This was my favorite car back in the day. So weird - supercar looks, supercar speed, supercar price, - and 4 cylinders. Very cool.
@RoadCone411
5 жыл бұрын
I drove an Esprit Turbo of this era exactly once, I think the dealer was being nice as he knew I couldn't afford it at the time. The car I drove had a few hundred miles on it, as I recall, and as we didn't go more than a mile or so from the dealership, I couldn't exactly open it. What do I remember most about that five minute drive? Shifting was very difficult (I sympathize with the testers on this one - maybe you get used to it after a while?) and the smell of the leather and the cabin was amazing, unlike any car I have been in before or since. Although the seat was cossetting and comfortable once in it, getting in and out of the car was really a challenge, as was the really poor visibility. I was familiar with first-gen MR2s in the late 1980s, and that car had some accessibility and visibility issues too, but the Lotus was on a different level. 'Just drive and forget what you can't see!' might as well have been their tagline, not that they needed one. Great car, would have loved it. Still would.
@valgehiir
9 жыл бұрын
Man, this car drives like it's on rails !!
@ObsoleteGamercom
2 жыл бұрын
If only modern cars were this beautiful
@ronsmith4325
4 жыл бұрын
A friend's dad had one of these when I was just starting college back in the late 90's... He didn't drive it very much, so my friend always had it. I'd always tag along and go for drives.. I'll never forget just how well this car handled... lacked in the power department compared to some other cars but it really felt like a gokart and that made up for it. So much fun. Not to mention, the chances of seeing another one of these on the road was slim to pretty much nil... at least in my area.
@kenlee-97
4 жыл бұрын
Was that car a 2 seater ?
@ronsmith4325
4 жыл бұрын
@@kenlee-97 Yes
@zxtenn
8 жыл бұрын
14.1 at 100 mph is sure an amazing time for 220 hp
@manfromnantucket9544
7 жыл бұрын
Thought the same. My Eclipse when stock was 14.5 @ 100mph 263hp/260 ft.lbs
@McBeamer94
6 жыл бұрын
jim dandy Because it's turbocharged! The NSX makes it in 14 flat!
@jakesmith2984
6 жыл бұрын
MafiosoItaliano458 Weight moron.
@jakesmith2984
6 жыл бұрын
jim dandy Whats with your numbers being off .
@nighthawk0077
4 жыл бұрын
It’s even more amazing with that shifter and gearbox
@tedschmitt178
Жыл бұрын
This car still looks luscious after more than 30 years.
@billyrayvalentine7972
2 жыл бұрын
I used to sit in one weekly at the Lotus Fiat dealership back in the late 1970s. At 19 years old all I could buy was the X1/9.
@christopherwalker6056
9 жыл бұрын
That transmission looks about as smooth as an alligator's back.
@2damaxmr2
9 жыл бұрын
+Christopher Walker XD
@evo5dave
3 жыл бұрын
Fun fact: The reason the Esprit was eventually put out to pasture was they couldn't source any more Renault 25 gearboxes.
@ash27slick74
Жыл бұрын
Lotus......Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious......
@SoCalFreelance
8 жыл бұрын
That shifter is hilarious XD
@00asaenz
8 жыл бұрын
One of my favorite cars still.
@markmayfield2228
7 жыл бұрын
My all-time favorite car. I got to see a brand new one at the dealership where my mother had her Saab 900 serviced. It was white with a beige interior. I never looked at my 85 Nova the same after that...not that I was impressed with it in the first place.
@kenlee-97
4 жыл бұрын
It shared parts with the lotus?
@markmayfield2228
4 жыл бұрын
@@kenlee-97 The place she had taken it to also sold Lotus.
@sunsetoriginals7320
7 жыл бұрын
he had to say testalrlrlrllrossa Again!!!! lmao
@roddydykes7053
4 жыл бұрын
Lmao it was getting pretty late in the video by John’s standards of bringing that car up, he probably got off on his out-of-place accents in the same way he did complaining about gauges and stereos.
