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Car and Driver

1988 Lotus Esprit Turbo Archive Road Test

From the June 1988 issue of Car and Driver. At 120 mph the tiny engine is wound tight, and the world beyond the windshield is hurtling by you in a violent blur, and the wheel is quivering in your hands, and the seat of your pants feels the urgent beat of the tar strips as you rocket over the narrow two-lane at two miles per minute, the en­gine note climbing, climbing, and your view liquefying into a frenzied funnel of road and trees and sunlight and leaves and the flat, fiberglass projectile surrounding you going fast, faster, so fast you actually feel the speed. And then you shift into fifth. Speed. It's the essence of the new Lotus Esprit Turbo. Admit it: You weren't lured to these pages by a desire to enrich your knowledge of drag coefficients or suspen­sion settings or headlamp washers. You're here to read about speed, and we promise not to disappoint you. Twisted to the top of fifth gear, the new Esprit Turbo pulls all the way to 148 mph. From a standing start, it storms to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds and flashes through the quarter-mile lights in 14.1 seconds at 97 mph. If those numbers don't impress you (and they should), consider one additional fact: The Esprit Turbo achieves them with a 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine. From 0 to 60 mph, the new Lotus is the quickest four­-cylinder-powered car available in the United States. View Photos George Lepp | Car and Driver The 1988 Esprit Turbo, in fact, is one of the quickest cars in the U.S. of any kind. Consider a few comparisons. The V-8-powered Mustang GT accelerates from 0 to 60 in 6.3 seconds. The new Porsche 944 Turbo S hits 60 mph in 5.5 seconds. The automatic-equipped Cor­vette reaches 60 mph in 5.6 seconds and the quarter-mile in 14.3 seconds at 94 mph. Properly launched, the Esprit Turbo trounces them all. Only a handful of un­compromising speed machines—the Ferrari Testarossa, the Lamborghini Countach, and three of the most expensive Porches—can better the Esprit both from 0 to 60 and in the quarter-mile. Only a few more can match or exceed its termi­nal velocity. The new Lotus Esprit Turbo, in short, is a seriously fast car. As you have already noticed, the new Esprit Turbo is also a seriously attractive car. More attractive than ever, we think, and that brings us to the big news this year. Though built on the same chassis as last year's car, the 1988 Esprit Turbo flaunts a stunning new exterior shape and a thoroughly revised cockpit. Please feel free to drool. View Photos George Lepp | Car and Driver It took guts to tamper with Giugiaro's original Esprit design. If Lotus had spoiled the famous wedge-shaped sports car, introduced in 1975, it would have had to answer to such Esprit aficionados as James Bond. Fortunately, the factory in Hethel, England, appears to be safe from Q's lethal gadgets, for Lotus has pulled off the reskin with flair and panache. (We're told that the updated edition doesn't drive underwater, but we bet 007 is pleased with it anyway.) Restyled completely in-house, the new Esprit Turbo is softer, sleeker, and more refined than the original. That it looks distinctly different is remarkable be­cause, with its chassis unchanged, none of the car's dimensions could be significantly altered. Easily as provocative and atten­tion-grabbing as the original, the new Es­prit Turbo is even sexier and more rakish. Except for the Lamborghini Countach and a few Ferraris, no other road car causes so much "Look at that!" rubber­necking. The Esprit Turbo is also gorgeous on the inside. The old car drew criticism for its claustrophobic cockpit; the new car's cabin, though far from perfect, is notice­ably better. Thanks to a reshaped trans­mission tunnel, there is more room for hips and thighs. At last, the seats offer rake adjustment, so trying to find a decent driv­ing position is no longer an exercise in frustration. The dash has been rede­signed, and many of the switches operate more easily and with better feel. New leather dash and door trim sets off the sumptuous Connolly-leather seats. A su­perb three-spoke, leather-wrapped steer­ing wheel completes the luxurious but