1989 Lotus Esprit Turbo

​It is the X180 body as updated by Lotus Designer Peter Stevens for first release in 1988. This Lotus is a special '40th Anniversary of Lotus' edition. All 40th Anniversary editions had unique Pearlescant paint with matching wheel colour, high bootlid spoiler and a Blue/Grey leather interior. They also have a metal plaque on the glovebox with 40th Anniversary information and a unique number, '57' in this case.

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This Lotus was an Australian delivered model and sold by Monarch Motors in Melbourne in 1989.

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THE RESTORATION

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After transporting the car to the sunshine coast the car was examined in detail and a multi stage restoration plan was created.

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STAGE 1

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Original new pearlescent wheels were sourced from the UK along with a correct steering wheel and 40th Anniversary steering wheel crash pad.

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Shock absorbers were rebuilt and new bushings replaced the perished ones. A major rebuild of the pop up headlights was necessary as water had corroded the headlights, mounting and adjustment plates, along with the pop up headlight motors - due to drain holes in the headlight pods being blocked.

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Front and rear brake discs were removed, machined and painted with heat proof caliper paint, then refitted as per photo.

 

All brake calipers were removed and tested by a local brake specialist. Bolts and other fittings were renewed, calipers painted with heat proof paint and refitted. Brake lines were then flushed and replaced with high performance Dot4 rated fluid.

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With the wheels, the plan was to attempt to source some original Lotus wheels and have them painted to match the original Pearlescent white. Instead we were lucky enough to track down 3 brand new Pearlescent wheels still in their box !!! ... and one silver wheel (painted to match). After having them freighted from the UK they were fitted and look brilliant.
 
Tyres were difficult to source due to the 15 inch rims and staggered fitment front to rear. Settled on Pirelli P600's for the rear (235/60-15) and Bridgestone Adrenalin's for the front

(195/60-15). This is now the correct wheel and tyre size and is as the car was sold originally.

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STAGE 2

 

At this stage the car was a joy to drive, being returned back to the way the factory had intended. The next step was to repair the items not working correctly. The electric mirror switch was repaired and the power windows serviced to have them operate correctly. The air conditioning system was overhauled and many new parts installed such as compressor, dryer and most fittings. 

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STAGE 3

 

This stage took the car off the road as the majority of the interior was taken out of the car. The interior leather was discoloured in many places and some sun damage to the centre console was evident. The restoration was a combination of recolouring the leather that was OK and replacing the leather panels where necassery. Colour matching was achieved by the Leather Doctor who were able to colour both the old and new leather to be the same.

The binnacle housing the guages was dismantled and the old cracking woodgrain veneer stripped. The correct burr elm veneer was sourced from the US and fixed, cut, sanded and glossed returning it back to the striking original look.

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The interior was now back to its original glory with the 2 tone blue looking stunning. The correct steering wheel and centre pad were installed, the stereo was replaced and the missing sound equaliser, similar to the original, added.

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STAGE 4 - Future Work

 

The intention is to clean up the engine bay, repaint & upgrade all the hoses to new. 

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Dyno Power Run Results

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CAR SPECS:

• 1989 Lotus Esprit

• 40th Anniversary edition

• Turbocharged 2.2 ltr

REPORT:

• HP 224.4

• TORQUE 276 NM