@FrightfulAccountant
9 жыл бұрын
A car to drive in a white tuxedo ;)
@heikkiremes5661
7 жыл бұрын
Amiga 500 introduced me this car. Beautiful. The Renault 25 transmission was its only shortcoming.
@kenlee-97
4 жыл бұрын
What game was that ,with a white British sports car?
@heikkiremes5661
4 жыл бұрын
Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge
@unicornsteaks6769
8 жыл бұрын
Hey, long-nailed ladies, don't touch my stereo!
@Daehawk
8 жыл бұрын
They shouldn't be driving that car anyways.
@Drchainsaw77
3 жыл бұрын
Driver picks the tunes. Shotgun shuts his/her cakehole.
@thetreblerebel
3 жыл бұрын
I bet everybody fought to drive this one...I'd love to take a spin for an evening
@craig2web
9 жыл бұрын
Engine has a nice growl.
@Daehawk
8 жыл бұрын
Always wanted an Esprit. This one is like $8000 now lol. The V8 is about $20k.
@geoffws6
7 жыл бұрын
You had me at Blaupunkt, John.
@nathanpetrohilos
9 жыл бұрын
i like spotting places ive been in this show :) I really like how this is filmed in my county
@supercooled
8 жыл бұрын
Hard to say nowadays with so many condos and developments going up daily. I really hate being a city slicker sometimes. all the places I grew up going to are now gone.
@taylormordoch8131
9 жыл бұрын
Pretty quick for a four cylinder turbo, but I notice that lotus likes using parts from different cars like the Toyota tail lights for example. But its still a nice car.
@RoadCone411
5 жыл бұрын
Yeah, kind of like your typical RV
@roddydykes7053
5 жыл бұрын
Taylor Mordoch I thought those taillights looked Celica/Supra-like
@mescko
5 жыл бұрын
Lotus and Toyota had a relationship, Lotus did suspension tuning for them, and got to use some Toyota gubbins. Look at a pic of a Lotus Excel and you might see Mk. 2 Supra four-spokes on it.
@halohunter5217
5 жыл бұрын
Jaguar XJ220 has Rover tail lights... So what?
@doabarrellroll69
4 жыл бұрын
@@halohunter5217 the XJ220 also had a MG engine... Yeah, it was derived from the Metro 6R4 rally car, and it was turbocharged for the XJ220 but to be honest, it was a pretty good engine
@proeyebry
9 жыл бұрын
Next retro review..... The Pantera GT-S Please
@thetreblerebel
3 жыл бұрын
Awesome I4 Turbo. High revs to make a man feel good about himself..
@jeremiasdrumond7457
7 жыл бұрын
I've seen bus drivers handle a shifter with more finesse :(
@fredsalfa
8 жыл бұрын
Does it go underwater ?
@algernonilfracombe
7 жыл бұрын
It will when the coolant system hits the fan... (sorry)...
@anonmouse6551
4 жыл бұрын
It does but only once
@syxepop
4 жыл бұрын
Alfa Won - only when prepared by "the proper people", like "Q" (the James Bond movie that used one of those...).
@christopherstein2024
4 жыл бұрын
The Bond ones look a lot better in my opinion. S1 and Turbo essex if I'm not mistaken.
@75aces97
4 жыл бұрын
That was an extra option.
@therealmaxspeedster
8 жыл бұрын
Engine sounds awesome for a 4 cylinder once it spins up. Shifter appears to be super clunky though. When I look at cars like this I always wonder what it would run like with a modern powerplant in it. Maybe a 350 hp ecoboost 4cyl....Yeah, that should do it :)
@algernonilfracombe
7 жыл бұрын
By the mid Nineties, the S4S Esprits were already putting out 280-300bhp with their stock turbo-fours. The Type 918 V8 they introduced eventually in 1996 could potentially have managed 500hp but was detuned to 350bhp to avoid snapping the crappy Renault shifter. Indeed, these things could probably do with a transmission-swap more than an engine-swap (although I have seen a couple with Buick Grand National turbo-V6s installed, an idea which certainly piques my fancy...)
@billybobjoe198
6 жыл бұрын
If you ask me the transmission is a dream. I think they're wonderful. Very positive and connected engagement. Unlike modern manuals. Much better than any of Porsche's manuals of the time.
