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1988 Lotus Esprit Turbo Se on 2040-cars

Year:1988 Mileage:9162
Location:

Advertising:

1988 LOTUS ESPRIT TURBO SE!!

ONLY 9,162 MILES!

NO RESERVE!!  WINNING BIDDER

TAKES IT HOME!!

 

*Limited Anniversary Edition

*Number 66 of 88 Built

*One of only 44 Produced in Pearlescent White

 

Now you can take home a very unique vehicle with quite the colorful history.  This car was owned by Stuart Arnold, founder of the Auto Trader publishing empire.

 

Full set of owner's manuals, original window sticker, copy of insurance registration card in the name of Stuart Arnold adds to the authenticity of this vehicle.

 

For 1988, Lotus introduces an all-new body for it’s flagship. The original body, designed by Gioggetto Giugiaro at Colin Chapman’s request on a modified Lotus Europa chassis, had that folded paper, automotive origami styling so in vogue in the Seventies, best exemplified by Giugiaro’s design of the original VW Scirocco. While many a more recent design has aged more rapidly, the Esprit styling has stood the test of time very well, but is now beginning to look just a bit dated. To inject some more life into the design, and to campaign in the American marketplace with renewed vigour, Lotus has designed an all-new body shell for the old mechanicals, still attached to the same steel backbone, but this time to body is an in-house design by Lotus’ own Peter Stevens. The body is made by Lotus’ patented VARI ( for vacuum assisted resin injection) method, allowing greater strength and better consistency than the old bucket and brush hand lay-up methods.

The new body exhibits a smoother, more rounded shape, the rear buttresses have been cleaned up, combustion-air inlets have been blended in behind the rear quarter windows, and a sheet of smoked glass open at the bottom for ventilation, has been added to improve aerodynamics, replacing the sopped backlight and black louvers of the earlier models. Also gone is the tacked-on appearance of the skirts and bumpers: the new car has a much more integrated look. Not surprising, because the older body had to change over the years to meet changing times and performance levels. For example, in the original road test (R&T July 1977) the Esprit ran 0-60 mph in 9.2 seconds, the quarter mile in 17 flat, and topped out at 120 mph. The Turbo, as last tested (June 1986) did 0-60 in 5.6, the quarter in 14.3, and had a top speed of 152. That sort of top-end performance will exact its toll in aerodynamic changes, hence the somewhat cobbled-up look of the last of the Giugiaro-based Esprits.

Lotus had big plans for the future: the active suspension project M300 intended to compete square in the same class as the ultra-exotics such as Lamborghini, Ferrari and Porsche’s 959; and project M100, a small, more affordable sports car. Meanwhile, we have the new Esprit Turbo. An exotic by any standards, offering high performance in a limited-production car, Lotus hopes it will re-establish the company’s image in the U.S. as a maker of fine sporting machinery and pave to way for Loti of the future.

www.lotusespritturbo.com

DO NOT MISS OUT ON THIS OPPORTUNITY TO OWN A PIECE OF HISTORY!!

 

OFFERED BY FAYETTEVILLE NC'S PREMIER

IMPORT AND EXOTIC DEALER:

DAX'S DEALS, INC.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL:

DAX YARBOROUGH (910)527-4050

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Auto blog

Lotus won't launch a 3-Eleven successor until it overhauls its range

Tue, Apr 7 2020

Lotus has received an enthusiastic response to limited-edition models like the 3-Eleven. It's open to the idea of making similar cars, but Autoblog learned fans shouldn't expect to see one until it has overhauled its range. "There is room for it, but we have so many things to do that we're already committed to. Getting a new product range out there is the priority," Matt Windle, the firm's engineering boss, told us during an interview. The decision to wait is a wise one, because Lotus has a lot on its plate for a small company. It's putting the final touches on the electric, 2,000-horsepower Evija, it's allegedly working on a new Esprit with hybrid power, and unverified rumors sketch the outline of an SUV pegged in the same segment as the Porsche Macan. On the other hand, the global market's appetite for few-off models is healthy. Bentley had no trouble selling 12 examples of the Bacalar, for example, and even Aston Martin wants a piece of the pie. This trend isn't lost on Lotus; it knows it's in a unique position to capitalize on it. It competes at a lower price point than most other companies making limited-edition cars, and its "light is right" motto is still revered in enthusiast circles. While its car-building division is busier than ever, its engineering arm has the bandwidth to work on special projects. "Lotus Engineering, the consultancy side of the business, is going strong as well. We've been talking about bespoke programs with other companies. That's one way we could deal with that, and it would take it away from the main product development teams. Nothing is confirmed yet, but there are a lot of discussions going on," Windle revealed without giving too much away. Lotus has been there before. It notably helped John Z. DeLorean bring the DMC-12 to the market, and it transformed the Opel Omega into the fastest sedan in the world. Some of our geekier readers will remember the "handling by Lotus" emblems on the Isuzu Impulse. It has worked on several General Motors engines, too, including the EcoTec unit that once powered several Saab, Saturn, Chevrolet, and Pontiac models. The next limited-edition Lotus will have big shoes to fill whenever it arrives. The aforementioned 3-Eleven stood proud as the fastest street-legal Lotus when it made its debut in 2015, and the 430 variant (pictured) launched in 2018 put an even greater focus on performance.

