A Crazy Choice Stopped This Being The Greatest Supercar Of The 90s - Lotus Esprit V8 

Patreon Supporters get advance viewings before official release and also a monthly exclusive roundup video of what I've been getting up to. If you want to support the channel please go to: www.patreon.com/number27

I owned both a F355 and Esprit and worked for both Ferrari and Lotus in Aero. The Esprit V8 is quicker and handles better.

a stroke of genius, illustrating the g forces with those carefully positioned water bottles. Beautiful car.

This particular Esprit is stunning. I've always loved these cars, but I'm especially drawn to this one.

A decade ago, there were a couple of third-party gearbox upgrades to access the full 500 HP. It would be interesting to see a review of one of those cars.

I learnt years ago when building engines, silicon should be nowhere near gaskets that could contaminate oils, I never use it for sumps or rocker covers, in fact I seldom use it at all, I still use a shellac sealant for water pumps, I am a big fan of Hylomar Blue sealant on cork gaskets for sumps, even on rubber rocker covers, it stays tacky, main key for me is for keeping the gasket in place as you install it plus adds a sealant.

Brings back fond memories. I was an engineering placement student at lotus powertrain when they had just launched that product. Tremendous job by the tiny engineering team to design, develop and launch that engine on such a shoe string of a budget. It was at a very busy time in lotus powertrain. The consultancy business was flat out working on a range of projects for GM globally and Opel in Europe. One in particular was a huge project that had virtually everyone in powertrain working on it alongside engineers and managers from GMPT & GME. I learned a huge amount from that year.

One of the most beautiful cars ever made!

I'll never stop wanting this car...I wonder if there isn't a transmission swap available for the Esprit...doesn't matter, I've wanted one of these ever since I had the HotWheels version when I was a boy...Awesome video!

The official fix for balky shifts back in the early 2000’s was Royal Purple gear oil. I was skeptical at first but it worked like magic every time.

That gearbox was the reason the Esprit went out of production - Renault had already stopped using it (in the 25/Safrane) many years previously and had no real obligation to continue with production (the 10-year rule...). The problem for Lotus was sourcing/building a new adaptable or bespoke box. As you say, £5.5 million on the engine was already a hell of a lot of dosh...

Great car. As an ex Lotus owner and long term F355 owner, I think the V8 Esprit couldn't get near the theatre of the Ferrari. The open gate shift and the sound of an F355 at 8000rpm is one a petrol head must experience in their lives. Interestingly the new Emira with the V6 manual is almost identical to a Esprit V8/ F355 power to weight I'll be trying one soon. It looks like a bargain and keeper as the world sinks into EV madness.

What a great example of a great car. The owner and his wife must be congratulated for putting so much money and time into this car. Jack, this is one of the best videos so far and that is an achievements considering the high standard and natural presentation of all of them. I notice you drive the same roads that Harry Metcalf drives. In Australia these cars are hard to find and the owners tend to hold on to them. Where is the Europa test?

Good looking car, loved the selection of OZ wheels they came with including the split rims. Was always put off by the French made parts, especially the gearbox.

The Esprit will always be my favorite car. I'd love to see a return of that model, modernized of course.

As a former '84 Turbo owner, I love these retrospectives on the history of the Esprits. I was always impressed by how easily mine seemed to attain and exceed 140mph. I never actually found its real top end.

great review - well done to Sasha and his wife for keeping it going

Beautiful example of the '90s styling. If only the transmission had been able to handle 600-700 HP, it would have been a supercar, even today some tuning would have kept it current. Glad this showed up in my feed tonight.

I had an Esprit for more than 20 years and it irritated me a bit that I barely fit in at 6ft 1, even with the seat adjuster taken out, then watched a video of a Diablo and then a Testarossa that the reviewer BARELY fit in at 5ft 10. I really loved that car (Esprit)and appreciate it more every day. I've driven other mid-engine cars but the Esprit just didn't have the bad habits other mid-engine cars have, like snap oversteer. Would love to get an Emira!

Your videos are just so much FUN and informative. You also focus on cars that others don't. Thanks

It has been my understanding that Giugiaro originally intended the car to have a V8-certainly the engine bay is big enough. But it was the 70’s fuel crisis that forced Lotus to go ahead with their 2.0 4-cyl engine. Also I had heard stories that Lotus was developing the V8 for other projects, and was indeed used in some Corvettes. It would be great to have a video interview with someone from Lotus at the time to tell the story of the V8 development. Excellent video and beautiful car! Esprit’s are truly special cars.

