Lotus Esprit vs 348

At one point in my life many years ago when I was a youngster, maybe. But now I find it kind of childish and "hot-wheelsie". That double wedge design really doesn't grab me. Of course, having had to contort myself to one's interior certainly didn't endear me either.

 

I spent Saturday afternoon driving 300 miles in a friend's Lotus S4S with no Cats. That thing was bonkers. It was fast and made some great sounds, especially on the overrun. Different from a Ferrari, but pretty great nonetheless. And I love the fact the Lotus made such crazy power in its day from such a tiny motor. And I LOVE the sudden turbo rush and how when you release the throttle the RPMs drop like a rock. Its like there is no flywheel at all.

As for the looks. I have always thought the Lotus Esprit is one of the most beautiful designs out there. Every year, every single one. I also love the idiosyncratic interior with its impossibly high mounted shifter and its AC Vents that face the ceiling. I had an absolute blast in that car. His car has almost 50K hard earned miles and it has given him very little grief.

As for its comparison to a 348, apples to oranges and represent to entirely different automobile philosophies and cultural values. In a perfect world, one of each.

 

Why thank you.... I am 44 (going on 18, somedays )

There's a "trick" to getting into the car --- I can't describe it in words, but it involves a short, controlled free-fall Could be much, much worse, though.....ever tried to get in / out of a Countach or a Diablo ????

The worst part is you can't grab onto any part of the car while you get in or out --- it's a Lotus --- anything you grab will likely break off -- LOL

 

My current garage is down to (3) exotics ---- a 308, a 550, and the Esprit. All very different from each other in nearly every regard.......and each one is my favorite

 

The worst part is not getting in but extricating oneself from seats and a floor board about 4 inches off the deck. The controlled fall is easy to master Ingress and egress from my 348 SS with the CF seats is tricky too so I can't totally fault the Esprit for that without being a hypocrit. I'm sorry but that car just doesn't excite me like just about any Ferrari made. Now that I wrote that, I am having a hard time imaging a Ferrari that didn't move me somewhat. Maybe the Mondial spider, but even then, it's a Ferrari!

As for the Lotus, well hit and miss. They really tried hard in the later years to move into supercar territory, but I'm afraid they just fell short. The turbo 4 was a very weak attempt. The later Rover sourced V-8 was a nice try, but it just never made the grade in my eyes. However, from a used car standpoint, they are pretty good values if you can find parts (the V-8's only). I find that they just are not able to escape the kit car image even though they were production cars. It's like Noble. That's a real performance car but no matter what it still looks like a kit, however well done it may be. On the other hand, the Ford GT40 clone from Superperformance is a kit car that looks production.

Just my views.

 

L.O.T.U.S

Lot's of trouble usually serious.

Congrats on the 348!! Be sure to add some photos of the pair when she arrives...


Ohh, and if you notice the Lotus shaking once the 348 arrives, that is a totally normal reaction to fear

 

I find this thread pretty intresting on a couple of levels.

Firstly it seems that most are comparing 88-92 Esprits wiht the 348. I just recently picked up a 94 S4 Esprit, and had previously owned a non running 1988 Esprit. Even though I never got a chance to drive the 88, just poking around the car it was clear in comparison that the 88's interior leaves much to be desived compared to the S4. In 93 the interior of the Esprit got just a little larger and you could honestly tell. Fit and finish of the S4 seems far ahead of the 88, but as with any fiberglass car it never really has that "solid" feel.

Now I've never had the chance to drive a 348, but in comparison to my 308, the S4 has a much more modern feel, which is stating the obvious since the car is 14 years newer than my 308. So much so that having the S4 makes me want to upgrade from the 308 to a 348, but I'm not sure I can fit golf clubs in a 348 other than in the front seat, and that would be very much fun for my wife when we both need to go somewhere.

So not being able to personally compare an S4 to a 348, what I will say is that the S4 is a pretty good ride. It's quiet (which I wanted, but some may not). Simple things like windows and hvac work like they are supposed to. It has pretty good luggage capacity, is not nearly as temperamental as my 308, shifts nicley, has pretty good mid-range (passing power) and does not seem to mind one bit being used as a DD.

