1989 Lotus Esprit Turbo SE Review - The Classic British Supercar

[@captgutter]

The Stevens Esprit Turbo has always been one of my top dream cars, and they never fail to take me breath whenever I see one, turbo or not. Just a beautiful car.

[@rogermclean7268]

Wow! This brings back so many memories, my father was the first owner of this very car, amazed it still retained the number plate. This was the favourite of all the Esprits he had.

[@johncameron6679]

Hi Roger - I'm the current owner of this Esprit. I would love to know a bit more about your fathers ownership. I have inherited all the paperwork from when the car was new. Its had a heck of a lot of work done on it in the past 5 years I've owned it

[@rogermclean7268]

Hey @@johncameron6679 , my father was the person that ordered this from the factory and collected if from the Lotus UK Dealer event at Milbrook Proving Ground. It was his demonstrator for the time he had it, he was the official dealer for Essex until the early 90's based in Bocking, Essex. From memory, this car was sold to the company accountants who were called Moores Rowland and then after that we lost touch of it. So glad to see its still looking amazing, I have a picture of this exact car with a 12 year old me in the garage at home.

[@oilylampman9032]

I have a 1990 esprit se! purchased as a neglected wreck but still with an mot, ran it for a year and it never let me down! it is down to a bare chassis now, as i want to make a nice job or re-building it. it feels special when you drive it.

[@MrMarkhall1]

They should do a modern Esprit again.

[@ArmadaAsesino]

The Esprit concept they released a few years back looked amazing. It's a pity it never came to fruition.

[@cyborgbadger1015]

it wouldn't be the same, so what,s the point.

[@ristekostadinov2820]

@@cyborgbadger1015 i mean the company that made the new Stratos based on the 430 Ferrari with chopped up wheelbase looks like a modern Stratos. If someone wants to put the effort they could made them look propper. People still loves MINI because they are doing well, being modern representation of what the car was 50 years ago.

[@cyborgbadger1015]

@@ristekostadinov2820 I know it would be epic, but modern safety and luxury means the modern cars are a pastiche more often than not. The new mini is nothing like the old car, it is ok in its own right though. I would give anything to own the modern Dodge Challenger, but again, it's a modern interpretation

[@johnaugustine9386]

Yes they certainly should.

[@ristekostadinov2820]

This car represent everything that was right in the 80s and early 90s.

[@ryanpatterson9526]

Esprits are so undervalued! What an amazing car for the money.

[@bobolulu7615]

I own a 1989 Turbo SE the same as this. I have had it 16 years, its done 92,000 miles. Not ONCE has it let me down and I have done thousands of miles in it. I have had 1 cam belt change during that time and after that I've changed the belt myself. Everything including the aircon works in my car. I think you're still biased by bullshit as to the reliability of Lotus cars - the usual thing, if its great you tell 1 person, if you get a flat tyre, you'll tell the world. PS - tell the owner to change the transmission oil type and it will happily operate as you think it should.

[@Magnero]

Hugely fond of the way those cars look. One of the best ever.

[@pederfallbom]

4,7 seconds to 100kmh, 265 kmh top speed 1300 kg midengined is definetely a sportscar in modern terms Jay. It is not all about numbers

[@ArmadaAsesino]

Love the way these look. I was born in 1991 so tend to prefer cars around 2000-2010 when I started getting into cars as a teenager. But for some reason I love these old wedge shape Esprits.

[@1970boggy]

The reason I feel in love with Lotus❤️ Love the Esprit🤪

[@marcnobel3938]

One of my childhood dream cars. It started with James Bond and went on to all Versions after that. I think one of the best looking Sportscars ever (especially the first Version and the Turbos from the mid 80th for me)!

[@TheIndulged1]

Was my childhood dream car too or though it wasn't James Bond that got me hooked on them, It was Lotus Turbo challange games, I once had the opportunity to drive in one in the mid 00's and growing up to be a 6"7 man I couldn't fit in it!, I out grown my childhood dream which sucked, still a beautiful car in dark blue metalic with white leather interior.

[@mrgonk3060]

G Turbo owner here that has never broken down in 22 years (except a failed suspension component outside my house) and has been on the road all that time. Also, there are no ruinous costs associated with a G Turbo compared to a modern car - its just all 'old school' mechanics, with reasonable parts availability. You can have a drive of mine next Spring in North Yorks, with roads similar to those. (complete with working A/C). You are right about the exhaust notes, but the earlier G Turbos spit, crackle and pop on overun, which is always a crowd pleaser (for petrolheads.....)

