1995 Lotus Esprit S4s

The final development of the four-cylinder, 2.2-litre turbocharged Esprit, the S4s (the factory used a small 's') was born from Lotus customers telling the company that they wanted their Esprit to be as fast as the ultra-quick and raw Sport 300 but with the comfort and flexibility of the standard S4. The obvious route of dropping the Sport 300 engine into an S4 was not the way Lotus chose to go so, despite the mere addition of one letter to the S4’s name, the S4s is a new Esprit in its own right with its own engine and chassis specification. At the time it cost £53,995, some £7,000 more than an S4 but fully £11,000 less than the lightweight Sport 300.

The starting point for the S4s was a standard S4 chassis, modified to accept the chassis brace from the Sport 300 which runs around the engine and rear of the car, increasing rigidity by a third. Spring settings were 10 per cent stiffer at the front and 15 per cent behind, although the dampers were actually slightly softer. Big ventilated discs and calipers were now by Brembo and tyre sizes were increased to exploit these changes, with 235/40 ZR17 Michelin Pilot SX MXX3 tyres up front and 285/35 ZR18s behind — the biggest, if not quite the fattest ever to adorn an Esprit (the S300 has 315/35 ZR17s at the back). Small wheel arch extensions were added at the back to accommodate the extra tyre width, while the rear wing was taken straight from the Sport 300. Roger Becker, Director of Vehicle Engineering at Lotus and the man who developed the S4s, described the chassis as being “about three-quarters of the way to a Sport 300”.

The engine was considerably closer than that. Although rated at a nominal 285bhp at 6400 rpm, compared with the S300’s 302bhp, its torque output actually trumps the S300’s, with 290 lb.ft at 4100 rpm compared with 287 lb.ft at 4400 rpm. The reason for this is that the engine was actually developed from the S300, same head and cams, with the only differences being a smaller, purpose-built Garrett turbocharger, designated T3/60, as well as reprogrammed engine management charged with providing extra throttle response and less lag at low revs. 

This UK-supplied, right-hand drive S4s is finished in Calyspo Red over cream, is showing 49,499 miles and is a particularly special example. Despite the car being in excellent condition when he purchased it, a previous owner of this very rare car appears to have been so obsessed with owning the best S4s in the world, that he set about dismantling the Esprit and putting it back together again with painstaking detail. The result of his fastidious approach is detailed in a multi-page feature in 'Absolute Lotus' magazine, who then asked the question, "Is this the best Lotus Esprit S4s in existence?" A copy of this feature is naturally in the accompanying file.

The use of Poly-bushes along with freshly painted/new suspension components shows the level of detail that’s gone into this car. It's fitted with a glorious sounding stainless-steel sports exhaust, the original spec part comes with the car, and the three-piece, split-rim Oz Racing wheels have been dismantled, refinished, and reassembled with stainless steel nuts and bolts.

'Absolute Lotus' considered it the best S4s they knew of and it's not hard to see why. The Calypso Red paintwork gleams whilst the interior is particularly well finished in cream leather and polished Walnut. The accompanying history file contains an original Lotus service book along with invoices showing the love and care this special car has received.

The S4s 2.2-litre turbo was the ultimate development of the four-cylinder turbocharged Lotus Esprit prior to the arrival of the V8 cars. Only 367 were produced and we agree with the Lotus magazine, this car has to be one of the very best of these rare British Sportscars. Naturally, we welcome and encourage any inspection of this gleaming Lotus.