My dads cousin has a 2004 Esprit Final Run Edition in lotus green, he bought it 4-5 years ago out in California (shipped it back to North Carolina) for around $75,000-$76,000 or so. It was a single owner who had it since 2004 & kept it in a climate controlled garage under a cover and drove it only very sparingly on weekends in absolutely perfect weather. It had just 14,700 miles on it when he bought it and even today it still has just under 19,500 miles…so very low miles all in all. It has that 3.5L twin turbocharged V-8 rated at 350 Horsepower and 295 lb Ft Tq with the incredibly fun and unique 5-speed manual transmission. Both engine and tranny are factory stock. The engine is more powerful than most realize though as lotus rated the engine specs AT THE REAR WHEELS…NOT THE CRANK like the majority of modern/common makes and models today. So some who thought “well 350HP/295tq ar the crank…that’s about 320-325 HP/282-283 Tq at the wheels. NO!!! The 350HP/295tq rating IS at the rear wheels…those extra wide rear lotus tires are getting every ounce of that power. Which makes it much more impressive, at least when stock. If lotus had rated the 2004 esprit from the crank then it would be rated at around 375-380 Horsepower and 310-311 lb Ft Tq. Certainly both much more impressive numbers on paper…but that’s the thing. The executives at lotus are car Guys at heart and Always will be. They didn’t care what the specs looked like on paper or a window sticker. They knew the look/appearance and more importantly (really the only important thing to them) was try e performance from behind the wheel! A twin turbo V-8 mid mounted & perfectly balanced putting out 350 Horses and about 300 Ft Tq to the WHEELS bone stock while still being just around 3,000-3,100 or so pounds (which obviously is heavier than most lotus’s people are used to like the Elise and other models…some of which were so light they were around the 2,000 lb mark even…but still, just over 3,000 lbs is still pretty damn light for that chassis and powerplant. Combine the balance, engine, transmission, wheelbase/stance, overall super cool/unique super car level curb appeal on top of just how rare the 2004 final runs really were (lotus only produced less than 11,000 esprit’s total over a pretty long production span ending in ‘04…so they’re a relatively rare vehicle in general, the final runs are just that much more hard to come by. However in most parts of the US if you have the cash then you should be able to find both a regular esprit as well as a final run pretty easily online. Most low mileage top shape ‘04 final runs go fro between $76,000-$86,000 depending on exact mileage and other details…$77,000-$79,000 being the average. So def not cheap at all but at the same time not super car expensive either. My dream esprit is a ‘04 final run in dark lotus green…it’s for sale right now in Southern California. Only has 13,740 miles on it and is pristine inside and out. Garage kept and pampered it’s whole life. It’s selling for $76,876 as of now which is cheaper than I thought it would be. If I had that kind of cash to drop on it I’d do it!
I love that car, I owned 3 lotuses a few years back and one of them the esprit S1, I still miss it, one day I will purchase another one, good video 👏👏👏👏👏👏
I have same car but it has Black interior with orange piping and the 6 spoke rims... much better looking combo over the magnolia interior color.. From what I have heard they only made 3 in 2003 in Chrome Orange with Black interior... I bought mine in 2004 spring for 55k.. only has 12k on it,,, have not had one issue with it... other then when it was delivered it had a chip in windshield and about a month later it spiderwebbed in a nice size crack... Dealership paid as it was documented at delivery with it ..... Love the car. Never sell it...
This isnt designed by giugario,the esprit series 1,2,3 were designed by him,,this shape was actually designed by Peter Stevens and later refreshed by Thompson..
quote "this" being the car in question, is indeed a Stevens redesign of the original Giugiaro, forgive me if I am wrong, but I don't think you will find the Giugiaro badge label on that late model Esprit, it's unfortunate when car salesmen generally know very little about their product.. but very typical, I just ignore them, thanks for calling it out Imraan, because I was about to... at least he got the 90% right and it may have been an innocent mistake, if he thought it through....
Wow! That is one NICE Lotus Esprit! I'm sure that if you had enough $, you could find someone capable of building a sturdy transmission that could easily handle 500 + BHP!
ok i drive it in need for speed 2, and this is car is really powerful. great engine sound and stuff. im glad to know that its control panels r really simple, i hate those fulfilled of buttons and this and that, its horrible. simplicity + performance, i'm in
This car is starting to have a lot of appeal to me as an older millenial for it's retro looks and rarity, but still well within in my price range. I'd be a bit concerned about maintenance costs, though, which may still lead me to something more modern.
I have been debating on the purchase of an 04, but as I do, the prices keep rising, and the parts are getting hard to get. If you have one, is it worth the price and the concerns I have. thx, any input would be appreciated.