[@JayEmmOnCars]

I would love to. A G Turbo has always been my dream Lotus

[@chawenhalo0089]

Loving these Lotus videos. Its quite an USP vs any other car channel. To me the Esprit has always been right up there in desirability terms. Sadly I sat in one 12 yrs ago only to discover my 6ft 3" could not fit. Then I tried a Noble GTO3R or something which ergonomically was perfect... Still lust after a Sports 350 though.

[@VoloKinProject]

5:59 when James puts out a car spec chart while Carwow says they won't because there's too much editing involved...

[@MiniBull-vq2yg]

Stunning looking motor.

[@mrdayumfine109]

That car was bought into this world the same year I was. The Esprit has aged a lot better than I have....

[@2702simmo]

Love it and still want one When you see one they just look so retro cool Wish I’d bought one when I was looking and they were about £10k

[@karlhurn]

Lovely Car. Thanks for spreading the Lotus love 🙂

[@andipajeroking]

i get so pissed off when people say " it's a 30 years old component (e.g. brakes). It's a 30 years old component only if you let it like so. You can change any component to be the same or even better as any modern counterpart. There are aftermarket brake systems that will brake your car faster than you can say "Lotus".

[@derekporter66]

Jayemm is a big boy in more ways than 1

[@perrymathis4557]

Absolutely gorgeous. Takes me back to when they first came out with this body style

[@ArtHotelRiposo]

to round up all the cars I want; please do a Alpine A310 V6 , love your channel

[@jamesstaggs4160]

I absolutely love those. I sure hope they stay as cheap as they are right now by the time I can throw away 25-30k on one......just a fantastic, timeless shape. They don't look new, but they don't look old either and I think they'll stay that way until we're all just sitting in our cars while they drive us instaed of us driving them.

[@Sionnach1601]

Correct. They don't look new, they don't look old: they look like a SUPERCAR. Just as much as a swordor a diamond look eternally beautiful and do not apply to faddy fashion norms.

[@ianhay2724]

great bit of road, loved it on the motorbike, then back down the dukes pass, Lotus such a great car, if you can live with it

[@ephancock]

Perhaps I'm biased but the Esprit still looks awesome, especially on the move! Oddly enough, wasn't a fan of the Bahar revamped Esprit that never made production from the Paris motor show. Great video, enjoyed that very much 👍🏻

[@ProjectSupercar]

Iconic car! built a little better than a TVR, but not by much. I bought one once, which broke down more than it ran, so I sold it........ a couple of years later I bought another! I know, I've got a problem, I need to see a shrink, and yes that one broke down as well.

[@martinvickers7349]

Stunning iconic styling

[@paulkane9863]

Is the turbo working on this car? Mine whistles and chatters even at fairly low speeds.

[@davidmarle]

Another car with the famous Citroën wing mirrors. Regarding reliability… yup… I have a Lotus Elan +2S and it does spend most of it's time in the workshop but somehow, still worth it! ;-)

[@kristianspencer1978]

Sharon stone had two in basic instinct, the sport 300 was the pick of the range. I’d have a lotus Carlton instead.

[@AlexGrayTheCarCollector]

They are very nice cars to drive. Mine is a 1990 SE turbo and I enjoy driving it. Okay, they are 30 yr cars, so you have to be careful with it, but really fun to use.

[@davedavey5]

Hope you enjoyed your blast up the campsie fells jay ....greetings from Frintry 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Lovely roads you have

[@keironastbury9399]

It's hard to believe that it's 30yrs old it still looks modern, I've always loved these cars they were underrated I think but I do love the se interior to the newest model it looks more sporty.

[@From_Canada]

Hey Jay its 2022 Now maybe Reconsider an Esprit Now?Now that you had a Ferrari or two

[@jstorey6226]

I have a 94 S4 and I love it !

[@Jabber-ig3iw]

I have to say I prefer the original S1 design. In white of course.

[@fredhor7437]

Love those Wolfrace wheels, they are the best of all Esprit wheels (personally).

[@Chrissy-H]

The Esprit Sport 350 is a very special car, would love to know what one of those is like to drive!