Lotus pumps Exige up to 430 horsepower

Thu, Nov 9 2017

It seems that every few months or so Lotus has yet another lighter, faster version of one of its cars, usually with an emphasis on the lighter part. This time, the latest, fastest Lotus gets a big bump in power. It's the Lotus Exige Cup 430, and it shares its supercharged V6 with the recently launched Evora GT430. That means it makes 430 horsepower, an impressive 55 more than the 375-horsepower Exige Cup 380. It also produces 325 pound-feet of torque. That engine is impressive enough in the Evora GT430, but it becomes pretty breathtaking in the Exige, which weighs about 2,410 pounds. Though that's slightly heavier than the Cup 380, the overall power-to-weight ratio has improved, and Lotus says the 430 can fly to 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds from a standstill. It also boasts a higher top speed than the 380, at 180 mph, which is 5 mph more than the 380. Perhaps more impressive is the fact the Exige Cup 430 is the fastest road car Lotus has tested at its Hethel race track, beating the track-oriented 3-Eleven road car by 1.2 seconds. Among the other interesting features of the Exige Cup 430 are the three-way adjustable shocks as well as adjustable front and rear anti-roll bars. More of the car's total downforce, 45 percent to be precise, acts on the front now, compared with 36 percent on the Cup 380. Four-piston brake calipers are used at each corner. It also comes with a number of weight-saving features as standard, including the lithium-ion battery and titanium exhaust. It can also be optioned to be a legitimate race car with an FIA-legal roll bar and airbag delete. But just the stock car isn't cheap. It has three different price tags depending on whether you purchase it in the U.K., Germany, or France. But the cheapest price in dollars comes from the U.K. where it retails for GBP99,800, or just shy of $131,000 at current exchange rates. Related Video: Featured Gallery Lotus Exige Cup 430 View 9 Photos Image Credit: Lotus Lotus Coupe Lightweight Vehicles Performance

Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales abruptly quits

Mon, Jun 4 2018

Jean-Marc Gales is out as CEO at sports car maker Lotus after nearly four years and a track record of turning the company from years of financial losses to a small profit. He'll be replaced by Feng Qingfeng, vice president and chief technical officer of China's Geely Auto Group, who joined the company's board after Geely acquired a majority ownership stake a year ago. Gales will continue as chief strategic advisor to Lotus Chairman Daniel Donghui Li. "Jean-Marc has stabilized and turned Lotus to profitability for the first time in the iconic brand's history, with new industry-leading products and unique business models since joining the company in 2014," Daniel, who is also Lotus' chief financial officer, said in a statement. "Lotus is poised for the next phase of growth under Feng Qingfeng's leadership, where its expertise in lightweight materials and sports car engineering will form part of the wider expansion of Geely's automotive portfolio." Gales told Autocar he was leaving for "personal reasons" and said it was "time to move on." He will head up JD Classics, a British dealer and restorer of classic cars. Gales praised his successor, saying Feng could "unlock the synergies" between Geely stablemates Lotus, Volvo, Polestar and Chinese brand Lynk & Co. Lotus under Gales had been working on updating its aging portfolio of cars — the Elise, the Exige and the Evora — with plans to first update the Elise by 2020. Earlier this year came word that Gales had green-lighted two new sports cars, to be announced later this year and produced in 2020, and an SUV about the size of the Porsche Macan and possibly based on Volvo's SPA platform, which underpins the XC60 and XC90. Lotus under Gales saw sales increase 10 percent in 2017 to about 1,600 sports cars. Related Video: