Encor, a UK-based company founded by former employees from Aston Martin, Koenigsegg, Lotus, Pagani and Porsche, has unveiled Series 1 – a modern take on the Lotus Esprit with a transaxle V8. Only 50 examples will be made, priced from £430,000.
Daniel Durrant, former design supervisor of the Lotus Emira project, styled the all-carbon exterior to resemble that of the first-generation Esprit armed with a four-cylinder engine (see video). The S1 generation went into production in 1976 and dropped out in 1978. It was co-designed with famous Italian automotive designer Giorgetto Giugiaro with quirky traits such as glass-fiber body panels and pop-up headlights. The replica is a faithful recreation, but it has carbon panels and LED lights.
The basis for the Encor Series 1 is a last-generation Esprit chassis, the S4. It came out in 1994 and stayed in production until 2004. Lotus shipped it with various engines ranging from four-cylinders to a 3.5-liter, twin-turbo, flat-plane V8 capable of 355 PS (350 hp / 261 kW).
It’s unknown how much better off the restomod will be, but there is little doubt it will surpass its predecessor, which weighed in at 1,300 kilos (2,866 pounds) and needed 4.1 seconds to reach 60 miles per hour (96.6 km/h).
The interior remains to be revealed, but we expect it to be trimmed with leather, Alcantara and aluminum while preserving the original style and layout. A modern HVAC and surround view cameras are also high on our list of expectations.
