This Rare Lotus Esprit Turbo Has Experimental F1 Tech. Now You Can Buy It

• Lotus originally built this car as a pre-production model in 1980. 
• A few years later, Lotus Engineering outfitted it with an experimental active suspension designed for Formula One. 
• The car is for sale with an estimated selling price of $91,876 to $105,000.

Usually you can’t buy a car with experimental racing technology, but this pre-production 1980 Lotus Esprit ‘Essex’ Turbo isn’t your typical road car. It began life as a pre-production model loaned to DeLorean. It returned to Lotus a few years later when Lotus Engineering fitted the coupe with an experimental active suspension designed for Formula One.

The car, painted in John Player Special Colors—since JPS was the Lotus F1 sponsor at the time—hit the road for a slew of promotional activities, including an appearance on Top Gear with F1 driver Nigel Mansell in the hot seat. However, after the car wrapped up its tour, Lotus shoved it in a hanger and put it under a cover until Proton became the company’s owner in 1996.

H and H

H and H

Proton wanted the prototype destroyed, but Brian Angus, the Esprit platform manager, kept it hidden, continuously moving it to several locations on site. The car didn’t see daylight again until 2005, when Angus found a senior manager who agreed the car had significance. The Lotus received some TLC before being placed on display at the factory.

Financial issues at Lotus forced the company to sell the experimental Esprit “Essex” Turbo in 2016, selling it to a former Lotus development engineer and his son. The pair spent over £60,000 ($78,751 at today’s exchange rate) restoring the vehicle, which included full engine and gearbox overhauls, new wiring, a complete brake refurbishment, a new exhaust system, and more. The process retained the car’s original, hand-painted decals while they also restored the interior.

The car’s active suspension and control panel remain in the coupe, but they’re not fully operational. Thankfully, the seller has located a firm that can fix the issue—and it’d still be cool to own an experimental car like this even if the suspension isn’t working

The auction house H and H expects the 1980 Lotus Esprit “Essex” Turbo with the active suspension to sell for £70,000 to £80,000 ($91,876 to $105,000).