses, battery, plumbing for air-con and
brakes, washer reservoir, etc. A cantilevered monowiper cleans the
windshield. Out back, the engine bay is very tidy and there is a
small, carpeted cargo well that might serve well to store luggage
in for a weekend getaway or for one set of golf clubs. The cargo
aera is closest to the driver when standing at the open hatch, with
the engine forward of the well and the cabin in the background.
Body panels were done in Lotus? vacuum assisted resin injection
(VARI), patented by the company and, with Kevlar reinforcement
added to the roof and sides for rollover protection, the car?s
torsional rigidity rose 22 percent. This Lotus rolls on Falken
ZE912 radials, size 205/50R15 in front and 245/50R16 in rear. Each
tire is mounted to a body-colored Lotus/O.Z. Racing wheels. The
wheels are in excellent order while the tires are in very good
condition. Just behind the seats is a 2.2L turbocharged
four-cylinder engine with a single Garrett AiResearch T3
turbocharger. In mid-1989, the Bosch fuel injection system was
replaced by Delco GMP4 electronic fuel injection that included a
crank-fired wasted spark ignition that eliminated the need for a
distributor. In 1990, the engine was upgraded with an air-water-air
intercooler called a Chargecooler to become the type 910S. Maximum
boost was raised to 12.4 psi. Recent services reportedly include a
timing belt replacement done under previous ownership and an oil
change performed prior to the sale. This motor is linked to a
Renault five-speed manual transmission (code UN-1). Driver
convenience features include air-conditioning, power windows and
power sideview mirrors. Inside, the cockpit is upholstered in New
Raven leather with grey carpet. The instrument panel, door panels
and center console all match. Wear is present on the seat bolsters,
center console and the dash surfaces. A General Motors, four-spoke
steering wheel (GM owned a controlling interest in Lotus from 1986
to 1993) with airbag frames a full set of VDO instruments, digital
clock and switches housed in a dash of burled wood but the
anti-lock dash light is iliminated and the fog lights are
inoperable. An aftermarket AM/FM stereo with CD player completes
the interior. In 1987, the ?sprit was restyled by British designer
Peter Stevens. Stevens, who would later go on to design the McLaren
F1, produced a less angular, more rounded ?sprit. Giugiaro is said
to have liked the new shape, claiming it was perhaps too close to
his original design. The exterior changes were accompanied by a
redesign of the interior that gave more space to the occupants. The
revised ?sprit was not given a new ?Series? number but is often
called by its project code of X180. Panels for the body were
produced using a new process called VARI (Vacuum Assisted Resin
Injection). This method, which was patented by Lotus, offered
advantages over the previous hand lay-up process. Kevlar
reinforcement was added to the roof and sides for roll-over
protection. This contributed to a 22 percent increase in the
Esprit's torsional rigidity. The X180 cars inherited most of their
mechanical components from the earlier HC Esprit and Turbo Esprit,
although the name for the forced induction model was now Esprit
Turbo. 1988 model year North American Esprit Turbo models kept the
Citro?n transaxle and Bosch fuel injection system used in the
previous model year. Other X180 models received a new Renault UN-1
transaxle, which necessitated a move to outboard rear brakes. In
1989, the K-Jetronic system was replaced with a Lotus/Delco
multi-point fuel injection (MPFI) system. The engine also received
an air-water-air intercooler called a Chargecooler by Lotus. This
revised engine was known as the Type 910S. The 910S engine went
into the new Special Equipment (SE) model, which also received
changes to the body, with side skirts parallel to the body, five
air ducts in the front air dam, wing mirrors from the Citro?n CX
and the addition of a rear wing. Competition to this Lotus in 1991
included Acura?s NSX, BMW?s 850i, Chevrolet?s Corvette, Nissan?s
300ZX Twin Turbo and Porsche?s 911 Carrera 4 and 928 GT. If you
believe in Lotus founder Colin Chapman?s idea of keeping things
simple, this ?sprit should appeal to you as it stands apart from
its competition with its light weight, short list of amenities and
brilliant shape. Stop by MotoeXotica Classic Cars today and check
it over. VIN: SCCFC20B7MHF60072 EIN: LP 910 9008 27428 CTIN: 002309
This car is currently located at our facility in St. Louis,
Missouri. Current mileage on the odometer shows 43,233 miles. It is
sold as is, where is, on a clean and clear, mileage exempt Missouri
title. GET OUT AND DRIVE!!! Note: Please see full terms and
conditions listed below that pertain to the purchase of any said
vehicle, thank you.