Lotus Esprit: six rare examples headed for the auction

The Market, an online classic car auctioneer based in Oxford, the UK, has secured a collection of six rare and highly desirable Lotus Esprits. Each model can be found on The Market’s highly secured app, where individuals get to make their bids.

Let’s kick things off with the 1978 Esprit S2 ‘JPS Edition’, the one in the black and gold livery. It only has 13,600 miles (21,887 km) on the odometer, making it on of the best low mileage examples of its type. Around 100 JPS Edition models were made for the UK market, each of them numbered and features Colin Chapman’s signature on the dashboard.

It’s powered by a 2.0 litre engine that develops 142 PS and 176 Nm of torque, with drive sent to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual. It does the 0-100 km/h in 8.6 seconds and has a quarter mile time of 16.2 seconds. The Market expects to fetch around £75,000 (RM439k) to £100,000 (RM586k) for this example. It has had four previous owners.

Next up is the 1994 Esprit ‘Sport 300’ in stunning Camel Racing Yellow with Blue Alcantara interior. This unit, which comes with Lotus Certificate of Provenance (a summary of the car’s details including the VIN, paint colour and specs) and original books, is believed to be the first ‘Sport 300’ model ever featured on an auction block.

The car is powered by a 2.2 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes 306 PS at 6,400 rpm and 389 Nm of torque at 4,400 rpm. It is rear-wheel drive and has a five-speed manual as well, and does the century dash in 44.6 seconds. The quarter mile time is 12.9 seconds. The estimated hammer price is between £70,000 (RM410k) to £120,000 (RM703k).

Also on sale is the unbelievably rare 1981 Esprit Turbo Essex S3. Only 45 models were ever made, and the Blue and Red Essex Petroleum model has been extensively restored by one of its two previous owners. It comes complete with Panasonic roof-mounted stereo and original 15-inch Compomotive split rims. It is estimated at between £105,000 (RM615k) to £150,000 (RM878k).

Other Esprits on sale include the Championship Winners Limited Edition 1995 Esprit S4 GT in Lotus Brooklands Green, a model that pays homage to the Lotus single seaters and is expected to reach between £35,000 (RM205k) to £50,000 (RM293k). Only 11 units were ever made.

The final two include a stunning 1995 Esprit S4S, estimated at between £35,000 (RM205k) to £50,000 (RM293k) and an immaculate 1999 Esprit V8 350S with a guide price of between £55,000 (RM322k) to £70,000 (RM410k). To date, The Market has sold over 800 vehicles with a total value of over £10 million (RM59 million) and are on course to sell £20 million (RM117 million) in 2021.