[@Punisher9419]

It's funny everyone because everyone has always said that it rains all the time in Scotland but everytime I go there it's always sunny.

[@julianevans9548]

The hottest day of the year was that w/e - 27!

[@oilylampman7252]

My esprit has been very reliable in four years of ownership! l would say it is a bummer to work on......not much room! but looks great, goes great, makes me feel great......gearbox trouble? NO. speak as you find.

[@jamiemorris5177]

It’s back 👍🏻

[@danielthomas2621]

Fantastic looking car IMO... Cheers James

[@starshipteddy9871]

The Teen Agent car. I love this thing!

[@Tracertme]

Loved the start of the Video Jay..... started with the car ended with the car... what I call "on point". I have never been a great lover of lengthy intro's.... as much as KZbinrs re develop them and they are normally better, after only a short while, you get kind of bored with it...

[@g345shaw]

The turbo SE blows a Giugiaro turbo out of the water. Both are great cars

[@JamesDownes]

Hay JM. Love the roads you drive on. You should do a vid on your favourite UK roads

[@TheSimonhammond]

Wish there was a 'Love' button!

[@Lowerhaightstreet]

I actually have the center consul piece that was taken out of the camera car for pretty woman. The cars were purchased from Los Gatos Lotus for the film.

[@From_Canada]

Okay jay time for another Esprit video

[@mpersad]

My God I wanted this car in the 80s!

[@MichaelSeeds]

My life plan is to move to the USA and buy a cheap esprit.

[@ZemanTheMighty]

My goal is to join the diplomatic mission and import a cheap esprit at a monstrously high rate

[@paulw5822]

Hold back on experiencing the Giugiaro Esprit until you can drive an '87 HC to avoid any disappointment!

[@serenityyang7210]

Thinking of buying one. How reliable are these cars?

[@subarnosinha8042]

Bring back the wedge shaped goodness!

[@ianmangham4570]

Beautiful

[@The-Sea-Dragon-1977]

The X180 Stephens body Esprit Turbo SE is one of my dream cars. There are faster Esprits. There are better cars than Lotus. But something about this model does it for me.

[@Dave.S.TT600]

Any info on any Esprit that has had the recent recalibrated factory spring/ shock upgrades? This car looked like it had shocks from a flogged out 400,000km Holden Commodore

[@chesspiece81]

I can't help but wonder what it would be like to swap a Honda K series with a turbo in one of these like people do the Toyota MR2. Keep the Lotus handling with Honda reliability and extra power and transmission.

[@mattridgley9095]

Still got those hilarious plastic 'quilted' door openers from the Allegro

[@johnaugustine9386]

I would love to get one from the last couple years it was made in red or black.

[@Clones_and_coffee]

JayEmm you should do a collaboration with harry's garage channel, he owns an old turbo esprit :).

[@JayEmmOnCars]

I think Harry's a little too important to mix with the likes of me

[@Clones_and_coffee]

JayEmm on Cars Don’t under value yourself dude, you have a great channel!

[@cubstig]

@@JayEmmOnCars He shares your fondness for Lotus, it's a good shout. Can't hurt to ask? 😊

[@malcolmhardwick4258]

Hey you got it started ☺

[@schunkelperser1794]

Lotus! It's a Lotus! 👌

[@brunobalestra]

Itching for you to do a 90s Aston Martin Vantage

[@JayEmmOnCars]

I can't wait either

[@j6v24m]

I am waiting for a review of Lotus Esprit SE. its been used in the movie Pretty Woman.

[@andylaws4247]

Both famous drivers are called James!!

[@CaptainNow2]

I'd love to get photos of this car so I could recreate it in 3D. Any chance you could help me please?

[@JoshuaJordison7240]

The reason I'm here is because my favorite free roam car in gta online is the ardent and it's a copy of the lotus espirit and it's my favorite car

[@singlesprocket]

Anyone else waiting to hear the cams, as heard on Pretty Woman?

[@energymc22]

"It's a standard H!"

[@timfulmer5156]

So…this is an old video. “Ruinous ownership?”….any comments after your Ferrari bills?

[@dave_s_vids]

A friend at work bought one of these years ago for about £10-12k, then spent a further £15k trying to keep it on the road before finally giving up and selling it for buttons :( Beautiful car to look at, but what a pig to own!