One of my favorite cars as a child; i've seen many of them here in Italy, between 90's and early 2000, i think it's been a success here, at least in my city XD More common color was the classic yellow, followed by red and british green.

A great looking car. Have a bit of a soft spot for Lotus as my Step Dad owned an Excel for many years and the Esprit made a big impression on me at age 7 in the Spy Who Loved Me. Have never driven an Esprit but I did hire a 355 for a weekend getting on for 20 years ago. Two highlights of the 355 where it's lovely gear change and the thrilling engine note at high rpm where it clearly has the Lotus beat but I agree the weak link was the steering which I found too light and lacking feel.

I once read in a car magazine, that the Renault transmission was "like making a long distance call to Paris for a gear change".

As a recently new owner of an Esprit V8, well... about 90% of one (It's a long story), I have done so much research and digging on transaxles then I can care to talk about. I have recently acquired an original UN-1 027 (latest box for V8), and intend to convert it to a 6 speed. It's really quite a long explanation but essentially the conversion changes the location of the gears and in turn makes the box alot stronger in the higher gears (where shaft sheering usually happens), still not sure about stripping the lower gears though and then there's the whole gear translation for the selector that I've been avoiding thinking about. I have a lathe, mill, etc. in my garage workshop so intend to do all this myself, I also know of a local place that can harden my gears for a reasonable price. Of course my backup plan is the Audi 0A2 box I currently keep tripping over.

Thank you for the "POV" from passenger views, and the details of the dash. Kudos!

nice video and car. thanks. it's another silicon horror story. i worked for an open wheeler racing team a while ago. the gearbox had been sent away for a post crash repair and the engineering firm had reassembled it using silicon on the mating faces. as always happens some silicon got inside and blocked the breather and once the box heated up it blew the blockage and put oil over the rear tyres ; instant crash. silicon is for bathrooms not cars. i sympathise with the owners. everything seems well now though

Great video, the smile on your face when you drive a Lotus is infectious and just makes the video that much better. Loving these reviews of interesting classic cars and your content seems to be maintaining its high level despite the increase in volume, so kudos to you!!

A friend of mine lent me his for over a month while he was out of the country and mid-divorce, it really is a wonderful car to drive. Handles like a Lotus, the V8 burbles and cracks and does not want for power. Brakes are good, interior is much better than earlier cars. I really enjoyed it. I have a photo of the fly yellow Lotus in my garage next to my black Lamborghini Countach parked next to it. One of my fondest memories from the past. Esprit V8 is a wonderful exotic, if you can drive one, please do! Thanks for the video! Brought back memories.

Hi Jack, again an excellent find! I personally prefer the S1, but this version is stunning. This car is absolutely beautiful. As always, this video is an interesting little story. Well done. About parts for other cars looking better on the Lotus Esprit: the wing mirrors look absolutely beautiful on the Citroen CX, which is what they were designed for, but look even better on this Esprit.

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the Lotus Espirit. They just look cool to me! This one in particular is beautiful.

WOW that Esprit is stunning! What an amazing colour, love it! Jack I'm very envious of you, you've got the best job in the world driving all of those great cars! Well done on the channel you deserve every sub and I'm sure there's many more subs to come buddy 👍

Another great video Jack, I love the stories behind the development and history, and particularly the real enthusiasts that spend so much energy and love keeping these cars running without big financial resources. That Lotus really flows effortlessly around those bends (J's B) Thanks again. Bob M. South Wales

These cars always reminds me of a big MK2 MR2 somehow

The styling to this day is just beautiful. I think it will still look great in a hundred years.

I LOVE the esprit, always have. I prefer the cleaner styling of the earlier cars but a lotus V8 is a special thing 👏 fair play to the owners, awesome colour as well.

Always loved the Esprit. Back in 1980/81 my mates uncle had a S1 in red. It was a Red letter day when you saw anything like this on the road. 👍👍

What an amazing color, and those wheels, Bwoah some of the best looking wheels out there.

With those gauges, Sasha will now be able to see that moment the engine self destructs again... because it will happen... it's a LOTUS....!

A fantastic car and a fantastic review. I've often wondered if anyone had ever retrofitted any other transmissions into the Esprit, A ZF 5 DS-25-2 Transaxle out of a Pantera perhaps?

Gorgeous. Lovely cared for and maintained example.

one of my very favourite cars of all time

I was completely unaware this car existed. What a beautiful fun car. ♥️

Terrific vid as always Jack. Some of your best content coming just lately. Keep it up!!!

