For Sale: A Pre-Production Lotus Esprit Essex Turbo With “Active Suspension”

This is one of the most historically significant Lotus Esprits in existence, it was the first pre-production Essex Esprit built, it was loaned to the DeLorean Motor Company for a time, and after this it was fitted with an Active Suspension system from the Lotus F1 team.

The car was road-registered in 1983, it was then used for promotional activities including an appearance in an early Top Gear episode. It’s said to have been driven by Nigel Mansell in period, and Colin Chapman is believed to have sat in the car not long before his death of a heart attack in 1982.

Fast Facts – A Pre-Production “Active Suspension” Essex Turbo

• This 1979 Lotus Esprit is a historically significant pre-production Essex Turbo. It was loaned to the DeLorean Motor Company and later fitted with an experimental Active Suspension system derived from Lotus’s Formula 1 technology, making it a rare piece of British automotive history.
• The Lotus Essex Turbo Esprit, released in 1980, was the first production Esprit with a turbocharged engine, producing 210 bhp and 200 lb ft of torque. It featured distinctive Blue, Red, and Chrome livery and underwent chassis and suspension upgrades to handle its increased performance. Only 45 production units were built.
• After its use for testing and promotional activities, including an appearance in “Top Gear,” this prototype was saved from being scrapped by Lotus employee Brian Angus. It was hidden in several locations before being restored.
• The car recently underwent a £60,000 restoration, with its Active Suspension components still intact but not fully operational. It’s now up for auction with a price guide of £70,000 – £80,000. A company has been identified to restore the suspension system, should the new owner wish to do so.

The Lotus Esprit Essex Turbo

The Lotus Esprit Essex Turbo, also called the Essex Turbo Esprit, would be the first production Esprit to receive turbocharging from the factory. Prior to this it was possible to buy a turbocharged Esprit but only through a dealer doing aftermarket conversions.

The Lotus Esprit had debuted in 1976 with styling by famed designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, based loosely on his Maserati Boomerang concept car. The Esprit was a replacement for the Lotus Europa, and much like the Europa it also used a tubular steel backbone chassis, a fiberglass body, independent front and rear suspension, and a mid-mounted Lotus engine sending power to the rear wheels.

Perhaps the only major criticism of the Esprit had been its power output. Though it may have looked like a supercar, it really started out as a sports car – it wouldn’t be until later turbocharged and finally V8 versions were released that the performance really matched the looks.

When the Essex Turbo Esprit was released in 1980, wearing the same Blue, Red, and Chrome livery of the Essex Overseas Petroleum Corporation, the title sponsor of Team Lotus – the Lotus Formula 1 team. Whereas the standard Esprit produced 148 bhp and 160 lb ft of torque, the Essex made 210 bhp and 200 lb ft, pushing the top speed up to 241 km/h (150 mph).

Underneath the distinctive body of the Essex Turbo Esprit some other changes had been made, including some chassis design work, uprated suspension, and improved brakes to better handle the increased performance. Just 45 production examples of the Essex Turbo Esprit would be built, that doesn’t include the pre-production car, and today they’re among the most collectible of the Giugiaro-era Esprits.

The “Active Suspension” Esprit Essex Turbo Shown Here

The car you see here is an Essex Turbo Esprit with a truly fascinating history, it started out as the first pre-production prototype, which was then loaned to the DeLorean Motor Company for a time, for reasons unknown. The DeLorean DMC-12 was built using Lotus production techniques including the backbone chassis and fiberglass body (albeit with stainless steel panels glued to the top), after John DeLorean came to an agreement with Lotus founder Colin Chapman.

After it was returned from DeLorean the car was used as an experimental test bed for the Formula 1-derived “Active Suspension” system by Team Lotus. This was before a similar system was developed by Lotus for the C4 Corvette ZR-1 Active Suspension prototypes in the United States.

Later, this car is said to have appeared in an early episode of Top Gear, the listing notes that it’s believed that Formula 1 World Champion (and then Lotus F1 driver) Nigel Mansell drove it, and Chapman himself is said to have sat in it. After its press usage finished the car was deemed historic and placed behind Hangar 4 (Service) at Lotus under a cover where it remained for many years.

When Lotus was bought by Proton in 1996, this car was seen by Proton bosses who ordered it scrapped. Fortunately, Brian Angus (the Esprit Platform Manager for 14 years) had the courage to hide the car, apparently in several different locations, to ensure it survived.

Some time later, with the interest in original Essex Esprits climbing, the car was deemed valuable once again, tidied up, given a mechanical refresh, and placed on display at the White Building at the Lotus factory – vindicating Brian Angus’ decision to save it all those years ago.

More recently, the car was sold into private hands where it was lavished with a two year restoration costing £60,000. The car is now in excellent condition throughout and the Active Suspension components and original control panel are still in place and have been plugged into a computer to produce data.

Further research and attention would be required to get it operational, but the auction listing notes that a company who can complete this task has been located, if the new owner wishes to get the systems all back online and working as intended.

The car is now due to roll across the auction block with H&H Classics on the 9th of October with a price guide of £70,000 – £80,000 or approximately $92,400 – $105,600​ USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.

Images courtesy of H&H Classics