[@pmapilot2052]

87 Turbo Esprit owned for 10 years change belts only. Never sell it.

[@Jabber-ig3iw]

Just imagine what the esprit could have been if lotus had more than £1.50 to spend on development.

[@phileasfogg3536]

In the Evora video you questioned the price - but this car was the equivalent of GBP 104,000 in today's money - ouch.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

However it did deliver similar to Ferrari performance at the time - £104,000 does not buy you a nice 911 now

[@CharlieDrives]

Charlie Doooouglass 😂 just noticed this

[@Screamifyoumeanit]

Same designer as the Alfa Brera... Oh, and the Chiron.

[@PeoKarlsson-w3b]

I have one just like it and it is wonderfull to bott driver and look at❤

[@davidm-1965tb]

Close my eyes.... alan whicker doing car reviews

[@TomesEsq]

Not going to delete it this time

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Unless it's broken again

[@hippo319]

Maybe there's a company that can restomod a reliable one

[@vladmares8128]

LOTUS 3 (PC Game) :-)

[@rogerhudson2814]

You've not tested an early Europa yet, none of your lardy old Esprit with them.They also had a 'frunk' as well as a trunk/boot. Two people plus luggage.

[@TAMBOREBRIO]

1000 times better than a rubish suv

[@harveymorgan1749]

I am biased to want the v8.

[@edmusick7794]

Sexy beast! The car not Jay! 😉

[@tris7]

Running costs??? I own a Turbo Esprit. I paid A LOT for it. That means it costs bugger all to keep on the road, after 30k miles has NEVER put a foot wrong- apart from brakes and servicing items. Its cheap to service and economical (for a sports car). You cant really use it every day but for a toy- its so undervalued and I think because that's because people like yourself, tell tales of 'ruinous' running costs...I would say please tell me what these costs are? and what you are comparing these to? If you want to avoid those, you need to buy a good one. If you cant afford a good one, dont buy one. Simples. Like any car, a crap one will cost a lot of money.

[@bobolulu7615]

I have an '89 Se turbo and apart from a cam belt change from a dealer when I first bought it 16 years ago, I have done every maintenance effort on it myself. There is nothing special about the parts that go into it as they can be found on most other mainstream vehicles. I too would love to know what these 'costs' are. Id say its just service garages that rip the hell out of owners and then some because its a Lotus.

[@Crazy_Borg]

Ah...time to fire up the Amiga again.

[@wraith01mg]

Certainly not as good as the s3 turbo. That had no turbo lag, was way lighter and was very nimble.

[@Sionnach1601]

Sunroof??

[@bicyclist2]

Man that thing squeaks and rattles a lot. It must be the bad build quality. Its interesting none the less. This is why I hate black interiors, there just way too Hot when the sun's out. Thanks.

[@NGG1983]

you literally have the exact color Esprit from the movie "If Looks Could Kill", and you claim it was made famous in "Pretty Woman"...mkay

[@monzarace]

