The best early Esprits are the Turbo and its sister, the S3. Nice S3s cost about £11,000, about £2,500 less than an equivalent Turbo, though both can be bought for a lot less — £8,000 for an average S3 and about £10,000 for a Turbo. The Turbo will take the Esprit past 150mph and is reliable if well looked after. Matty warns that the Turbo wastegate can seize if the car is left inactive for long periods. Those looking for Peter Stevens cars should pay between £14,000 for a Turbo from 1987-88 up to perhaps £23,000 for the much sought after S4 of 1994.

Matty’s advice is clear: “The cheapest cars in the long run are the most expensive ones to buy. Don’t try to save a few pounds buying a slightly off-colour Esprit; it will cost you much more to put it right than buying the right car in the first place. It is always worth paying slightly over the odds for a car that’s clearly been fastidiously maintained and is in fantastic condition.”

Anyone serious about buying an Esprit should also look at the Esprit website www.lotusespritworld.co.uk.

Owning one

“Buy the right car and look after it properly and there’s no reason why a decent Esprit should not be as reliable as a Mondeo,” is the claim of Alan Morgan of the owners’ organisation Club Lotus.

“Not only have these cars been largely rebuilt over the years,” he explains, “but many replacement parts have been modified to cure old problems and are much better than the originals.

“There’s no reason why a good Esprit shouldn’t be more reliable as a classic car today than when it was brand new out of the factory.”

Morgan does, however, offer some words of caution. “Esprits are hand-made cars and you have to maintain them, use them, check their fluid levels and be generally sympathetic to their age and the fact that they are low-volume supercars.”

He also says they are too complex to be maintained by a competent local mechanic and need specialist attention from someone who understands their foibles.

“I would say this, but anyone considering such a car needs to join the club. We can recommend the right people to look after it and give free technical advice.”

Morgan estimates that owners need to spend £600-£800 a year as a minimum maintenance budget to keep an Esprit healthy. But he says £1,000 is a more sensible figure to build up funds for an unforeseen problem.

Vital statistics

Car Lotus Esprit Turbo (1980-7)
Engine Four-cylinder, 2174cc, DOHC
Power 210bhp @ 6500rpm
Gearbox Five-speed manual
Brakes Discs all round
Wheels and tyres (front) 7x15in with 195/60 VR15
(rear) 8x15in with 235/60 VR15
Performance 0-60mph: 5.8sec / Top speed: 153mph