When it comes to legendary sportscars, the Lotus Esprit is certainly a model that should be part of the conversation. After all, it not only stunned the world when it broke cover at the 1975 Paris Motor Show but it also famously became the vehicle of choice for James Bond at one point. Now, 50 years after its sensational debut, Encor presents the Series 1 – a modern, carbon-fibre reinterpretation designed to preserve and elevate one of the most iconic automotive forms ever created.
The Series 1 embodies Encor’s philosophy of ‘respectful enhancement’. Drawing on experience from Lotus, Aston Martin, Koenigsegg, and Skyships Automotive, the design and engineering team approached the Esprit not as a blank canvas but as a cultural artefact. Every refinement honours the car’s original intent while embracing the capabilities of the present day.
Design With Discipline
“The S1 Esprit was forward-thinking, pure and uncompromised,” explains Daniel Durrant, Encor’s Head of Design. “Every line we’ve refined respects the original’s DNA while allowing the car to perform exactly as its silhouette promised.”
The team began by digitally scanning the original Esprit, resurfacing its geometry with precision tools to enhance highlights, transitions, and material fidelity. The fibreglass mould line of the 1970s is replaced with a seamless autoclaved carbon-fibre shell, maintaining the wedge-shaped silhouette while modernising its structural integrity.
Subtle adjustments broaden the stance for contemporary tyres and cooling, while ultra-compact LED projectors retain the wedge front end’s distinctive character. Forged and billet-machined wheels reinterpret classic slot-mag and Sport 350 designs with modern proportions.
Modern Day Performance
Beneath the carbon-fibre body sits the backbone of a Lotus Esprit V8, rebuilt and upgraded. The mid-mounted 3.5-litre twin-turbo V8 features forged pistons, modern injectors, upgraded turbos, a new throttle body, and an all-new stainless exhaust. Producing approximately 400 bhp and 350 lb ft of torque, the Series 1 hits 0-100kmh in around four seconds, with a top speed approaching 280kmh.
The transmission is a re-engineered five-speed manual with a helical limited-slip differential and twin-plate clutch. Suspension and braking are upgraded to Sport 350 specification, while hydraulically assisted steering preserves the analogue, driver-focused experience.
Balancing Past And Present
Inside, the cockpit retains its iconic sloped dashboard, wraparound instrument binnacle, and tartan accents, while modern materials and discreet infotainment enhance comfort without compromising analogue purity. The floating aluminium instrument cluster encases a digital display with structural elegance, and seats are re-foamed and re-trimmed for superior ergonomics and finish.
Production is strictly limited to 50 individually commissioned cars worldwide, with prices starting at £430,000, excluding taxes, options, and the required donor Esprit V8. The Series 1 is more than a supercar: it is a labour of reverence, fusing heritage, precision engineering, and analogue purity into a truly contemporary classic.
(Images: Encor Design)