Arh, come on JayM, this is not the finest of your video's, which I generally like. A drivingstyle like an old Ford T would be happy with (in a great landscape made for fast fun driving), doesn't suit a Lotus. Certainly not the Lotus Esprit Turbo SE. Fact is, that it drove better and faster than most of it's time, eg. the Testarossa, the 911, the 308, 348 etc, apart from beng a bit slower on top end compared to say the Testarossa. Fact is also that some owners bought this car because they could get a supercar in it's classic shape and form for petty money. But don't expect it do be a cheap car to maintain - it's still a supercar, hence they don't even do propper maintance on the car, nor do they get a propper knowledgable mechanic to do it, but make some nasty do it yourself with a hairpin and a sledgehammer repairs or maintenance, or none at all. So it's a sad story that some bought this car way too cheap and never even maintained it propperly, but sold it on after one Summer's worth of driving. 3'rd row back yard wrenchers, not even propper oil changes and generally fluids change, no new bushings, no steering rack, no ... choose yourself. That can kill any car and will make a very sure way of saving up a long list of future problems, for the future owner to inherit. Btw. the SE has a better turbo than the S4 that came later and just as fast as it was the same car, just without powersteering and terrible early type abs brakes (nearly all cars was bad at that at the time). The 2 Liter GT3 was slower, and much of the data you present are not true, weight being one for example. The V8 was also good, but had some problems with belt tensioners, gaskets, sealants (solutions are available today), and never got any propper chargecoolers like the 4-cylinder cars had with the SE being the first. If propperly adjusted and with the translator being renewed (40 gbp) every 5-6 years, the gearshift is actually not that bad, as some will have you believe. All of the Esprits I've tried, incl. my own, and all of my friend's esprits, have a medium to a little above medium speed in gearchange, and not rubbery at all, just nice and secure. The Last V8 got another gearmaster and no translator. Better gearchange and can be retrofitted if one so wish for. Lotus developed a complete set of suspension and better modern poly bushings for the whole car (lotac programme), and that is a very good idea to install, instead of 30+ year old parts or bad bad china copies. Speaking of the gearbox, if one wants to, there are a few companies who make even stronger internals for it, like GTO, Halloway and others. Btw. it's only a few V8's which broke an axle, towards 5'th gear, not the 4-cylinder cars. A full geo is in place every 2 years, and with so low prices on these cars, I seriously doubt that most owners do all of this plus more, to keep the car in top shape and top performance. Look, when I wanted one, I tried various cars I was interested in: 996, 997 S1, 911 82', 911 86', 308, 348 and a 1988 Esprit Turbo (carb), the Turbo SE 1990 and the Esprit SE was by far the best driving of them all. And certainly also the fastest. But be my guest, and talk it down, so no one else get's the Lotus Esprit infection; that keeps the prices down for all of us who know that world class performance can be had in the Stevens Esprit onwards, and can continue to have it relatively cheap (left hand driven cars are more expensive), instead of lot's of them ending in "collectors" big garages, just standing there getting tired from never being driven, ending up as defect garage queens, like all the other supercars. Neither my own Esprit SE nor any of the non-UK Esprits I know of, have broken down. I will mention that I've had mine for 6 years now, and I will drive the shit out of it all Summer and certainly way faster than you do in this video, and it doesn't brake down. That said, every car can break down of course. I maintain my car(-s) myself, entirely. In six years, I've changed 6 little plastic rollers in the electric head lamp lift motor gearings (60 gbp), one clutch slave cylinder (3,5 gbp) and one brake master cylinder (60 gbp), and finally I've had my speedo recalibrated to be fairly precise (-4 km/h). That's all. Try that on a 348 or a 996... I know what those are made of and to what standard. I'd take the Esprit any day. Mine develops 330 Hp and 415 Nm all day long on a dyno and have no boost limitation as per Sport300, and will max boost again and again and again with a ice cold chargecooler on it's 315 tires (Sport300). Two points about the Turbo SE is too small brakes and too skinny tires, both of which can easily be remedied with original parts from later Esprits. And then one can really explore the car to the limit. The esprit was never about driving miss Daisy as it's surely done in this video, unfortunately. It's about time someone tell's the truth about the (moden chargecooled) Esprit. And sorry JayM, but the Esprits I know of, all sounds great from the engine, the exhaust, the blow off valve, the turbo and the wastegate. The one you drove sound like a ford fiesta, or maybe it was just a bad sound recording. Personally, I don't think the V8 sounded better. Meanwhile, better luck next time. Looking forward to seeing your next video. There is a reason why some ferrari and porsche dealers do not call their customers with the repair bills untill payday, and in that light, the Esprit is dirt cheap to maintain, even if it should break down. Remember which car survived the Patagonia Special? Best regards.

[@DjDolHaus86]

I hope you don't meet the S1 on a wet day...

[@ArtHotelRiposo]

another one.....are you purposely reviewing all the cars I want?

[@jackd86]

SO MANY CYCLISTS

[@frazuli]

Jack D Be nice to the cyclists

[@DaveJudd]

Car porn then you look at that binnacle, look like it belongs on a 70s boat.

[@frazuli]

You are outrageous. Do you like the looks, or don’t you? Would you never own one, or would you? You contradicted yourself throughout the video. Get a grip of yourself, chap!

[@JayEmmOnCars]

In terms of looks I am talking about different generations of Esprit

[@Dave.S.TT600]

The Esprits were too heavy, even by that stage. They should've thinned the glassfibre down a bit AND..gone back to rear wishbones (not trailing-Arms) and put a better gearbox and gearshift in it. PS- My Lotus owning friend told me years ago that they dialed in too much understeer for dumb Ass Americans.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Dialling in understeer is common - they did it with the Elise too when it started getting popular.

[@MrAbelzyt]

lame