Awesome cars. I think they sound special. Thank you for another Esprit review; they always make my day.

Another great review. Chapeau to Sasha for such a respectful update to the console.

Love your work Jack . Superb , humble , honest , on point ,just fabulous

That color is perfect. It's such a fun and unique car and it does feel like it was a missed opportunity, if only they had a proper gearbox. But it worked out because you can still find them for reasonably cheap. I read that the exhaust system they got in the UK was pretty underwhelming because of noise restrictions, and in typical lotus fashion they didn't have enough money to develop one that sounded good and still passed the regulations. It sounds pretty nice with a proper exhaust. One day I'll upload a video of the noise :) there is a not very good quality on my youtube page.

Cwipes, that is the kind of horrific bill that would put me off Lotus ownership, which is a crying shame because I think the Esprit is still a stunning looking and performing car.

He should sue the lotus dealership that did the shoddy warranty repair (if they still exist).

This is has become one of my fav. RU-vid channel - love every episode

Thank you for the ride. Nice road for this nice car. I like it !

What an amazing series of cars Jack, thank you. must admit I would never pick that colour for a car but now I see it I love it. Nearly as pretty as the S1 but not quite.

Subscribed. Excellent video lovely colour and spec, put a smile on my face cheers for that, merry Christmas 😊🎅

nobody talks about the Lotus Esprit S4S it had 300hp from a 4cyl. This has double the cyl and just 50 more horses, I am much more impressed with the S4S

Excellent video on a great car! Thanks 😮😊

Hi Jack I love the lotus,especially the newer type as being more refined. Superb feature and thanks Andrew 😊

Great video and story this is my neighbours car,it truely is loved liked and subbed👍

Always wondered how difficult it would be to fit a different gearbox, considering people have fitted different boxes to the Elise. Must be something out there that would fit without too much effort.

I was lucky enough to drive an S1 a couple of weeks ago for the next issue of Classic Cars magazine, and I would love to own a V8!

Always loved these, bad luck with the engine but glad they stuck with it. Also really loving these reviews Jack!

Love how that car evolved. There's always second guessing about the engine choice (more importantly the transmission choice), but that one sounds amazing. Also, I think the Julian Thomson version would made a more convincing submarine!

Jack. Great vid. Love that colour. When you flash the pop ups you need to double flick, as the first flick pops ‘em and the second one flashes. Ooeer! 😁

Fantastic video, thanks.

Hey, Jack: As I mentioned before, I too have a special place in my heart for the Esprit. However, when Lotus changed the engine from a 4-cyc. to a V-8, I read an article from "Car & Track" magazine that Lotus consulted Ferrari for the engine design, or purchased the V-8 from Ferrari (I can't remember that far back). Cheers!:)

Great video jack I've always been a fan of the lotus esprit 😊

I sold these back in the day - not an easy sell due to the 355, memories are they were very rapid, steering was far superior to the over assisted 355, the noise was a real let down. GT3 Esprit was the pick for me then, sometimes less is more

That colour really suits this car - and the wheels just "look" right. Such a pity that the oft quoted acronym *L.O.T.U.S* reared up to bite the owner although that is mostly due to the shoddy engine rebuild 🤔. Thanks to Sasha and yourself for sharing this upload.

My god these cars are so beautiful! Always loved the Lotus Esprit! Especially the one this guy had (the blue one) and the V8 that he was driving. The Esprit is the quintessential definition of the term: Timeless Design

Thanks for sharing 👍

Driving position, just perfect.

What a great color! 👍👍👍 They should have stuffed an Chevy / Lotus LT-5 in the midships. Then it would have been not just a great car, but a legendary car.

Sounds great, and REALLY good looking!

Aaaahhh... my favorite crazy-Lotus-biased-brit is reviewing the Esprit V8 😁 I know the result before clicking it... and you delivered! I agree with you at 100% - the Esprit is seriously underrated. The S4 interior is trimmed quite well and even hold up quite well additionally. Also a lot of the original issues are sorted (but not all of them as you already stated). The V8 may be a special one (never driven one tbh), I assume I would go for a late S4S Model (maybe a GT3). Love these reviews, keep them comin! Like!

Well done, Jack, thanks. I've wondered about the Lotus V8 since it was new -- just why it never seemed to take hold as a 'great' car. Now I'm confident that I get it. Too bad these are exotic enough to be very expensive, if yours needs a sorting-out. Luckily, here in the US, I have access to a very wide variety of Corvettes, many being incredibly affordable, with which to satisfy my V8 sports-car cravings. In Britain / Europe, where Corvettes are effectively 'exotic', and that opportunity is off the table, I'd have to look very seriously at this car.

