2002 Lotus Esprit V8 - Ex-Dany Bahar

Please note the car has recieved a fresh MOT valid until 6th November 2024

The Esprit V8 was Lotus’ first crack at building an out-and-out supercar, and they undeniably did a brilliant job of it. The in-house designed and built Type 918 engine was an all-aluminium, 90° DOHC, 4-valves per cylinder V8 engine with two Garrett turbochargers which nearly bankrupted the company costing millions in development, but what an engine it was. Producing 350bhp in de-tuned, road going guise, and north of 500bhp in full race trim. The Esprit V8 was capable of 0-60mph in 4.0s and topping out at a whisper over 175mph. The car was visually beautiful, seen as a collaborative effort within the Lotus design team, building upon the foundation laid by Giorgetto Giugiaro's original design, standing at just 44.1in high and retaining it’s ‘pop up’ headlights until production ceased in 2004, the last remaining production car to retain them! An Esprit V8 is a rare beast in all senses, but this one is arguably the most special and notable example, having been owned, restored by Lotus and used by the ultimately disgraced CEO Dany Bahar.

Dany Bahar wasn’t known for his money saving abilities, but certainly was known for an uncanny ability to spend it, so when he joined Lotus as their new CEO from Ferrari, he certainly brought with him some grandiose plans that ultimately became his undoing. One of his many self-indulgent projects undertaken during his reign as Lotus CEO - besides from remodelling his house - was to commission the factory to completely rebuild a Lotus Esprit V8 as a personal runaround. Bahar felt he needed something truly special, and none of the Lotus line-up at the time quite fitted the bill. Instead, he decided Lotus’ Esprit V8 supercar was the one, so set about having one fully restored at a vast internal cost purely because he wanted the best one in the world, and the best one in the world is what he received. There are many internal Lotus documents on file in the cars history folder, and while they fully detail all the parts and work involved, they don’t document the cost. With over 800 hours of labour involved and over 9 A4 pages documenting all the new parts used, it is reasonable to believe the speculation and rumours that this restoration cost Lotus well in excess of £100,000.

In 2010, Lotus sourced and got to work on a very late, low mileage 2002 Lotus Esprit V8 to make it fit for Bahar. The restoration was certainly meticulous, leaving no stone unturned and no bolt untouched. The car was completely stripped down for the nut and bolt meticulous restoration, with the chassis being blasted and powder coated. Any parts that were still available new from Lotus, were replaced, regardless of their condition and thankfully there is photographic documentation corroborating the strip down, restoration and rebuild with the bills/internal invoices on file. Whilst it is not on the parts list, several Lotus staff including Danny Hartgrove, the man in charge of the restoration, have since revealed that a brand-new engine was fitted, straight out of the crate, at Dany Bahar’s request. The gearbox was fully reconditioned, as a new gearbox was not available. Upon completion, and whilst in Lotus’/Bahar’s care, the car was displayed at the 2010 NEC Classic Car show, the 2010 Paris Motor Show and the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Upon Bahar’s unceremonious firing, Lotus took the car back, kept it and sold it via their dealership network in 2014 before our vendor purchased it from the buyer in September 2016.

The level of detail to ensure this car was the best in the world is incredible, and this V8 includes some special features. The whole car is in absolutely mint condition. On the mechanical side, not only was a brand new crate engine fitted but it was paired up with a host of "Final Edition" options from the last-of-the-line 2003 models such as a later ‘High Boost’ Engine Control Module from an Esprit Sport 350, breathing through a twin-centre exit exhaust, providing even more power and noise. To stop the car, uprated AP Racing front callipers were fitted at the front, and Brembos at the back, with Anthracite OZ Nova wheels shod in Dunlop SP Sport tyres.

Cosmetically, in addition to the wheels, this Esprit had an oversized Final Edition spoiler fitted and ‘Afterburner’ tail lights. The interior was retrimmed in a totally bespoke and wonderful dark grey SuedeTex / Black leather combination throughout with a then costing £2,500 multimedia system/sat nav, with top of the range speakers, Esprit Kick plates, and a Momo 3 spoke leather steering wheel. The car was fastidiously painted in Pearlescent White from maroon and, as you can imagine with Mr Bahar standing by, the preparation and finish were millimetre perfect.

Lotus have subsequently borrowed the car back in recent times for the visit by the Geely Vice President and Lotus CEO, Mr Feng Qingfeng, along with approximately, 50 Geely/Lotus Senior Executives.

It has been looked after and cherished by its two private owners since Bahar, remaining incredibly pampered with over £32,000 in invoices from the current vendor alone, mainly from Stratton Motor Company, for maintenance and servicing, despite only covering a mere 5,500 miles since the Lotus restoration. It further benefits from a full-service history, stamped in the original service book, most recently receiving an A-Service in August 2023 from Stratton Motor Company as well as new timing belts/tensioners and new rear suspension, amongst other work. It will be offered for sale with a fresh MOT to further peace of mind.

This car simply could not be a better example of what an Esprit V8 should be like. It is visually beautiful, mechanically wonderful and fully documented from new. While he may have made some questionable financial decisions whilst running Lotus, Bahar certainly achieved the goal of having the best Esprit V8 in the world. Being a CEO, after all, certainly has its perks. Without a doubt this is the best condition Esprit we’ve presented, and we highly recommend a personal viewing to fully appreciate the level of detail and quality installed in this car. With such a brilliant story behind it, and the first time its ever reached the truly open market, this is an opportunity to acquire arguably the very best Lotus Esprit V8.