I do find the brakes a little weak and as mentioned before any fiberglass car seems to have that "iffy" feel and sound even with simple things like the sound of the door shutting. There is not a lot of low end torque (as can be expected). There doens't seem to be as much "online support" from fellow owners as there is with Ferrari (like F-chat). Sure there are some sites dedicated to Lotus but they seem to lack the tech support that has helped so many Ferrari owners. And it makes sense with the cars being much more rare, but something to keep in mind.

IMO, it's not fair for me to compare my 94 S4 to the 2V 308 and it's similarly not fair to compare the pre S4 or 93' SE with the 348. I would actually think that a 93 and newer Esprit would compare favorably with a 348. Both different in significant ways, one better at certain things than the other, but overall not too far appart.

And as far as the (L)ots (O)f (T)rouble (U)sually (S)erious moniker, I have not found that to be the case at all (fingers crossed)

Cool thread

 

FIAT

Fix It Again Tony

I love Ferrari, own a Ferrari, and think the 348 is a real winner, but I hardly think we are in a position to criticize british reliability. Our glass house just isn't that strong

 

Wow.... Laughed out loud on that one But now I'm a bit worried (just paranoid maybe). My 1987 Lotus has been extremely reliable for an exotic. In 7 years, it's NEVER left me at the side of the road. Whenever it's had any kind of issue, it's always given me plenty of forewarning.

I often tell my friends that the Esprit will talk to you when it's about to need something, all you need to do is be listening. I think more than anything else, that defines a good exotic car owner; are you the kind who can hear the car when it speaks -or- not? (If you're not, you'd better be happy just pretending to have an exotic and go buy an NSX.)

So.... IN YOUR OPINION(s), can I go happily forward believing that the 348 will also "talk" to me when it's about to need something? Man, I hope so!

 

Absolutely, more than any other car I have ever owned.

You just need to learn the unique Ferrari signature sounds. There are a lot of sounds that may appear "bad" to the uninitiated, but are normal, and there are others that you need to listen for. Same goes for feel. Once you know how a Ferrari is supposed to act, if you are a perceptive owner, you will know the moment something starts acting funny.

My Ferrari has been VERY reliable, but I have had other Italian cars that have been an absolute disaster. The important thing with Ferraris is NOT to skimp on maintenance, regardless of the cost, and to remain vigilant in dealing with problems the moment they come up, and not after they have begun to negatively effect other related systems.

Ferraris are incredible, exhilarating, high performance cars,they require more TLC than say a Porsche, but certainly not more than a Lotus!

 

lol...me too

 

Absolutely sir!!

 

lol

 

ive had lots of Esprits.

The Lotus s4s would blow the doors off a 360cs.

But its not a Ferrari is it.

Now lotus builds kit cars with toyota corolla engines.

At least De tomaso has a beasty V8.

 

Id only choose a 348 over an Esprit cause im Italian.

 

And Giorgetto Giugaro who designed the first espirt is Italiano.

 

Not sure they'll ever meet again..... the Lotus may sell before the 348 gets home. Here's a look at them both the day I went to the dealer to see the Ferrari.
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very very nice

 

I love both and love driving both!
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I love driving my Esprit V8TT alot. I've had it for about 3 years now and put about 7k miles on and it has cost me very little in maintenance over and above the regular things. Parts are definitely a little harder to source, but these cars are extremely easy to work on.

Keith, you have my ultimate garage, except my Esprit is white!!!

 

Except for the Esprit V8 --- which is an entirely Lotus-designed & Lotus-built engine, btw. Of course, Esprit production did end in 2003. So, your point is valid concerning the current Lotus production cars.

 

It's funny that while looking at the those two pictures of the 348s and the Lotus (Loti?) it seemed totally obvious why someone would choose the Ferrari over the Lotus. Different strokes.

 

the s4s esprit is the best one
looks so elegant yet so aggressive

 

And it comes with a convenient carrying handle!

 

Hey, some people even think gawdy Lambos look good --- blech!!!!