Spotted for sale in SF is a 1991 White Lotus Esprit Turbo SE with Rebuilt Engine for $29,000
I have here a 1991 Lotus Esprit Turbo SE I bought a few months ago, after it was taken out of long-term storage.
Only 5000 miles ago the engine was totally rebuilt , professionally , with all new pistons/ bearings/ gaskets/ seals/ cylinder head / new clutch/ etc , to the tune of over $11,000 dollars.
Car starts, runs and drives excellently, HOWEVER , there are some things that could use attention , espcially before driving home, if home is far away from Oregon , where car and I live :
A) Tires are old. While they look ‘perfect’ , they are over 12 years old.
B) Drivers side window does not operate (I have not looked into why)
C) heater does not work well (everything hooked up and sounds like it works, but not much air comes out of the vents. Would be a problem if you need defroster)
D) Driver’s side fuel tank is bypassed, as it was leaking. I use the passenger side tank only, giving about a 150 mile range between fill ups. For this reason, fuel gauge does not work.
Other than that, none of which affects ability to run/ drive quite nicely, there are minor cosmetic issues ; front air dam / spoiler has some cracks, clear coat failing on front trunk hood , some pulled stitching on drivers seat.
Car is destined to become a very valuable classic, very soon. These cars have existed in a blind spot , value-wise , for years and if you hang onto it for a few more years it will become a 6 figure car soon. At the time it was produced, it was faster 0-60 and to 100MPH , and standing 1/4 mile than a Ferrari Testarossa , Porsche 930 , any Corvette , etc. This is a supercar with a 4 cylinder engine.
Dramatically good looks , zero rust.
I just spent over $4000 having the timing belt replaced with a GATES Blue kevlar racing belt and tensioner , oil cooler hoses front to back were replaced , as was water pump.
If you want me to replace the fuel tanks with aluminum tanks so there are no leaks in the future, that is a possibility, my shop can perform the work for you. Price commensurate.
What do you think?