Lotus Esprit remastered in carbon fibre? That’s the Encor Series 1

Classic Lotus sports cars have been unfairly overlooked in the rush to restomod the great and the good of the automotive world, but with the Encor Series 1, that oversight is coming to an end.

Taking the original series 1 Lotus Esprit as inspiration, and the later Esprit V8 as its basis, the Encor Series 1 is a carbon-bodied remastering of one of Lotus’s – arguably, one of motoring’s – most iconic shapes.

A team with experience in brands such as Porsche, Pagani, Aston Martin, Koenigsegg, and Lotus itself is behind the Encor Series 1, which retains the backbone chassis of the original but replaces the old fibreglass body with a lighter, stiffer, and much more precisely-constructed carbon fibre one.

Encor’s shadowy teaser images don’t reveal all, but it’s clear the Esprit’s Giugiaro-designed shape is still intact, especially that wedge-shaped profile, but the details have clearly been refined - the designer on the project is Daniel Durrant, formerly lead designer on the Lotus Emira.

The pop-up headlights remain, but Encor says these are now low-profile LED units, and where once there was a chunky front bumper there by necessity, there’s now a sunken panel housing auxiliary lights. Encor has reinterpreted the chin spoiler of the original too.

Most notable to us is that the new carbon body appears to have ditched the early Esprit’s distinctive dividing line – a necessity of the fibreglass construction that ended up being a defining feature, encircling the entire car. Also missing are the original’s Morris Marina-sourced door handles. They might have looked a little out of place in fairness, but as the Encor Series 1’s flanks appear unsullied by handles of any type, we’re guessing there’s another way of opening them.

The Encor creation uses the Esprit V8 as a donor. Its chassis, engine and gearbox allow the car to retain its identity, though naturally, Encor rebuilds the 3.5-litre, twin-turbo unit, which first arrived on the platform in 1996. The company promises higher performance and better driveability – no doubt modern engine management will be employed to help with that – though Encor hasn’t yet revealed full details.

There are no interior images as yet either, but the company says it has reinterpreted the cockpit with “leather, Alcantara, and machined aluminium”. It also says it has integrated Apple CarPlay, modern climate control, and 360-degree parking cameras in a discreet fashion – again enhancing usability without taking away from the car’s character.

Retaining the proper Esprit feel is something Encor founder Simon Lane (previously of Q by Aston Martin, and Lotus Advance Performance) is clearly keen on, saying “anyone can modify a car… what sets us apart is the way we treat the Esprit – not as a project, but as a responsibility. Progress should enhance, not replace.”

Full details will follow in November, but in the meantime, Encor says the Series 1 will cost from £430,000 excluding options, taxes, and the Esprit V8 donor vehicle – so budget somewhere north of half a million if you want to put one of the 50 examples in your garage.

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