1988 Lotus Esprit Turbo (X180)

In October 1987, the Esprit received its first revamp since its initial launch in 1976 and was given the project codename ‘X180’. This design was the work of Peter Stevens, who was also responsible for the styling of the Lotus Elan M100 and McLaren F1. Whilst it retained the basic creativity behind the original Giorgetto Giugiaro design, it featured rounder, smoother lines, which helped to reduce the drag coefficient to only 0.33. It was, in essence, a restyled bodyshell on an established, proven chassis and displayed ‘Turbo’ badges behind the line where the door shut. At the rear, there was an aerodynamically profiled under tray/spoiler to remove hot air from the engine compartment and cool the brakes.

Mechanically, the X180 differed little from its predecessor, the Esprit Turbo HC, with its 2,174cc, 16-valve, double overhead cam, Lotus 910 engine, developing the same 215bhp, and 220ft/lbs of torque. One important change was the gearbox with the Citroën/Maserati 5-speed unit being replaced by that from the Renault Alpine GTA saloon, which provided slightly higher gear ratios. Other improvements, following a redesign of the interior, included increased headroom and legroom, and a wider footwell. The X180 was a financial success, with 1,058 examples being built in 1988, a figure that would never be repeated.

Having been laid up since c.2015, the decision was taken to strip the car back to its bare bones and restore it to a very high standard. The engine was removed, stripped and checked, but was found to have no issues, so it was cleaned, carefully rebuilt, and now sits unmarked in the engine bay topped with additional electric cooling fans to aid air flow. It's been resprayed in its original black and appears to be unmarked. The interior has also seen a thorough refresh with new carpets and the cream leather seats have been re-connollised and now look particularly inviting. The suspension has benefitted from the same attention to detail with all necessary parts replaced or refurbished, finished off with freshly painted wheels and new tyres all round.

The car is supplied with some service history, plenty of invoices and a large photo album cataloguing the restoration. Since then, it has been used sparingly, taken to car shows and enjoyed on fine days. An MOT was completed on 11th March 2024 with 'No Advisories'.       

Listed below are some of the items attended to:

• Engine dismantled, cleaned and rebuilt. Carburettors cleaned and rebuilt. New radiator with a new set of 3/9 blade fans
• New brake discs and refurbished callipers all round. New springs and coil-over shock absorbers. New wheel bearings
• A set of three additional thermostatic fans for extra cooling in stationary traffic above the engine 
• Two new stainless steel fuel tanks. New fuel lines. New exhaust. New oil radiator
• Refurbished headlight motors and headlights upgraded to LED
• New carpet. Reconnollised leather. New electric aerial
• Air conditioning converted to take modern gas. New central locking system
• Wheels refurbished and painted with new tyres all round and centre caps
• New nose badge made with 22-carat Gold Leaf