I’ve probably driven a couple of dozen since, maybe more. And whether it was a relatively humble stock Peter Stevens X180 or a rare and sublime Sport 300, every one of them felt special. Yes they were cramped, poorly put together (though post 1993 cars built with GM money were considerably better), difficult to see out of and latterly rarely as good a package as the equivalent Ferrari, they always found their way into my heart. And they always will.
Besides, compared to the Ferraris of the day, Esprits are stunning value now. Where you might pay £80-£90,000 for a late 1980s Ferrari 328GTB, you’ll pay £20-£30,000 for a good Esprit of the same era. And while the Ferrari will have a far better interior and make a much nicer noise, it’ll probably be slower than the Lotus both in a straight line and through the corners, and should you happen to come across the limit, I know which one I’d rather be in, and it doesn’t have a horse on its nose.
So which are the best Esprits? Original Giugiaro S1s are probably the most cool with their Wolfrace wheels and 007 connections, but they are rare and fearsomely expensive – around £75,000 if you can find a nice one. An S2 is a better car all round for about a third of the money, especially if it’s one of the very rare (88 cars) S2.2 models with the 2.2-litre engine. I actually chose an S3 over a Turbo not just because it was cheaper to buy and insure, but also because the motor in those early Turbo models was not exactly sophisticated in the way it delivered its power.