1988 ‘Commemorative Edition’ Lotus Esprit Turbo

1988 ‘Commemorative Edition’ Lotus Esprit Turbo, #76 of 88 (as noted on the plaque on the passenger dashboard) in pearlescent white. There is no reserve price on this auction. The car is in excellent running condition with 48,118 miles. The car has been very lightly driven (under 8,000 miles in over 12 years), just gentle cruising--it has never been tracked or driven in any way that has stressed the engine or chassis. The engine, transmission and suspension are all stock with no modifications. The interior is trimmed in full light and dark blue Connolly leather with grey pigskin inserts and indigo blue carpet. The mid-mounted 2,174 cc 16 valve DOHC turbocharged 4 cylinder engine drives the rear wheels through a 5-speed all synchromesh transaxle and uses a Bosche K-Jetronic fuel injection system and high intensity electronic ignition. Front and rear suspension are independent and brakes are hydraulic split circuits with a vacuum servo. Engine compression is 8.0:1 and turbo boost is 9.5 psi. Engine output is 215 bhp with 220 lbs/ft torque. 0-60 mph takes 5.1 seconds and the top speed is 146 mph. (All measurements quoted are taken from official Lotus specifications.)

I purchased this car in January 2004, when the mileage was 40,528, and I believe I am the third owner of the car. (The previous owner purchased the car in August 1995, when the mileage was 33,221.) The car has been extremely well maintained and serviced—between 1995 and 2006 it was maintained and serviced by Varas Garage Inc., Lotus Motor Sport, in Needham, MA, and since then, maintenance and service has been performed by Michael Fridmann of Michael’s Motorsports Ltd., in MA. The previous owner informed me when I purchased the car that he had recently replaced the engine with a new unit imported from the Lotus factory in England. (Apparently the timing chain had slipped, causing valve/cylinder interference problems, and he decided it was more cost effective to import a new engine than to rebuild the damaged engine.) At one time I had a service record from Varas Garage for obtaining and performing the installation of the new engine, but I can no longer find that receipt in my records so cannot confirm the date of the engine swap. However; I remember this was performed just before I purchased the car, so I believe that the engine has only done approximately 8,000 miles. I have all records from Michael’s Motorsports and Varas Garage for maintenance and service performed while I have owned the car, and service records from Varas Garage (with the one exception noted above) passed on to me by the previous owner.

New tires were purchased and fitted in April 2009 (replacing the original tires, which had been on the car since 1988!), when the mileage was between 44,297 and 45,049; these tires were checked and rebalanced in July 2015. Other maintenance and services performed include: (October 2015, mileage 47,930) Replace all fuel vent hoses between the fuel tank filler necks, the roll-over fuel cutoff valve, and the charcoal canister; (July 2015) Replace the fuel by-pass valve/relay (to cure backfiring into the exhaust system and to improve economy during engine overrun); (June 2015) Replace the mirror control switch and motors in the door-mounted wing mirrors (original motors had seized); (September 2014, mileage 47,413) Replace rear brake pads, flush and replace brake and clutch fluid, resolder radiator tank, replace and refit radiator, radiator fans and radiator shroud, replace engine coolant, replace, grease and refit upper balljoints, change engine oil and filter; (July 2009) Remove, rebuild and replace engine water pump, recharge A/C system; (May 2009) Replace battery; (July 2008) Major service -- change engine oil and filter, check timing belts, replace engine ignition plugs, air filter, engine coolant, recharge A/C system, check all systems, fasteners, etc.

When I purchased the car, I replaced the rubber clutch hose with a stainless steel braided hose to ensure the clutch engages/disengages smoothly when the engine is warm (the rubber hose expands so the clutch fluid pressure from the clutch master cylinder at the front of the car is not transmitted to the clutch slave cylinder at the rear of the car). I also replaced the plastic fuel tank breather vent hose, which had cracked and disintegrated, causing fuel fumes to vent into the passenger cabin through the seat belt apertures in the rear cabin bulkhead.

Body and interior are in good condition, commensurate with year of manufacture and total mileage covered. The clear coat on the top of the rear wing, on the roof behind the removable roof panel, and on the wheels is peeling; this is a common problem with the pearlescent finish on the Commemorative Edition cars. You will also see that the top of the rear bumper on the corner on the passenger side is cracked (parking lot incident, the offender did not stop or leave a name and address). The engine is strong and runs extremely well. The car has always been kept in a storage facility over winter months in the last five years, moved every two weeks (to prevent flat spots on the tires), and connected to a battery tender.

The previous owner installed a Clifford alarm system, a K40 Electronics remote superhetrodyne radar detector, a Sony CDX-M630 FM/AM compact disc player, a remote Sony XA-10B 10-disc CD changer, an A/D/S amplifier (mounted behind the passenger seat) and a sub-woofer (mounted in the front compartment where the small spare wheel usually sits, so the small spare wheel cannot be carried in the front of the car). The single CD player in the head unit will no longer load CDs, but the remote10-disc CD player works perfectly. I installed a Lojack recovery system in the car in March 2006, although I believe this is not transferable to a new owner.

The car comes with a WeatherShield fitted indoor car cover, the battery tender, a wind deflector for driving with the roof panel removed, and the roof panel protective bag. (The roof panel may be stowed in its protective bag in the rear luggage compartment.) I will also include the Lotus Esprit Owner’s Manual and the factory Service Notes and Service Parts List.

The car is currently in use so the mileage will increase slightly. If the car is purchased at the end of the auction, full payment must be received either by cashiers-check, approved bank draft, or certified funds within three business days of the end of the auction. If funds are not received, and an alternative arrangement has not been made, the vehicle can and will be made available to other potential buyers. The purchaser is responsible for all shipping charges. The car is being sold as-is with any existing faults, whether known or unknown. There is no warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied.