Lotus Epsrit GT3
As I swap our second-oldest four-piston offering for our youngest I flip my shades on, because this is one bright mother. The Esprit GT3’S Chrome Orange launch colour practically sizzles your retinas and with those lairy GT3 flank decals it certainly makes a statement and a half – introverts looks away now. Hang on. Did you say GT3? Aye – sorry Porsche, but Norfolk’s finest beat you to it.
Via two facelifts – the first by Peter Stevens, more on that later, and a second in-house one completed by Julian Thomson for the 1993 S4 – this is one thoroughly modern Lotus. Viewed today, this last of the four-cylinder line offering is seen as a return to purity, thanks to its Type 920 2.0-litre engine – for the punitively taxed Italian market – and the cleanliness of its lines. There’s no outlandishly over-the-top spoiler on view here, just the understated integrated lip.
Its essence can also be derived from a cabin devoid of excess accoutrements, bar electric windows. There’s a small, simple instrument binnacle holding just the necessaries, with just a flash of body colour on the gearlever shroud to lift the mood. It oozes quality and could still pass for a contemporary interior, as well as feeling more spacious than that of earlier Esprits. This car has optional comfort seats from the V8 installed, rather than the standard weight-saving, torso-embracing composite items, and as a result I’m a touch less secure for track antics. Here goes…
Having driven early turbocharged Esprits, the first surprise is that I need to apply plenty of throttle because the charge-cooled engine is of a distinctly laggy nature; spin it up to 2500rpm or more though, and all is forgiven as I enter a boost wonderland.
Thanks to a parsimonious approach to weight, it’s agile and gloriously light – just 9kg heavier than an S3 and 109kg lighter than its S4S predecessor. As I come off the straight and approach a semi-tight bend, pre-corner braking requirements are negligible; I’m already endowed with Esprit chassis confidence. As the tyres grip and the steering – now a power-assisted system, but with no loss of feel – loads up, it’s clear it can take much more.
The whole package – punchy engine, strong lightweight ABS brakes, precise steering and supple chassis – feels perfectly suited to the track. It delivers its 163mph wares in a bulletproof manner, and yet slow things down and it still makes sense as a normal car. Yes, you have some of the supercar compromises borne of form, but the damping isn’t overly stiff and the helm controls not of an overtly heavy nature. On standard roads it’s only the model’s considerable girth that’ll keep you on your tootsies. But that’s enough sensible talk; after all I have 240bhp to play with.
Says Gerald Turner of Newmarket-based specialist GST Performance, ‘The old kick-the-tyres-and-wipe-the-windshield approach to servicing doesn’t work for Esprits. It needs to be preventative, identifying and rectifying any faults immediately. Do that and they’re supremely reliable.’
Exhaust manifolds can crack and if any of the following – radiators, air conditioning condenser, charge cooler and two oil
‘It delivers its 163mph wares in a bulletproof manner, and yet slow things down and it still makes sense as a normal car’
coolers – corrode then you’ve pretty much got to replace the lot. ‘It’s expensive to do, because of where they are, and you’re looking at £2500-£3000. Radiators are also prone to getting blocked with chaff (dust from combine harvesters), which when heated turns into a cement-like substance that blocks water flow. It can look in good condition and run fine in town thanks to the cooling fans, but will run high temperatures at speed.
‘However, the good news is you can thrash the living daylights out of a GT3, track day it every day, and it won’t bat an eyelid.’
When new the GT3 met with almost universal praise. CAR magazine using an amusing colour-related pun, called it ‘outspanding’. Performance apart, its key selling point was price; at £39,450 no other mid-engined supercar could touch it.
Today GT3S start at £18k for a tired example; a good one will be closer to £30k and the very best £35k. So, people, the Esprit as a classic is just as it was off the showroom floor – a veritable supercar bargain, and one that remains ‘outspanding’.