Love these Espirits. Great review. Was nearly as excited to see the MB Trac for a second on camera as I was the espirit 😂

Had a ‘98 twin turbo V8 for 5yrs, sold it because I had stroke scare, biggest mistake I’ve made. Loved this machine!!!!❤️

I'm not much of car enthusiast.. I'm a biker but if i ever had the cash this is my all time favorite it just has everything it looks super sexy and not garish. Awesome review.

Wow!! Superb car, lucky owner. Great video 👍

Utterly beautiful. The problem: You cannot get parts for these anymore, and not just tiny unimportant stuff.... Go to Car Wizard's channel. He dealt with a four cylinder model, and it was MONTHS and MONTHS to get parts. Porsche: There is no substitute-

Good to see your subscriber numbers going North; proof the new formula of the channel is widely appealing

Always a gorgeous looking car from whatever angle you look at it

Good review, I don't think Lotus had much of a choice though with the gearbox tho. I know ppl who've elevated these WAY above 350 reliably without too much changes to the gearbox. Main issue is the input shaft (V8 will snap them if you abuse them) and 5th gear which is not contained within the casing but hanging out on the end and not fully supported. Early dash's had that all important oil pressure gauge, but they are a bit in yer face. Never seen a later car in that colour before - utterly magnificent.

silicon is a damned good factory approved sealant, however, it needs to be left for at least 12hrs to cure, before refilling the engine with oil, that's the bit everybody forgets... if you buy a car + it goes wrong, you take it back + politely ask them to fix it under goodwill. if you still don't get any joy, you hire an "automotive engineer" for £300. bad workmanship is responsible for that failure, no matter where it was driven at the time, open + shut case. keep up the excellent work young man

❤❤❤❤❤❤ Excellent channel. Your videos are the best.

Brilliant and entertaining video Jack My favourite Esprit but mad money now You looked like you had fun in that on those great roads 👍

This car always brings me back to "If Looks Could Kill" with Richard Grieco and Gabrielle Anwar. Good stuff!

We’ve always loved the esprit at Vint-tro. Great review Jack, thank you 🙌🏼

Another great history lesson. You drove a fantastic example.

Another great upload. The location looks very familiar - is it the Cotswolds?

Great car, very interesting video, as ever.

This is the best looking Lotus I have ever seen. A colour I would never have picked,but looks ok on that car. All the expert engineering wasted by fitting a crap gearbox. It makes no sense. 500 hp restricted to 350hp...WTF!

Always loved the look of these 😊 lovely in that hue too. Off to the classifieds…

5:58- car guy smile 😊

Nice car and nice all round shape. Who knows why companies make some choices? Thanks Jack once again..👍👍

2 problems here. The major one is obviously the gearbox, but the minor one is the engine, they don’t sound good. I already knew this before I watched the video but the chassis is brilliant and has handling that embarrasses all the other cars from this era. Great stuff Number 27!

Great video as always 👍 The V8 was another example of Romano Artioli's over the top spending, sure the Esprit needed a beefier engine but to spend that much to re-equip an end of life 20 year old design with such an engine reminds me of his OTT attitude with Bugatti. I love the guy and what he created but he did like to spend!

On top of everything else, the Renault transaxle used a hydraulic clutch with a rubber hose. It wasn't an issue in the original Renault because the hose was about a foot long. In the Esprit, with the hose having to run most of the car's length, it became about a 6-foot hose, and thermal expansion started to work against it. As the hose expanded and the clutch fluid had more volume to fill, the driver had to work harder and harder to disengage the clutch. It wasn't a universal problem - if it had been an issue in England Lotus might have fixed it, themselves - but in the warmer latitudes it got harder and harder to work the clutch in summer. I've heard of Esprits in Florida being absolutely crippled because the clutch pedal became useless. The fix for that was a hose made of a different rubber, reinforced with braided steel. Too bad you couldn't get it from Lotus, but if you had the internet (or knew the right people) you could find it.

Wow, what a beauty. The owner has done a great job and it looks great. A little rough on close inspection in some parts but that means you can drive it and have fun and not baby it for fear of damaging something. I would be so tempted to swap the gearbox out and unleash the full 500hp though.

Wonderful, elegant and amazing timeless! Not like the shit from today! Thank‘s for the Video. Greetings from Austria.