The Lotus Esprit reborn: inside the £430k Encor Series 1 V8 re-engineering of a true British icon

There are certain cars that don’t just sit in your memory… they take up permanent residence in your soul. For me, the Lotus Esprit is one of them. That razor-edged wedge, the Bond connection, the sheer audacity of its design… it wasn’t just a car, it was a spaceship.

So when I first heard about the Encor Series 1, a modern reinterpretation of the original Lotus Esprit S1, I started wondering if aliens had probed my mind, and stumbled upon my dream car – the purity of the original shape Esprit combined with a V8 drivetrain and all mod-cons. I’ve been salivating since the first moment they started releasing teaser images, lost my mind when they revealed the car and details, and could barely contain my excitment to finally see the car in person yesterday.

Here’s my video of the car, including a full walkaround, interior details, and an in-depth discussion about the “Esprit Remastered” with one of the founders, Simon Lane.