Lotus Turbo Esprit

40 years ago today......24th June 1981 and the World Premiere of the Bond film For Your Eyes Only at the Odeon Leicester Square, London attended by Lady Diana Spencer...and the unveiling of the latest Bond car...the Lotus Turbo Esprit.

David Thieme’s Essex Overseas Petroleum Company had signed a deal to become the Lotus F1 Team sponsors for the 1980 and ‘81 seasons. As part of the $8M deal, the first 100 Esprit Turbo’s produced would be in Essex livery of Monaco blue with chrome and red graphics and a bright scarlet leather interior in tribute to the Lotus F1 cars.

Thieme was arrested in 1981 accused of an $7.6M fraud, and Lotus distanced themselves from the Essex association and the livery dropped. Even before this, Esprit Turbo’s in non Essex livery had already been coming off the production line. One of these cars, Chassis 10930, was white with red graphics and tobacco interior. Registered OPW 654W on the 5th September 1980, it was initially used as a press demonstrator before being lent to United Artists for the Bond film together with Chassis 10858 which was the first Esprit Turbo prototype. That was in Essex livery, but was re-sprayed white to match 10930.

The cars were taken to Corfu where filming of the early scenes took place. The cars were fitted with the plate OPW678W. This plate was registered on to a blue Esprit on the 7th January 1981 – chassis 10858. A rolling chassis was also supplied which would be blown up.

The Bond team wanted to maintain continuity with the previous film, The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), when Bond used a white Esprit S1.

The action then switched from Corfu to Cortina, and the cars had returned to Hethel to be re-sprayed Copper Fire Metallic with cream and gold leather interior. Legend has it, that this was so that the car stood out against the snowy backdrop.

After filming, both cars were then used for promotional purposes, chassis 10930 was the car that appeared at the premiere. Lotus retained the car until 1988.

In celebration, here is a 1983 Lotus Esprit Turbo @CrashBoxClub 2019.

@oldclassiccar @CandSCmagazine #lotuscars @LotusDriverClub @BritBuiltCars #lotus #esprit