At $6,500, Is This 1988 Lotus Esprit Roller Project Packed With Potential?

Some may see the lack of an engine in today's Nice Price or No Dice Esprit as an obstacle. Others will see it as an opportunity, something the seller encourages, calling the car a "Great candidate for an LS swap." We'll have to decide which side of the fence the price tag puts us on.

In the prologue of the 1983 movie "The Twilight Zone," Dan Ackroyd and Albert Brooks play two men driving late at night along a lonely country road. To pass the time, the two friends engage in a game of TV trivia, first humming theme songs, and then settling into a discussion of which episode of the Twilight Zone TV show was the scariest. Ackroyd's character then asks, "Do you want to see something really scary?" and tells Brooks to pull over. Once stopped, he then morphs into a ghoulish monster with glowing eyes and gnashing teeth and attacks Brooks. Scary stuff!

Based on the comments, many of you found the idea of owning an old BMW, like the sweet manual-equipped 2000 540i we saw on Wednesday, just as scary a prospect. Or, at least a financially draining one. That latter anticipation began with the car's $14,500 asking price, which fell in a 63% 'No Dice' loss.

Consider, if you will, today's 1988 Lotus Esprit. Colin Chapman famously ascribed to the philosophy that the best way to make cars faster is to add lightness. Well, this Esprit must be scalded cat quick because it has been liberally lightened of its heaviest components (engine, transmission), along with other fiddly bits.

Yes, this is a project car that will require some sleeve-rolling, wrench-turning, and maybe a musical montage to inspire a quick return to roadworthiness. Why bother? Well, two reasons. 

The first is that this car is claimed to be a 40^th Anniversary edition, an assertion supported by the color scheme of pearl white over blue and gray Connolly leather and suede-pigskin upholstery. That makes it one of just 88 cars built to celebrate Lotus's ruby anniversary. 

The other reason is that Esprits make for great YouTube content, as evidenced by George Karellas' Soup Classic Motoring channel, where he has been documenting the meticulous restoration of an earlier Esprit. Amazingly, the work is being undertaken in the loft of a body shop outside of Dublin, Ireland, and has been, so far, a five-year project. Admittedly, Karellas is taking longer on the project because he is documenting the work in stop-motion video for his YouTube channel.

While George had a relatively complete, if decrepit, Esprit to work with, this one offers endless opportunities because it comes sans drivetrain. That opens the door to all sorts of shenanigans in the contemplation of what to fit in the car. The seller claims this is an excellent candidate for an LS swap, but, as Homer Simpson might say, Boor-iiiing!

Instead, we might want to consider a drivetrain from, say, an Audi RS, or maybe the twin-turbo V6 from a wrecked Porsche Macan GTS. Matched to a Getrag six-speed from a Boxster or Cayman, that would be the business.

Regardless, something will have to be done to make this Esprit more than a static art piece, despite how nice, in general, the Peter Stevens redesign of the Giugiaro original looks. Other missing parts that will need stand-ins include the instrument binnacle, climate control panel, and one of the pop-up headlamp pods. I'm no expert, but I don't think Auto Zone keeps any of those parts in stock.

It's not all bad news and the daunting prospect of a scavenger hunt, however. According to the ad, this Esprit comes with a clean title, and to be honest, the car's vacuum-formed plastic bodywork doesn't look too bad. Another plus is the claim that the steel backbone chassis is rust-free. The car also comes with a ton of parts, so it's actually more complete than the pictures might lead you to believe. 

Craigslist

Some of the parts on the car are pretty valuable on their own, too. The removable glass moonroof, for example, can go for upwards of $1,500 just for the glass. Maybe the best plan of action with this car is to simply part it out? Of course, where would the fun be in that? Plus, that obviates the enjoyment of postulating powerplant possibilities. No, we really need to consider this car as a whole (or at least as much as remains) for restoration or re-imagination.

With all that in mind, we now need to consider this Esprit's $6,500 price tag. That very likely makes it, save for burnt-out husks and Matchbox editions, the least costly avenue to Esprit ownership. Yes, there will be additional costs to bear down the road, as this Lotus needs (checks ad one more time) damn-near everything, including some parts that will be extremely difficult to source. But if that restoration were undertaken by someone with a YouTube channel that could monetize videos detailing the work in progress, perhaps it would actually be a shrewd investment.

What do you say? Are you intrigued by the siren's song of this open book of an Esprit project? Or does the daunting task of its rejuvenation make it well beyond the means of mere mortals and their bank accounts?

You decide!

Minneapolis, Minnesota, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

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