1989 Lotus Esprit Turbo SE

This 1989 Lotus Esprit Turbo SE is a well cared for 28k mile example that is powered by a turbocharged 2.2-liter inline-four paired with a five-speed manual transaxle. The car is finished in its factory white and rides on factory 15” front and 16” rear staggered-width Route OZ alloy wheels. It is equipped with power-assisted disc brakes, a sunroof, factory rear spoiler, working factory pop-up headlights, air conditioning, a sport exhaust system, and a beige leather upholstery. The Esprit SE came with a intercooled turbocharged 2.2 liter 4 cylinder that produced 264 horsepower. In Lotus speak this is ‘ChargeCooling’. Besides the charge cooler, the SE package also received the staggered wheels, rear spoiler, and other body and interior enhancements over the regular Esprit. This extra power, coupled with its overall lightweight, launched the Esprit well into supercar territory, consistently ranking it as one of the ten fastest cars of the decade. Clean and clear PA antique title. I have probably driven the car 500 miles in the 4 years I have owned it to local shows and cruises. Car runs great, handles great, and stops great. I purchased the car from a Lotus dealer who had just completed service on the car.

About 1600 Esprit SE’s were built between 1989 and 1993. The Lotus Esprit Turbo SE was tested to hit 60 mph in 4.7 seconds and have a 160 mph top speed. Not bad for ’89. The Esprit was built completely by hand. The Esprit production line was established back in 1976. Until the end of production in 2004, nothing changed much since those days a quarter of a century ago. There were only 21 people on the line. Each car took about 584 man-hours to assemble. With multiple people working on the car, total assembly was accomplished in about one week. One car rolled out of the assembly line every business day. Upon completion, each vehicle was driven on the test track. After the test drive, the car was put on a lift and thoroughly inspected and adjusted. Afterwards, the car was test driven a second time to verify everything was perfect. Although the Esprit was developed over 30 years, the basics remained the same throughout its life, all the way from the S1 through to the very last V8 02. The basics are pure supercar with its two-seater, mid-engined, rear wheel drive layout and that wedge shape. The Esprit was built around a steel backbone chassis, with the body panels made of Glass Fibre. All Esprit engines were designed and produced by Lotus.

Powertrain – Always starts right up, and runs great, the turbo has no lag and pulls strong. Lotus had the turbo game figured out better than most manufacturers back in the day. I always let the car warm up for a few minutes before driving it. Gates Blue timing belt was installed two years ago. Unlike the OEM black belts, the Gates blue belt is beefier and lasts years longer. Should be good for another 7 to 10 years or more depending on your mileage. Uprated cooling system and radiator was installed by the previous owner. No oil, fuel, or coolant leaks. Oil and coolant are fresh, and show no signs of being cloudy, milky, or anything other than what they should be.

Underside and chassis is clean and rust and corrosion free. Suspension all in great working order. Wheels are original to the car and fitted with the proper size tires.

Interior is in great shape, nothing needed there. Seats, panels, carpets, all in excellent condition. Drivers side power window motor replaced two years ago with a new unit from JAE. New units are bit faster than OEM. Passenger’s side works fine, but at three quarter the speed as the drivers side, which is probably normal speed for the window.

Exterior paint is in excellent condition. Plenty of gloss and depth. No fiberglass body cracks. If I had to be picky and to be transparent, I could probably find two flaws, the protective film around both of the rear brake vents on the rocker panels is slightly yellowed from age. All glass is in excellent shape. No scratches under front or rear bumpers.

Electrical – All lights, horn, and gauges work. In transparency, the radio does not work, never did since I owned the car. Think it is a bad head unit. Easily replaceable, but radio did not matter much to me with the sweet exhaust sound. The drivers seat belt buzzer now works intermittently and sometime stays on when exiting the car. Connecting the seat belt turns it off. Long term solution would be to find the relay that may be sticking or just disable it by unplugging the buzzer and light.

I was told when I bought the car that the rear bumper cover was replaced decades ago in the early 90s from someone scraping it in a parking lot. There was no collision damage to the car, and paint matches perfectly.

Included in the sale are any spares I have for the car including an original Lotus Esprit Service manual (rare). Contact me for any questions, other videos, etc.

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