@halohunter5217
5 жыл бұрын
@@algernonilfracombe Talk about ruining the weight distribution.
@BreakStuffClub
3 жыл бұрын
Once GM bought them they should have just dropped the HO Quad 4 in it damn near the same power with no turbo.
@sgttombailes3380
3 жыл бұрын
I had one identical to this one and LOVED It! However, sold it for a huge profit and rushed out and bought a Porsche 911SC Carrera,
@82coxy
9 жыл бұрын
The person that designed the 3rd gen esprit went on to big things and designed the Mclaren F1.
@patriotsquill
9 жыл бұрын
Leeroy Jones Peter Stevens
@supercooled
8 жыл бұрын
+David Flores I thought Gorda Murray designed the f1. that's what tiff said in his video.
@lovatof1
6 жыл бұрын
Not the body. That was Peter Stevens with this car and the F1.
@pgo2372
8 жыл бұрын
For a minute there, I thought John was wearing his bathrobe.
@supercooled
8 жыл бұрын
lol
@nelsonwong1730
9 жыл бұрын
love them wedges
@themindofsorin9998
9 жыл бұрын
+Nelson Wong Love me some wedge... I just wish it were aluminium instead of fiberglass.
@BM-nd8gy
7 жыл бұрын
she sure knows how to work a stick
@roddydykes7053
5 жыл бұрын
Bmo SWFL she flipped her fucking hand over while shifting lol
@kamrankhan-lj1ng
3 жыл бұрын
Or how not to work a stick
@audioisgood
9 жыл бұрын
This is a good looking car.
@RustyVigero2005
4 жыл бұрын
Indeed
@kgarba9253
7 жыл бұрын
Biggest problem your driver had were those pants
@evanboyer5928
8 жыл бұрын
I looove these reviews
@bummeroni
7 жыл бұрын
Lotus: Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious
@lrodger2486
5 жыл бұрын
Not once in all my years of ownership did my esprit let me down. A stupid abbreviation made up by people who either couldn’t afford to buy one or couldn’t afford to service the car correctly...
@ibrahimpallikkal5100
3 жыл бұрын
Not all lotus model, some of random
@DehnusNorder
8 жыл бұрын
The lotus Stays Beautiful, while not even a mother could love that Pantera.
@Daehawk
8 жыл бұрын
?? The Pantera is one of the coolest looking cars made. Its like a shark.
@DehnusNorder
8 жыл бұрын
Only in the USA.
@tomhertz1614
7 жыл бұрын
+DehnusNorder US is the only place that matters
@DehnusNorder
7 жыл бұрын
That's why the whole world buys your cars... ooh wait ;). Face it the Pantera is distaste incarnate. Lotus is the usual "Hmmm... nice....". from Lotus.
@tomhertz1614
7 жыл бұрын
+DehnusNorder Europeans go crazy over American cars. Many car clubs with Europeans loving their Mustangs and other classic cars. Richard Hammond has a Mustang and the other top gear guys both have FORD GT. #Educate yourself.
@Keiffer01
8 жыл бұрын
Have you guys ever reviewed the previous generation Esprit Turbo? I myself have a 1984 model, would love to see what you guys first thinked of it!
@zatozatoichi7920
9 жыл бұрын
I will definitely buy one of these beauties.
@BuzzLOLOL
7 жыл бұрын
Was surprised at 7:02 when he compared it to a Pantera...
@enrique3574
4 жыл бұрын
This body style has been in production for 16 years, with a few changes to make it modern looking, and aero changes. 1988-2004.
@jasona8964
4 жыл бұрын
The front reminds me of a Subaru XT.
@TheMICMusicInspirationChannel
4 ай бұрын
Still a beautiful design.
@me3333
9 жыл бұрын
Please please pretty please upload the Pantera GTS review!
@DavidAndre657
6 жыл бұрын
Davis. John Davis.
@rambow70
7 жыл бұрын
That parking brake looks like a real B to get in and out of once you pull it
@colinjohnston8519
7 жыл бұрын
rambow70 it drops down again, like the guy said..
