Lotus Esprit vs 348

I figured that title might get your attention

I'm in the middle of upgrading from a Lotus Esprit to a 348. Specifically, I've owned a 1987 Turbo Esprit for 7 years and I just put a deposit down on a 1994 348 SS. It's getting a major this week and delivery is likely to take place in the first or second week of July.

The Lotus will likely be tough to sell, so I'm expecting they'll share the garage for a while. I'm probably going to spend hours out there just taking in the view

Anyway, I thought I'd share a few observations..........

1. Sound. Oh my.... no comparison. Just the other day, I "forced" a friend of mine *(he's got a 308) to drive the Lotus. When we pulled out onto the main drag, he immediately wrapped the tack up to about 7,500+ and shifted. His comment was, "oops... I'm used to shifting when I hear that "scream". You see the Lotus remains RELATIVELY quiet all the way up the rev range, so the sound never really changes. I think he'd have wrapped it to 10,000 rpm if he hadn't been paying attention. (ie: "kaboom")

2. Thrust. Honestly, the Lotus "feels" faster below 60 mph, but I think it's a seat-of-the-pants illusion. The Lotus has an immense turbo rush, while the 348 delivers the power so smoothly it feels deceptively "un-brutal". My gut tells me the Ferrari will equal the Esprit below 60mph and completely overwhelm it above 60mph. Am I wrong? (my `87 Esprit does 0-60 in 5.35 and tops out around 150 mph)

3. Appearance. Sitting next to the 348, the extreme lines of my Esprit seemed (forgive me) juvenile. No doubt the original Giugiaro lines are beautiful, but they look garish and unrefined next to the Pinin Ferina design of the 348. I hate to admit it, but that's the truth. I'm in my low 40's so the 348 just seems to fit me better these days.

4. Parts. Something tells me that finding parts for the 348 will be much easier than the Esprit. As the owner of an original "g-car" Esprit, I've had to become part detective. I spend at least a moment every day worrying that something unobtainable is going to break..... Is that something that 348 owners need to deal with too? Or am I going to be able to relax on that count?

5. That Which Must Not Be Said. Lets be honest. When I go to a Lotus event, it's filled with Europas, Cortinas, Evoras, Sevens, Elans, etc.... All of which turn my stomach to a ceratin degree. I must say, there isn't a Ferrari ever built that has that effect on me. Enzo had better aesthetic standards than Colin, no doubt.

I look forward to your opinions. If all goes well, I'll be making a bit of a pest of myself up here in the next few months!

 

Best wishes with the 348 acquisition. I reckon you have made the right decision.

 

I had an '89 Esprit Turbo that shared my garage with the 348, TR and an F40 for a while. While I enjoyed the Lotus, it did seem to lack a few things. It was massively underbraked, and the sound left a bit to be desired. However, it was brilliantly quick, handled and looked great and the interior was a great place to work. Having said all that I had it for a year and moved it on....... and the 348 stayed for 20 years. You decide which made the greater impression!

 

Yes, I can relate to your comments.
I had a 88 Peter Stevens turbo and it was a fun car. Great on up hill winding roads. Just going done was a problem due to pathetic brakes. Only took it to the track once...3-4 laps and brakes gone....citroen transaxle was very weak too and if you weren't smooth with clutch and changes they would break. Broke a half shaft just before I sold it.
Did you consider the V8 turbo? Think they were faster than 355 to 100km/h, but hated the flared arches and wing stuck to the rear! Looked very "add on" if you know what I mean.
Lines of 348/355 next to any model LT make the decision easier....I would take a 348 over the turbo for sure.
I currently have a 360 but obviously so different to the Turbo.
What is 348 SS? Is that the limited run of last 100 or something? Sounds nice.
When you put them together I think you will be happy with your decision.
Look forward to the pics!
Andrew.

 

All I know is I like this guy well said, spot on

 

Should be an interesting face-to-face...

A four cylinder Turbo, against a NA V8.... A British against an Italian...

Regarding the meetings of Cortinas and whatever... we have the Fiat Dino Coupes, 206 Dinos, 246 Dinos, 208 Dinos...etc... and the Lancia Themas 8.32.....

 

I have had a TR and currently have a 348. I had a Lotus years ago. It was probably one of the worst cars I have ever owned. The ride was terrible. Every part on the car seemed to be sourced off another car. It had awful turbo lag and the general build quality was just sub-standard, not to mention I could barely fit in the damn thing. I have no fond memories of that ownership experience and countless fond memories of my Ferrari ownership. Enjoy the 348, it is light years ahead of the Lotus.

 

I had an 89' Lutus Esprit SE before my wife surprised me for my 30th birthday and traded my Lotus to a 1990 348 GTB What a happy camper I was at the time. I have a video when My 1 year old at the time handed me the keys. The Lotus was a fun car to drive for an hour or so and then something has to fail. The 348 was a reliable car and in the 90's everyubody thought you are driving a testarossa. I traded in 2001 for my 355 Spider, now nothing bits the 355 lines and sound.

