Encore Design is a British start up with the ambition to re-manufacture the Lotus Esprit or “Remaster” as they call it. Because this isn´t a kitcar version of the original, this is a serious attempt at nurturing the original design intent and preserve the soul.
“In every detail, we act as conservators – elevating the Esprit for a new era without sacrificing it´s soul” says co founder Simon Lane.
The company was founded by people with experience from Lotus, Aston Martin, Koenigsegg, and other high-performance automotive brands
The original Giugiaro design that was launched in 1975 at the Paris Auto Show has been massaged carefully to take the Esprit into the future. Surfaces has been reworked and updated in many areas.
It´s a full monocoque carbon fiber body, where the original two-piece fiberglass body of the Lotus Esprit has been replaced by a single, uninterrupted autoclaved carbon-fiber shell, which increases rigidity and sharpens the car’s responses while staying true to the original.
Many young boys had “wet dreams” (Pun intended…) about this car after It appeared in the James Bond movie “The spy who loved me” from 1977 with Roger More, where the car became an escape vehicle that transformed into a submarine.
Armament was: Surface-to-air missiles, Cement jet sprayer (to disturb vision of followers on road), Mines, Black Ink to hide under water like octopuses do and Torpedoes.
I had the model toy car and it was one of my favorites back then.
In 1981 another Esprit Turbo appeared in “For your Eyes Only”.
But let´s leave 007 for now.
If we look at the Interior, it has also been updated a lot. It´s more of a modern EV interior except for the gear lever of course, since this is still a petrol driven car with a V8 making 400 hp (what a car if it would have been an EV…)
Very simple steeringwheel. A central placed tablet style screen acts as the central screen, where you interact with navigation, vehicle settings, climate and other functions. A very simple solution.
The Series 1 has Apple Car Play and Android Auto.
Most obvious difference between new and old is the missing horizontal splitline that was there because it was produced like a boat. An upper and lower glass fiber part that was assembled in the middle.