@mcrowley8460
2 жыл бұрын
After the 70s fly that bugged me it was a regular villain on miami vice
@betterbeavailable
2 жыл бұрын
4:18 is she trying to trash the gearbox?
@mark_n_r
Жыл бұрын
Go easy on the gearbox there lady !!!
@lyman360able
6 жыл бұрын
I always was terrified of this woman’s nails. I imagined them breaking whilst she was mashing the buttons
@kenlee-97
4 жыл бұрын
Or tearing your fore-skin on purpose!
@Magnero
8 жыл бұрын
I want my dash wrapped in leather like that.
@MetikalMan
2 жыл бұрын
I honestly did not realize the Esprit was this good. Why oh why doesn’t Lotus make a new Esprit with the Mercedes AMG 4 Cylinder.
@sjames5694
6 жыл бұрын
Mmmmmm....choices, choices....whether to choose the 'Burble' of the 1st-Gen V8...or the 'Spin-up Whir & Whine' of a 4cyl-Turbo....
@brshoggalyboogaly7237
5 жыл бұрын
1:30 lmao 100 mph air from cingeing your scalp lmao ooof
@97warlock
3 жыл бұрын
1:32 ….. is that really secure for 100+ mph wind?? semis approaching 55 on the hiway.
@woohunter1
8 жыл бұрын
Good thing their isn't a back seat, that shift from 1st to 2nd and you wound elbow rear passenger in the baby maker
@jameshawkins809
7 жыл бұрын
I need to find me one of these.
@rickjames6647
8 жыл бұрын
So after setting the parking brake you have to lift your legs over the handle to get out? Brilliant! I guess any exhaust leak would equal death with no real barrier between the engine and passenger compartment. I'll still take one though.
@jimstone5855
8 жыл бұрын
Once you set the parking brake, you push it back down out of the way and it remains set so that you can easily get in and out (Similar to Ferrari). The cabin is sealed off pretty well and there is a Kevlar firewall between the engine and the cabin. Some fumes can get through the seat belt retractor (located in the engine bay) if the foam seals dry-rot.
@851995STARGATE
7 жыл бұрын
Rick James did you not even watch the review?
@rickjames6647
7 жыл бұрын
Sorry, I was petting my assapanick at the time.
@kenlee-97
4 жыл бұрын
@@jimstone5855 Hi Jim, interesting comment sir ,especially about the dry rotting in the foam ,I'm wondering does dry rotting really is dry rotting or is it merely just moist enough to start a chain reaction of rotting, cheers for your answer.
@TheSuperMotoHooligan
9 жыл бұрын
Those were the days...
@negativeindustrial
5 жыл бұрын
The MR2 Turbo is just an objectively better car. Faster too
@RustyVigero2005
4 жыл бұрын
Ah, but does it have a fiberglass body that will shatter if you get in a wreck? Does it have a European engine that needs rebuilt after 100k miles? Does it have a Lotus badge? No? I didn't think so. Is the MR2 the better, more reliable option? Yes, but the Lotus is a damn Lotus and I want it.
@negativeindustrial
4 жыл бұрын
Noah Morphew There’s a place up the street from me callled ATS and they specialize in both. You’d love it. On the side note you just mentioned, my 1990 MR2 Turbo just turned 30yo a few months ago. 300WHP on the Original unopened long block and tranny and, until recently, the original turbocharger, as well. I fitted the improved turbo from a 1997 even though the old one still made 20PSI although it did leak a bit of oil. Nothing you’d ever notice between oil changes though.
@frmula1fan51
3 ай бұрын
Handles like it's on rails
@dennisglodoski6365
5 жыл бұрын
I bet this esprit would sound tits with a HKS SSQV bov 😎
@TheSimonhammond
8 жыл бұрын
Rather one of these than a Ferrari.
@TheVintagetamiya
8 жыл бұрын
Great car terrible transmission, I've seen the transmission literally explode
@Stanwis
8 жыл бұрын
+TheVintagetamiya i know guy who replaced transmission for Audi S3 one :)
@ash27slick74
3 жыл бұрын
LOTUS.....Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious.
