The Lotus Esprit S1 Is Back As The V8-Powered, Carbon-Fiber-Bodied Encor Series 1 Restomod

The S1 Lotus Esprit is one of the best-looking cars ever penned by human hands, but later models just got a little... worse. With Lotus refocusing on EVs and SUVs, it seemed like we'd never get to return to those halcyon days of Giugiaro-designed hard-edged Lotii. Now, though, the similarly-disappointed enthusiasts at Encor Design are looking to revive the S1 Esprit with all the trappings of modern supercardom — and the V8 engine from the later S4 Esprit. 

See, the Encor Series 1 is a restomod, but not of the S1 Esprit you'd expect. Instead, this is actually a full rebody of those later twin-turbo V8 models — Encor even requires a V8 car as a donor on which to work its magic. That magic includes a carbon-fiber monocoque, lowered suspension, a fully redone interior, and enough engine work to hit 400 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque. Not that you'll likely experience any of those horses, though: Encor is promising to make just 50 cars. 

Of course, those are just target specs, as Encor has yet to build any of its restomods. The company is accepting inquiries from interested parties, though, and it's looking like it'll be an exclusive invite. Owners need to send in their existing S4 Esprit V8 — itself often a $50,000 car according to Bring A Trailer — as well as an additional $573,192.15 worth of British pounds. The holidays may be approaching, but if you're poor enough to be reading this site instead of Robb Report you can probably cross this off your list.

Bringing back the S1 Esprit with modern tech is an extremely cool endeavor, but it's unfortunate that these will all probably end up locked away in vaults so they can be traded between wealthy recluses without subjecting them to such harm as "mileage." I, for one, hope some of the folks who buy these actually end up using them. It'd be neat to see a modernized S1 Esprit out and about. 

Encor