The Lotus

As children of the 80's and 90's, we have often talked about the "bucket list" cars we'd like to own - or at least drive some day.  I had an opportunity years ago to own a 1984 Ferrari 308 GTS (the Magnum P.I. car!) for a short time.  While Stephen was visiting LA, we took the little redhead on a day trip through our favorite SoCal haunts: Sunset Blvd, Beverly Hills and a nice stretch of Highway 101 out to Malibu.  Although short-lived, it was a great car and a great adventure.  One more checked off the list.

The Lotus Esprit has always been on the list.  The car permeates our childhood memories as many variations have been seen in TV and movies over the years, including: James Bond twice (who can forget the famous white submarine Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me), Basic Instinct, Taking Care of Business and, of course, the aforementioned Pretty Woman.

Not technically the Pretty Woman Lotus (that car was a 1989 Lotus Esprit SE), this newer, Julian Thomson redesigned Lotus Esprit wears the same colors and looks even more striking with the large rear wing and magnesium wheels.

Purchased recently through eBay, this 1995 is the S4S model - the last of the 4-cylinders before Lotus went to the V8 to compete with Ferrari and the other super cars of the era.  The S4S was essentially the Americanized version of the Sport 300 available for a short time in Europe.  Only 367 examples were ever built and this was the fastest 4-cylinder Esprit with a peak of 300 bph, 290 lb/ft of torque and a top speed of 168 mph. Results vary, but it is said this Lotus can go from 0-60 mph in 4.3 - 4.6 seconds!

The car currently sits at Custom Classics in Island Lake, IL while Bryan and his crew give it some minor touch-up work and tuning.  We are excited to see the Silver Bullet in person in just a few short days!