WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE SIXTH LOTUS ESPRIT?
In 1976, Lotus began production of its first true supercar, the Lotus Esprit. Designer Giorgetto Giugiaro wanted it to be called the ‘Kiwi’, but Lotus had decided all of its car names would begin with the letter ‘E’. Hence, in 1975, the finished car was shown at the Paris Motor Show as the Esprit, for once proving someone else had better taste than the Italian master. There’s no doubt that his craftsmanship in drawing cars exceeded his talent for naming them, although in this particular case it was prophetic.
The Esprit would prove to be one of the company’s longest lived and most iconic models. In the first year of production, 134 cars were manufactured but only 133 were assembled and sold. Car number six did not make it to the end of the production line. Instead, it was sent out to one of the colonies as a box of bits. It was the only Esprit that would not be assembled at the Lotus Cars factory in Hethel, Norwich. Forty years later, it would become one of the last Esprits in the world to be registered as a brand-new car.
On a recent trip to Rangiora and, with the
