Any Lotus Esprit V8 owners?

Had a v8 for 2 years, engine blew twice in that time.

 

Only twice?

 

Worst car ever made ... Just picked up an 07 Exige s though thats been a blast Of course now it a toyota engine Youve been warned my friend

 

I've had my 94 S4 for almost 8 months now. Not one problem. A lot of people say the S4 (94-95) was pretty much the most reilable of the series with the 93 SE close behind.

As far as performance goes, the 4 cylinder does lack that low end torque, but the car is really pretty quick and the mid range (passing) power comes on like a train once you get in the sweet zone. Anyway, I'm not sure how much of a performance gain a TT V8 has over the 4 banger given the added weight of the engine. Plus I've heard the V8's can be troublesome vs the simpler 4C.

FWIW

www.lotusbuzz.com

 

The dealer where I bought my Lotus once said, that 4 cylinder cars are for men, and 8 cylinder cars for girls

 

I had a '95 S4 for 2 years with very few issues. The car had been sitting for about a year and half before I bought it. A major service was needed but after that the car had few issues during my ownership. I would recommend a 4 cyl car over the V8. The '95 S4s is probably the best of all of them.

 

You are right, the S4s was for many years my dream car, as the Sport 300 was out of reach...

 

I agree the S4s is the best of the bunch. But I might get a newer V8 just because they are getting so affordable. A low mileage S4s is more valuable than many a V8 today and I think that trend will continue. FWIW, Sports Car Market ranks the S4s as a B in investment grade, and the V8 as a C. And I'd like to get an affordable V8 just because it is different, and easier to drive around fast with the bigger and higher-torque engine. Having both would be cool.

 

He probably didn't drive it much.

If those are the ones prior to the redesign, that would get my vote. Really sharp looking (literally and figuratively...) cars, and IIRC incredibly fast for their time.

The one they blew up in For Your Eyes Only was gorgeous. Only time I've cried during a Bond film.

EDIT: I was thinking of the Turbo Esprit...

Here's a comprehensive analysis of the Esprit by a distinguished journalist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylj0eQrU_Js

 

I've owned 2 S4s's, 1996 built (UK spec), as every day cars for years. Put over 50,000miles on them. Not once did they break down.
One of them, with mild mods (chip, exhaust/intake) was doing 361bhp, with 0-60 in 4sec and top speed of 190mph, all GPS confirmed.

Every Ferrari and Lambo I've owned have left me stranded.