Expert Buyer

Lotus Esprit

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You’ll find most Lotus Esprits in the classifieds within a relatively narrow price band – about £15,000 to £40,000. While the later, faster models offer supercar speed, it’s often the crisper lines of the earlier Giugiaro-designed models that tweak the heartstrings of well-heeled collectors, particularly original, unmolested Series 1s.

But the values of later models are following suit, with the special editions usually leading the way – not least the visually stunning Essex Esprit (1980) and the ferocious Sport 350 runout model (1999).

Restorations are increasingly common, but it’s an expensive business, especially with the earlier cars, says Mark Waite of Stocks Classic Cars (01245 248143, stockssportscars.co.uk). The GRP body can hide problems with the steel sub-structure, which was ungalvanised until the S3. ‘A ropey S1 can cost you £40k to rebuild if the chassis has gone,’ warns Mark.

If you can stretch to about £25k then decent examples of the S3 Turbo will be within your reach, offering a fantastic balance of performance and exoticism. But if that’s a bit rich, fear not.

‘For about £15,000 I’d recommend a normally-aspirated S3,’ says Mark. ‘It’s the most affordable of the Giugiaro Esprits, and you can get a reasonable car for that kind of money. A shabby Turbo will cost you a lot more in the long run.

‘Some of the early Esprit’s rarer features will become increasingly treasured; the Panasonic roofmounted stereo unit, for instance, is simply gorgeous. Subtle specification tweaks are quite common, such as fitting Essex-spec Compomotive alloys. On all Esprit models, originality pays dividends.’ Theo Ford- Sagers