purposeful driving environment. View Photos George Lepp | Car and Driver Opulent as it is, the Esprit's cabin still suffers from a number of shortcomings. The footwells are so cramped that operat­ing the pedals is like trying to play the pi­ano with your toes. The thick steering wheel, which does not adjust, blocks the tops of some of the instruments unless you recline the seat as far back as possible. Surprisingly, the instrument layout still lacks an oil-temperature gauge. Worst of all is the crude climate-control panel. A build-it-yourself Heathkit version would look better and work more smoothly. Underneath its slinky new body, the Es­prit Turbo is completely unchanged. In the rumpus room, right behind the driv­er's head, sits the same turbocharged, six­teen-valve, 2.2-liter four-cylinder that powered last year's car. Fortified with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection in 1986, the all-aluminum engine churns out 215 horsepower at 6250 rpm and 192 pound-feet of torque at 5000. Sleeker than ever, the 1988 Esprit Turbo makes the most of that power: its 148-mph top speed is 5 mph faster than the old car's. Indeed, our 1988 test car probably would have gone even faster if not for its rev lim­iter, which inexplicably cut in before the engine could reach its 7000-rpm redline in top gear. View Photos George Lepp | Car and Driver Fast as the Esprit Turbo is, dizzying ve­locity is only one of its talents. Lotuses are renowned for their handling prowess, and the new Esprit doesn't disappoint. Several staffers returned from Esprit afternoons with the same conclusion: the new Turbo thinks it's a single-seat race car. Its steer­ing response is go-kart quick, and hard cornering produces almost no body roll. It exhibits more understeer than we ex­pected, but you can slide the tail out with a sudden move on or off the power. Shod with fat Goodyear NCT tires-195/60VR-15s in front and 235/60VR-15s in back—our test car circled the skidpad at a vein-popping 0.86 g, one of the highest such figures we have ever recorded. De­spite its grip and its four disc brakes, though, our Esprit required 196 feet to stop from 70 mph. And, sadly, Lotus still does not offer anti-lock brakes. We think ABS should be standard on any car that so loves to be driven fast. View Photos George Lepp | Car and Driver Scratch that: this car needs to be driven fast. The open road is the Esprit Turbo's element. Its steering, slow and heavy in traffic, becomes lighter and more precise at speed. Its wonderfully smooth engine, generally obedient but not happy around town, comes to life above 4000 rpm. Driv­ing hard, you find the rhythm of the car. It begs to show you what it was designed to do. Before you know it you're snapping off shifts at 7000 rpm, squirting from cor­ner to corner in explosive bursts of turbo­charged fury, and sailing through turns faster than you've ever dared. And you're grinning like a born-again fool. All of the race-car essentials are in evidence: the low-slung driving position, the ferocious engine, the stubby shifter, the narrow footwell, even the sky over your head if you remove the sunroof. Driving an Esprit Turbo is the next-best thing to having your own Formula 1 machine. View Photos George Lepp | Car and Driver Don't let our giddiness mislead you, however. We are not yet ready to cash in our pensions for an Esprit Turbo. Our test car squeaked and rattled over harsh pavement, the engine displayed a nasty tendency to stall at stoplights, and the rev limiter limited our fun. We even had trou­ble getting into and out of the cocoonlike cockpit. Such annoyances do not make for all-out automotive lust. And then there's the question of mon­ey—a $64,000 question. Corvette owners will rightly assert that their steeds perform as well as the Esprit and are more comfort­able—at half the price. The Esprit Turbo, of course, isn't a ra­tional car. It's a toy for those who can af­ford it; a race car for country roads and weekend blasts. It's a stylish, potent exotic for those who, unlike most of us, have the money to indulge in its undeni­able charms. Lotus plans to sell only 400 Esprit Tur­bos in the U.S. this year, including 88 Commemorative Editions. That should be just enough to keep the well-heeled boy racers