@leavingasap843
5 жыл бұрын
I'm sure she is exactly the target market driver Lotus was aiming at....
@kenlee-97
4 жыл бұрын
Sharon Stone.
@weallfollowmanutd
4 жыл бұрын
Such a travesty that they used that terrible Renault gearbox for these Esprits. Always the best handing car back then of all the supercars.
@Daehawk
6 жыл бұрын
If you're doing your typical 'smokey starts' in a drag you're doing ti wrong guys.
@boostedmaniac
7 жыл бұрын
Pretty woman, walking down the street...
@moed7213
4 жыл бұрын
lady you might break the stick
@richdelgado3405
6 жыл бұрын
Every sentence that discussed driving it should have begun with “When it started,...”.
@billybobjoe198
5 жыл бұрын
K-Jet is absurdly robust. An 88 Turbo Esprit won't have trouble starting unless it has been left to sit for years on end.
@doabarrellroll69
4 жыл бұрын
The thing with these Esprits is that they require a bit more attention for maintenance than your average American V8 or V6, but if you take of it, it takes care of you too
@realazduffman
4 жыл бұрын
Paint quality better than ever.....I thought GM just bought Lotus?
@jersymedows
6 жыл бұрын
That is one clunky shifter lol
@DARKELLAKEL
9 жыл бұрын
PANTERA.
@GT6SuzukaTimeTrials
9 жыл бұрын
De Tomato :)
@firefoxussr31
7 жыл бұрын
Of Tomato.
@kenlee-97
4 жыл бұрын
@@firefoxussr31 oh c'mon, give this guy some credit for being able to at least decipher Italian.
@SolamenteVees
3 жыл бұрын
He almost said it... 3:48
@zzzhuh
9 жыл бұрын
Almost has a similar look to a Pontiac Fiero.
@dvamateur
8 жыл бұрын
+zzzhuh That's a good point, because when I first saw the Fiero on the caver of 1984 Motor magazine, I thought it was a Lotus. I was so surprised it was a Pontiac.
@oldtwinsna8347
8 жыл бұрын
It's everything the Fiero should've been. A shame how GM destroyed itself during this time.
@lordwalker71
6 жыл бұрын
Loved this car back when it came out but the interior looks so bad now.
@kenlee-97
4 жыл бұрын
Bad arse or actually bad?
@PantherP74
9 жыл бұрын
Lol, "Long nailed female passengers." Having long nails is ridiculous. Cut them and have use of your fingers again!
@xsduprwd3937
8 жыл бұрын
+PantherP74 I want to know why they weren't in the kitchen..
@firefoxussr31
7 жыл бұрын
I've longed to nail some female passengers.
@ahmed197467
7 жыл бұрын
Lol....
@duvaughnwilliams6740
8 жыл бұрын
although thats fast for 88 i thought it was faster than 14.1 1/4 mile
@851995STARGATE
7 жыл бұрын
Duvaughn Williams probably would be faster by todays standards, almost 1-2 seconds faster on modern wheels and tires something like Michelin pilot super sports.
@moejr1974
7 жыл бұрын
The later S4 was under 14 seconds
@RustyVigero2005
4 жыл бұрын
That's actually not half bad since it was built with nothing about straight line performance in mind.
@Kenny_Blender
5 жыл бұрын
During 1988,It was a civil war in my country
@dr.lyleevans6915
4 жыл бұрын
Yugoslavia?
@Kenny_Blender
4 жыл бұрын
@@dr.lyleevans6915 Burma.More like conflict
@dr.lyleevans6915
4 жыл бұрын
Kenny Louis Wilkins Ahh yes I see. Myanmar now I suppose..
@johnsonbeyeriii
7 жыл бұрын
What would Ron Jeremy do?
@DimitriosChannel
7 жыл бұрын
LOL 6:40 Looks like a Camaro
@DANNY40379
8 жыл бұрын
quality buttons 2:07 lol
@TheSimonhammond
5 жыл бұрын
Austin Metro, Maestro & Montego.
