2003 Lotus Esprit Coupe**glass Roof**prem Sound**low Miles**manual** on 2040-cars

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Now’s your chance to buy Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s 1981 Turbo Esprit

Lotus founder and Chairman Colin Chapman’s former 1981 Turbo Esprit Series 3 sports car is for sale, and it looks fantastic in its metallic silver exterior imprinted with “turbo esprit” on both sides and the bonnet, and contrasting red leather interior. Built in February 1981 but not registered until August, it was ChapmanÂ’s personal car until his death in late 1982, and was also driven at one point by former Lotus Formula One driver Elio de Angelis. Chapman even arranged for British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to drive it, at the Norfolk Airport in 1981. Thatcher was quoted in the local paper as saying it was “lovely to drive.” Right, then. Lotus built the car to ChapmanÂ’s specifications, with a lowered and modified suspension, modified bodywork to reduce wind noise, special brake pads and features like power steering and air conditioning that didnÂ’t figure in production models. Chapman, who suffered from hay fever, also had pollen filters installed, plus a roof-mounted Panasonic stereo system. ThereÂ’s also a specially assembled, blueprinted engine; Esprit Turbos of that model year featured a 2.2-liter turbocharged inline-four that made 210 horsepower and 200 pound-feet of torque. This was also the first Esprit model to be fitted with BBS alloy wheels. After ChapmanÂ’s death, the car was maintained for a few months by the companyÂ’s Factory Service Department, and eventually made its way to a succession of private owners. The car is currently on its sixth owner across seven transactions (one ended up re-acquiring the car), but it has just a hair over 11,000 miles on the odometer, with a new clutch slave cylinder and radiator core installed in the past decade. “This vehicle has lived a pampered existence and is a testament not only to its rich pedigree but to those who have cared for it over the years,” says the listing at Mark Donaldson Ltd., which claims it comes with extensive records. According to Top Gear, the seller is looking to fetch at least 80,000 pounds, or around $97,000. Related Video:    

Lotus F1 Team reveals new E23 Hybrid

Lotus is keen to leave a lackluster 2014 Formula One World Championship campaign behind it and race forward towards a new era, and this is the car with which it hopes to do so. The new E23 Hybrid is the twenty-third chassis to come from the Enstone-based team. As with the new Williams that was the first new chassis revealed for this year, the principal difference you can see is the more conventional nose to replace the twin-tusk setup of the E22, but there's more to it than that. For starters, it's the first new Lotus to pack Mercedes power after the team parted ways with Renault – the manufacturer that used to own the team and which has powered every car the team has built since Benetton signed with the French automaker way back in 1995. It also packs a completely new suspension setup after the original FRIC design in the preceding E22 was banned mid-season, forcing Enstone engineers to go back to the drawing board halfway through the championship. Word has it that, after earlier rumors suggested the team might not even make it back onto the grid, new sponsors will be added before the season gets under way in Melbourne on March 15 with the Australian Grand Prix. To pilot the new car, Lotus has retained the same two drivers as last year in Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado. The team is hoping to perform better this season than it did the last, when it finished the constructors' championship way down in eighth place – the same result it achieved in 2009 under Renault ownership and the worst it had performed since the Toleman days in 1983.

Lotus bids farewell to the Elise and the Exige with Final Edition models

Lotus will put the Elise, the Exige, and the Evora out to pasture later in 2021 to make room for a new model that internally is being called Type 131. Before it embarks on this major lineup overhaul, the firm will send off the Elise and the Exige — two of its best-known and longest-running models — with a limited Final Edition. Fittingly, the Final Edition models represent the ultimate evolution of the Elise and the Exige, nameplates released 25 and 21 years ago, respectively. Lotus added power and, somewhat surprisingly, equipment without straying from the famous "light is right" philosophy that shaped both cars. Collectors have two variants of the Elise (Sport 240 and Cup 250) and three of the Exige (Sport 390, Sport 420, and Cup 430) to choose from. Stepping inside either Final Edition version of the Elise reveals a thin-film transistor (TFT) instrument cluster that can be configured with regular gauges or a racecar-like display, depending on whether motorists plan to hit the road or the track. Lotus also redesigned the steering wheel to give taller drivers more space. New upholstery and stitching patterns round out the major updates, and every Final Edition wears a specific metal plaque. Outside, the changes include new additions to the palette, including Azure Blue, which was one of the launch colors when the Elise was presented to the press in 1996. Racing Green, the hue worn by the model when it made its global debut at the 1995 edition of the Frankfurt auto show, makes a comeback as well. If 2,032 pounds is too heavy, Lotus offers optional parts (like carbon fiber panels) that shed 53 pounds. Power for the Elise still comes from a supercharged, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine mounted directly behind the passenger compartment. It delivers 240 horsepower (23 more than stock) and 180 pound-feet of torque, figures that give the roadster a 4.1-second zero-to-60-mph time. Selecting the Cup model brings a full body kit that generates 145 pounds of downforce at 100 mph and 341 pounds at the Elise's 154-mph top speed. Like the Elise, the Exige range receives Final Edition-specific paint colors, decals, and other exterior accents. Inside, it's a similar story: Lotus added a TFT screen and a new steering wheel, among other updated parts. Instead of a four-cylinder, the Exige packs a meaner punch thanks to a supercharged, 3.5-liter V6 tuned to put 397 horsepower (a 47-horse increase) and 310 pound-feet of torque under the driver's right foot.