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1978 Lotus Esprit S1 Fully Restored! on 2040-cars

US $26,000.00
Year:1978 Mileage:29723
Location:

Kimberly, Wisconsin, United States

Kimberly, Wisconsin, United States
Advertising:

1978 Lotus Esprit S1 Full Frame-off Restoration

This Series 1 Esprit is one of 718 S1s produced. These cars Have been lauded for its handling and is said to have the best steering of any Esprit. The S1 Esprit can be distinguished from later Esprits by a shovel-style front air dam, Fiat X1/9 tail lights, lack of body-side ducting. Inside the car, the most obvious indication of an S1 Esprit is a one-piece instrument cluster with green-faced Veglia gauges. The Series 1 embodied Lotus' performance through light weight mantra, weighing less than 1,000 kg (2,205 lb). Lotus' claim of 0-60 mph in 6.8 seconds and a top speed of 138 mph.

This is actually an S1 Esprit. It has a very late production date. (May 1978). Lotus was gearing up to produce the S2’s (which started production in May 1978) and were starting to add some of the production changes to the line before actually introducing the S2.  This car has a few of those changes. Dual headlamp motors, some additional body to chassis attachment points. The battery was moved to the very rear of the boot. Mine had the battery there but I preferred the location in the S1’s so I moved it back. Lousy access but better weight distribution. The heater fan has dual fans like the S2’s.

This car has received a complete Frame-off Restoration (see photos). Numerous Powder Coated parts as well as the best quality of paint finishes. Best quality used thorough out, Koni shocks, Stainless exhaust, Epsilon 3 piece wheels, Griffin Aluminum radiator, Spal cooling fans and much more. Chassis and suspension components all powder coated. Body stripped to bare fiberglass, epoxy primed, and painted in Glasurit base coat clear coat paint to a better than new finish. New factory correct interior.

This car is absolutely fantastic inside and out. Runs and drives as good as it looks. Traveled only 3,000 miles since restoration.

You will not find a nicer S1 Esprit anywhere.

 Please contact me if you have any questions.

 Happy Bidding!

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Conditions of Sale

This vehicle is being sold as is, where is with no warranty, expressed written or implied unless there is a warranty in effect from the factory. The seller shall not be responsible for the correct description, authenticity, genuineness, or defects herein, and makes no warranty in connection therewith. No allowance or set aside will be made on account of any incorrectness, imperfection, defect or damage. Any descriptions or representations are for identification purposes only and are not to be construed as a warranty of any type. It is the responsibility of the buyer to have thoroughly inspected the vehicle, and to have satisfied himself or herself as to the condition and value and to bid based upon that judgment solely. The seller shall and will make every reasonable effort to disclose any known defects associated with this vehicle at the buyer's request prior to the close of sale. Seller assumes no responsibility for any repairs regardless of any oral statements about the vehicle. 

Seller reserves the right not to sell to any bidder with 0 or negative feedback or to any bidder for any reason.  10% (non-refundable deposit) in certified funds or bank to bank wire transfer is due within 2 business days of auction end and balance is due within 7 business days of auction end. Buyer is responsible for cost of shipping.
Remember that your bid constitutes a legally binding contract to purchase this item. If you require an inspection, have it done prior to bidding. I strongly encourage all bidders to inspect vehicle personally or enlist the services of a professional inspector prior to placing a bid. After the sale, inspections are not recognized as a contingency to completing your obligation to your winning bid. If there are any questions regarding the above terms, please e-mail prior to bidding. Serious bidders only please. Good luck!


On May-23-14 at 20:32:53 PDT, seller added the following information:

 WILL SELL WORLDWIDE!!!