@bradnimbus4836
5 жыл бұрын
$62000!
@manfromnantucket9544
7 жыл бұрын
215hp That's cute
@taylormordoch9802
4 жыл бұрын
215 hp was pretty decent for a car that weighs almost the same as a miata.
@RustyVigero2005
4 жыл бұрын
Don't you have an Eclipse in your pfp tho?
@manfromnantucket9544
4 жыл бұрын
@@RustyVigero2005 yes
@RustyVigero2005
4 жыл бұрын
@@manfromnantucket9544 Nice
@manfromnantucket9544
3 жыл бұрын
@@RustyVigero2005 thx
@joshuaecht
4 жыл бұрын
Pretty Woman!
@tinhinnh
6 жыл бұрын
Subie copied with the SVX
@georgecaceres880
4 жыл бұрын
Tinh In NH same designer
@mstngken
6 жыл бұрын
I think that lady is not a lady
@sjames5694
6 жыл бұрын
Me'thinks that might've been one of Jerry Seinfelds 'former-potential-significant-others'...the one with 'Man-Hands' ?
@mczenk5095
8 жыл бұрын
Beautiful car, unreliable as hell though.
@CockatooDude
8 жыл бұрын
Depends on how well you maintain it. If you do your research and know when to change things then it works just fine.
@colinjohnston8519
7 жыл бұрын
ever owned one or are you just talking crap about something you know nothing about?
@ssoltys4128
3 жыл бұрын
$62k for that piece of shit back then? Rather get a 88’ GTR
@RockandrollNegro
5 жыл бұрын
Why is that guy wearing a dress?
@tuffr2
5 жыл бұрын
This is one uncomfortable car. After test driving it for 15 minutes you could not give me one. Still no place for you feet.
@lrodger2486
5 жыл бұрын
Utter Rubbish. I bought an se new in 89. The interior and comfort was excellent. You must be a giant if you can’t fit in it....
@AtomicReverend
7 жыл бұрын
126,000 bucks in 2017 money. I guess I can see it. performance was laughable even in 1980s standards.
@billystutz55
8 жыл бұрын
Fiberglass? LOL. Kit cars are made from fiberglass.
@jensenhealey907efi
8 жыл бұрын
HA! The first 712 Ferarri 308 cars were also built out of fiberglass so are you calling those kit cars as well?
@billystutz55
8 жыл бұрын
Haha no their not rookie.
@OffRoad-jh1do
7 жыл бұрын
HHstutz55 Corvette was made of fiberglass so GM made the Lotus the same way. much lighter then steal body cars of the time.
@colinjohnston8519
7 жыл бұрын
ball boy jones Nope. GM didn't make them, lotus did. They made fiberglass cars from the 50s, long before GM had anything to do with them.
@colinjohnston8519
7 жыл бұрын
So are corvettes and kit cars also come in aluminium so not sure what your point is..
@iknow7345
9 жыл бұрын
look like a Toyota supra celica
@metuberob
Жыл бұрын
ok mw drivers ... learn to dump
@asleepnomore4111
5 жыл бұрын
Is that a dude in a dress?!?
@clintonflynn815
4 жыл бұрын
Looks like a lot of the women in the late 80's... not a high point for fashion.
@Stone177
9 жыл бұрын
So slow.
@OmegaSwitch
9 жыл бұрын
Slow? Few cars in the mid 80s produced numbers like this as stock, all of which relied on far more power. By today's standards it's certainly no supercar, but put things in temporal context. The ergonomics though... pretty bad, but then it'd have to be being an English performance car from the 80s.
@Juanknes
8 жыл бұрын
It's faster than most modern 4 cylinders cars...
@MrROTD
7 жыл бұрын
5.6 seconds to 60, bahhh terrible lol
@Sclimenti82
4 жыл бұрын
For a car with only 215 horsepower it's actually pretty good.
@RustyVigero2005
4 жыл бұрын
Take a wild guess how long it took a Lamborghini Diablo to go 0-60.
@dcartellone2659
2 жыл бұрын
@@RustyVigero2005 depends on good clutch or worn one.. and drivers skills.
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