Pictures of a Ferrari F355 or Porsche 911 Carrera adorned many a bedroom and office wall in the 90’s. For a lot of people these dream cars are the obvious nineties supercar choice. A few choose something a little bit different, a bit special and do that with full conviction. One option would be the Lotus Esprit. In October of 1975 Lotus presented the Esprit at the Paris Autosalon. The extreme angular appearance was a show stopper with the lightweight two-seater starting production the following year. It becomes world famous in 1977 as the preferred method of transport for a certain Mr Bond in ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ and again four years later in ‘For Your Eyes Only’. The Esprit is an instant icon, even though the normal production model sadly does not transform into a submarine. The Lotus is naturally light and relies on its weight and perfect weight distribution for its outstanding handling, especially as initially the 162 hp is not particularly strong. In the following years two updates are instituted, the first in 1978 and the second in 1982. The first major facelift happened in 1988 with the whole bodywork becoming smoother, also an updated engine was fitted. At this time we only find 4-cylinder units behind the front seats of the Esprit. All that changed in 1996 with Lotus came with a spectacular version: the Esprit V8. The 3.506 cc power plant is one of Lotus’ own and the not exactly tame 8-cylinder also boasts two Garrett T25/60 turbo’s. Whilst the engine can easily produce 500 hp, in the Esprit it is limited to 354 hp in order to spare the transmission. The fourth generation, the S4, together with the original is though to be best looking models of the entire series. That is certainly true for the exceptionally fine Esprit with have on offer here. Starlight Black with a black leather interior trim is delightful and seems to garner approval from all. This one is a 1997 edition with only 54,666 km on the clock. It is a particularly well maintained Esprit as well, something you wont often find. The black paintwork is perfect and to keep it just so it has been ceramically coated. This provides the pleasant effect of a deep lustre and longevity. The Esprit stands on its popular and characteristic six-spoke 17” wheels clad in correctly sized tyres. A very pleasing stroll around the car leaves us to conclude the car in concourse condition. Inside all is factory fresh. Of course the final finish is not quite up to the standard of how a Bentley would leave the factory in Crewe some 200 miles up the road, it is however definitely very neat none the less. The whole interior has been renovated and is spotless. The leather upholstery is remarkably neat which is a feat in itself considering the ‘sporty instep’ needed. Quite often you can tell the age of an Esprit by its interior, that is not the case here. If you a wish to change the 8-cylinder soundtrack, an Alpine sound system is there to help. Mechanical maintenance is on a par with its cosmetic condition. In recent times over € 20,000 has been invested to keep this car in peak shape. That maintenance is, as we like to see, done by an official Lotus-dealer. The V8 is completely on point with a stainless steel exhaust system with High Flow catalysts allowing for easy removal of its engine gasses. Driving the Lotus you notice its supple nature but more over you feel the brute power house under the bonnet. 354 hp is a lot and takes the Esprit to 100 km/hr in under 5 seconds. The pure sensation does not stop there as far above the 200 km/hr mark you get the feeling of having been fired out of a cannon. To get rid of all that might we fortunately can rely on Brembo brakes for a tremendous dissipation of speed and a very safe feeling. The greatest thing about an Esprit is tackling winding roads with the relatively light coupé (1,340 kg) taking you effortlessly from one bend to another in near go-cart like fashion. What excitement this is! It was no wonder Bond was twice seduced by the Esprit. Eventually 1,400 V8 Esprits were built. This is a rather exclusive car that has more than earnt it place. We can quite understand why buyers back then left the more logical choice of a German or Italian to one side in favour of this distinctive Brit. Do you?