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Auto blog

Lotus getting into the motorcycle business

Fri, 21 Jun 2013

Lotus founder Colin Chapman is famously quoted as saying something to the effect of "Simplify, then add lightness." We're a bit amazed that it took this long, but someone appears to be taking that message to heart at the British marque, losing a couple of wheels, a clutter of bodywork and a whole mess of weight. No, Lotus isn't planning another spindly Seven-style trackday racer, it's getting into motorcycles.
Well, sort of. As an automaker, Lotus apparently isn't directly behind this two-wheeled effort, but it does appear to have officially lent its brand and logo to a new company, Lotus Motorcycles, which counts former Volkswagen Group designer Daniel Simon, Germany's Holzer Group and auto racing team Kodewa among its partners. The latter builds and races Lotus' T128 Le Mans Prototype in the World Endurance Championship series.
The new company is touting an as-yet unseen motorcycle, a racing-inspired "hyper bike" called C-01, releasing only the image above - a carbon fiber fuel tank trimmed in Lotus' trademark black and gold livery. Details are tough to come by, but the project is said to include a powertrain good for around 200 horsepower and construction involving titanium, carbon fiber and aerospace-grade steel.

Lotus Emira delayed for the U.S. while allocation amount and prices rise

Sun, Mar 19 2023

It's Lotus' turn to catch the production and pricing virus, an ailment that's caused almost every automaker to lag on delivery timetables while increasing prices for reservation holders. Last October, Lotus Emiras intended for the UK home market were already trailing delivery estimates by six months. Early last year, Lotus expected to get Emiras tagged with U.S. plates as soon as fall of 2022. Now, CarBuzz reports that Emira V6 First Edition units destined for the U.S. will land on our soil this summer but won't be released to customers until between mid-October and mid-December. According to a letter sent by Gator Motorsports' franchise Indy Lotus in Indianapolis, Indiana, the holdup is U.S. certification.    On top of the delay, prices are going up for all U.S. and Canadian reservation holders except those who have completed paperwork for the initial North American V6 First Edition allocation. Lotus said the various troubles and quagmires around the world have increased the Emira's unit cost by around $14,400. Folding that into the MSRP would make the price $108,300 before destination. We say "initial" about that allocation because Lotus has upped the North American allotment by 600 units, making 1,300 in total to come to come to NA, the U.S.-specific number slightly smaller. When the second tranche becomes open for reservations, they will cost $105,400 in the U.S., that price already on the U.S. retail site configurator. Anyone who reserved the AMG-powered four-cylinder Emira I4 First Edition is going to see their cost rise from the $85,900 announced before. The new price MSRP be revealed until later this year, deliveries not scheduled to commence until Q2 of 2024. Of course, we should expect the cost of the regular series production cars to rise as well. The situation varies by market, so anyone on any of Lotus' lists should check with their Lotus dealer. A lively thread on Emira Forum that started in February is up to 26 pages as global Emira buyers try to figure out who needs to confront what increase. Part of the ire comes from Lotus having promised none of the pricing challenges would be passed on to reservation holders, saying, "The price you're being quoted is the price you'll pay for your Emira."     Ready for the good news? There will be more options to spend your money on.

Elise Time Attack could be most extreme Lotus yet

Mon, 07 Jul 2014

The Lotus Elise has given birth to some seriously fast and varied machinery. Aside from Lotus' own models like the Exige, 2-Eleven, 340R and Europa, electric vehicles like the Tesla Roadster, not to mention the never-released Dodge Circuit and Detroit Electric SP:01, are all based on the Elise's platform. As were/are the Melkus RS 2000, the Opel Speedster/Vauxhall VX220 and the Hennessey Venom GT. But this could be the most extreme use of the lightweight chassis yet.
This Series 1 Elise has been built by one performance-obsessed Brit with a single purpose: to compete in the UK's Time Attack championship. For those unfamiliar, Time Attack is something like a rally or a hillclimb event, only it takes place on a racing circuit. Each vehicle goes out on the track by itself and sets the best time it can, without needing to worry about other competitors until the finish line is crossed and it's the next racer's turn. That's what drove Lee to modify his Lotus so thoroughly, with more wings, diffusers, flaps and carbon fiber than a Boeing factory. Check it out in the video below.