1985 Lotus Esprit S3

Nestled in a small Norfolk village is RAF Hethel, originally built in the 1940s to house the Allied US Air Force. In post-war Britain, though, the site quickly fell out of favour with the RAF, and by the mid-1960s, it had become home to the purveyors of speed, Lotus.

By the 1970s, the Hethel site was dominated by wedge-shaped weapons. The Gigiuario-penned Esprit was well into production, and thanks to some careful product placement in a pair of Bond films, desire continued to grow.

This particular car is a 1985 model year, Esprit S3. Finished in Calypso Red over a half-leather Champagne interior, the car is one of just 51 UK-spec 1985 cars finished in Calypso Red. The car sits on an original set of BBS alloys, finished in Gold and wrapped in a matching set of Pirelli P6000 tyres.

The paintwork is in excellent shape, the overwhelming majority of it is original, though there is documentation to show the front bumper and mirrors were repainted to remedy some stone chips. The car is a bit of a greenhouse, with a full-width sunroof and glass engine cover.

The interior is equally as spectacular as the exterior. The seats are trimmed with Champagne leather outers and fabric centres with matching carpet adorning the bulkhead, door cards and floor. The leather continues throughout, wrapped around almost every tangible surface. The interior is original, except for a very tasteful Blaupunkt Bremen head unit. A unit that we have come to know and love, equipped with DAB and Bluetooth functionality, but retaining period-correct looks.

In the engine bay, you’ll find a 2.2-litre inline 4-cylinder that produces around 160bhp. It’s plenty of power given the car’s featherweight. Mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox that Richard Gere just couldn’t get the knack of.

Despite the Esprit’s exotic looks, it has a far more ordinary engine. That’s not a bad thing, though; simplicity and lightweightness are key. It’s a carburettor-fuelled 2.2-litre inline 4-cylinder, mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. Thanks to its aforementioned featherweight, it produces a similar power-to-weight ratio to that of a modern Honda Civic Type R. 

Unlike a Honda, though, a Lotus requires a bit more careful maintenance. Thankfully, not only has this example covered just 47,000 miles, but it has also been subjected to consistent servicing. The service records include the original handbook, service booklet and extended warranty plan:

• 10/1985 — Running in service — Station Garage
• 01/1986 — A Service — 6,343 miles — Station Garage
• 06/1986 — B Service — 8,675 miles — Malmesbury Specialist Cars
• 11/1986 — A Service — 14,438 miles — Malmesbury Specialist Cars
• 09/1987 — C Service — 19,477 miles — Malmesbury Specialist Cars
• 08/1988 — A Service (+ Cambelt) — 23,364 miles — C. Hicks
• 05/1993 — A Service — 29,927 miles — Malmesbury Specialist Cars
• 05/1999 — A Service (+ Cambelt) — 33,971 miles — Malmesbury Specialist Cars
• 11/2006 — C Service (+ Cambelt) — 36,000 miles — Esprit Engineering
• 07/2011 — Service — 43,079 miles — Wiltshire & Sons Ltd
• 03/2019 — Major Service Inc., Cambelt — 45,742 miles — Bell & Colvill
• 09/2019 — Gearbox repair and new flywheel — 45,829 miles — Bell & Colvill
• 06/2002 — C Service — 36,414 miles — Malmesbury Specialist Cars
• 09/2022 — Major Service Inc., Cambelt — 46,562 miles — CG Motortech
• 05/2025 — Service — 46,894 miles — CG Motortech
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Maybe you’ve always dreamt of owning an Esprit, maybe you had a poster on your wall of Roger Moore standing next to one? Or maybe, you’ve been enamoured by the Lotus brand since its early racing success?

Either way, you’ll be hard pressed to find a cooler, cleaner and more interesting Esprit available.