on our shores from embarrass­ing themselves by trying out for Formula 1. The rest of us, if we're lucky, will catch an occasional glimpse. View Photos George Lepp | Car and Driver Counterpoints It's been said that only a madman would consider owning one of these ex­pensive, cramped, ergonomically de­ranged devices. If that's so, measure me for one of those canvas car coats with the extralong sleeves that tie in the back. The Lotus Esprit Turbo is fast, flashy, and fine. To feel it leap under your spur is to know what sudden speed was meant to be, but to look at its price is to suffer the degradation of fiscal self-pity. There ought to be more room in the footwells, the instruments could be a bit more visible, and getting out of the car after the parking brake has been set could be a little less like trying to crawl out of a train wreck. And it costs $64,000. The Lotus Esprit Turbo is, by com­monly accepted principles of reason and good sense, an expensive, impracti­cal car. Cher or Madonna would be an expensive, impractical companion by those same stupid, petulant yardsticks. —William Jeanes View Photos George Lepp | Car and Driver The Lotus Esprit Turbo has all the ele­ments that define an exotic sports car: an outrageous price tag, exclusivity, ex­hilarating performance, and, of course, numerous shortcomings. Given the en­gineering expertise at Lotus's disposal, some of those shortcomings are difficult to accept. If Lotus's suspension experts are smart enough to master active suspen­sion, why does the Esprit pound so hard over small bumps? If Lotus has been building composite structures for near­ly 80 years, why does the Esprit's chassis creak and groan so loudly? And if Lotus's designers could rework the Esprit's skin so beautifully, why couldn't they figure out how to keep the steering wheel from blocking the instruments or the engaged hand brake from barricad­ing the driver's feet? State-of-the-art engineering and painstaking production development appear to be two different things. —Csaba Csere I didn't want to like the Esprit Turbo. Sure, it's got a sensational body, but try comparing it with mass-produced cars of similar performance. A twelve-cylin­der BMW 750iL will go faster while pro­viding limousine-like accommodations for four. A Corvette will hang with the Esprit Turbo in the critical go, stop, and turn contests, and it costs only half as much. But then I spent the better part of a day behind the wheel, and the Esprit cast a spell over me. Every time I glanced at the speedo, I was in con­tempt of traffic court. The tach needle always seemed to be at 7000 rpm. It was easy for the Walter Mitty in me to imag­ine that the Lotus F1 team had worked on the handling: the Esprit felt like a for­mula car. What can I say? Trying to be rational about a car like this is totally irrational. And now a word to those few who can actually afford an Esprit: If you expect automotive perfection for your 60-odd grand, go buy a big German luxo­cruiser. But if you want a car that moves your soul as well as it moves your body, drop into the Lotus store. —Rich Ceppos Specifications Specifications 1988 Lotus Esprit Turbo Vehicle Type: mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe PRICE Base/As Tested: $63,645/$63,645 ENGINE turbocharged DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, port fuel injection Displacement: 133 in3, 2174 cm3 Power: 215 hp @ 6250 rpm Torque: 192 lb-ft @ 5000 rpm TRANSMISSION 5-speed manual CHASSIS Suspension, F/R: control arms/multilink Brakes, F/R: 10.2-in vented disc/10.8-in disc Tires: Goodyear Eagle NCT60 F: 195/60VR-15 R: 235/60VR-15 DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 97.8 in Length: 170.2 in Width: 73.2 in Height: 45.7 in Passenger Volume: 47 ft3 Trunk Volume/R: 8 ft3 Curb Weight: 2885 lb C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 5.3 sec 1/4-Mile: 14.1 sec @ 97 mph 100 mph: 15.5 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 13.0 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 8.7 sec Top Speed: 148 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 196 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.86 g C/D FUEL ECONOMY Observed: 18 mpg EPA FUEL ECONOMY Combined/City/Highway: 17/27 mpg C/D TESTING EXPLAINED