 

Well..... one can not say that the 348 is a reference regarding that issue..... I am still trying to figure out how to fit in mine also...

 

In 2000 I had a 1998 V8 twin turbo Espirit. It was very fast. In 2002 I bought my first 348. It was not as fast, but certainly had all the right sounds, looks, feels and even smells. And although I didn't find the Lotus lines unattractive, the 348 lines are gorgeous.

 

Funny that a few of you should mention brakes and interior room. I agree on both counts.

The brakes on my Esprit were lifted from a Renault-5 (yes.... a leCar) so the entire design is pathetically weak for a car with such speed capabilities. They scared the hell out of me one day on a spirited ride with a bunch of newer Elises. On a few occasions, they'd take off with full throttle, and my 20+ year old Esprit was perfectly able to keep up with them (I was quite proud of that at the time). Then came the moment when the guy in front of me went from full gas-pedal to full brake-pedal. It was all I could do to keep from killing us both. To this day, I'm still amazed that I didn't hit him.

The interior space? Well, I've become used to the cramped quarters. When I set myself down in the 348 I couldn't believe the room in there. I felt like I was sitting in an airy living room compared to the Esprit. And oh..... not to mention I could actually see out the back. "Here's a car I can actually reverse", I thought. In the Esprit you've got to drive by a parking space, commit it to memory and then reverse into the space in your head. If anyone scoots in there while you're doddling with getting the Citroen gear box into reverse, it could get ugly. Lesson number 276 when owning an Esprit.... "don't back up unless absolutely necessary".

 

That's funny....

I recently have done almost the exact opposite as you. I replaced my 355 with an '03 V8 Esprit.

And, I must say I agree with every one of your comparison points --- except that I would reverse the results across the board! The modern Esprit smokes the 355 performance-wise, and once you replace the stock cats and exhaust with a Larini, etc., you get a comparable noise from the engine.

As far as parts go....
Lotus parts are generally harder to find, but are generally cheaper. And since, they borrowed many "off-the-shelf" items from other manufacturers, once you know the part number cross-reference, some parts are extremely inexpensive.

I do miss the 355 though....wonderful car --- I just wanted to try something different for a while. I've always had Ferrari's, but this is my first Lotus

 

Drove a '91 Esprit Turbo SE once. Good acceleration once the turbo spooled up. The big thing was when I first saw the car I thought it was a Toyota MR2. Also, the car feels put together rather than thought together.

 

Congrats on moving on, although I love the sharp lines on the old Esprits. It was still a handsome car after the "refinement", but the original design is one of the all time classic exotics up there with the 308, Boxer, Countach and 930.

 

Thanks. Please don't get me wrong here, I am a big fan of the Esprit design, especially the original Giugiaro design; that's why I have one. Much like some others have said, it's just time for something different now and the 348 seems like a logical next step. If I end up keeping the Lotus, I won't be dissapointed at all . It'll just be a problem given my limited garage space when the winter arrives. My daily driver will have to stay outside.

And BTW...... Desribing a later bodied "Stevens" cars as resembling an MR2....... Oh, that's cold. Very cold indeed.

 

Enjoy the 348 and report back after you have driven it

 

OMG another 1994 348 SS! With only 15 cars made, to have reports on 2 here is pretty cool.

As for the Lotus, egad, how dare you! I have a "friend" with a turbo Esprit and it is kind of pretty in an early 80's style (red over creme) and it drives like a go cart, but I kept looking for more visceral feedback. Handles like a slot car, but feels fragile. Open the engine compartment and, um, well, underwhelming to say the least.

In the end, an Esprit is a step up from a kit car clearly fashioned in the Chapman tradition of light and agile, but not necessarily durable or substantially crafted. Remember Chapman's philosophy was to build with the lightest materials so that the car was essentially used up at the checkered flag. His production cars share much of this.

As for parts, I'd much rather look for mid-90's Ferrari parts than anything off a Lotus.

 

Go GO, did I say GO ? 348 !

 

You're right on all counts. Attaching a picture. I'd dare anyone to tell me this thing is ugly
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Who doesn't like the "wedge" ??? And, with lines and creases so sharp, you have to be careful not to cut your fingers when you're washing it !!!

 

And, are you really gonna tell me that the last iteration of the Esprit is "unattractive" ??? Here's my 2003.....
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Damn right. No one gifted with sight could ever call that unattractive. Looks good in silver too. Thanks for chiming in....

 

Ya thats pretty hot I will admit

 

Also where are you in NH? I am on the north shore in MA.

Mike

 

It's 15 of 15.
I'm in southern NH about 15 minutes from Salem NH.
I'm a north shore refugee... used to live in Andover MA