Lotus Esprit Reimagined by Encor Design

Encor has revealed the Series 1, a limited-edition remastered Lotus Esprit featuring a full carbon-fibre body and a comprehensively rebuilt twin-turbo V8.

Encor Series 1 front

Image: Encor Design

UK-based restomod specialist Encor Design has unveiled the Series 1, a limited-edition, remastered take on the iconic Lotus Esprit. Production is capped at 50 units, marking 50 years since the original Esprit debuted at the Paris Motor Show in 1975.

To recreate the car, the original Esprit was digitally scanned and its fibreglass body replaced with a full carbon-fibre shell. The new body preserves the Esprit’s angular silhouette but introduces sharper, more contemporary lines. The trademark wedge profile remains, and is now paired with a cleaner, more aerodynamic nose, while the pop-up headlamps are enhanced with modern LED projectors. Encor’s forged, billet-machined wheels pay homage to both the Esprit’s early ‘slot-mag’ design and the later Sport 350’s five-spoke alloys.

Underneath, the donor chassis is stripped, blast-cleaned and repainted, before receiving a comprehensively rebuilt 3.5-litre twin-turbo V8. The engine gains forged pistons, upgraded injectors, a modern electronic throttle body, and updated fuel and cooling systems, plus a new stainless-steel exhaust. Outputs sit at around 300 kW and 474 N.m. Paired with a carbon-fibre body that tips the scales at under 1 200 kg, Encor claims a 0–100 km/h time of roughly 4.0 seconds and a top speed of about 281 km/h.

Staying true to the Esprit’s analogue heritage, power is channelled to the road through a re-engineered five-speed manual gearbox, assisted by a bespoke twin-plate clutch and a helical limited-slip differential. Suspension upgrades and AP Racing brakes complete the mechanical overhaul, while hydraulic steering is retained for authenticity.

Inside, the Series 1 preserves the Esprit’s driver-focused cockpit, sloping dashboard and tartan detailing, now elevated with modern craftsmanship. A floating instrument cluster, machined from a single billet of aluminium, houses a digital display. A carbon-fibre dashboard seamlessly integrates into the centre console, housing essential physical controls and a wooden gear knob. The seats and door cards are reupholstered in leather with tartan inserts, finished with Encor-embroidered headrests.

Each of the 50 Encor Series 1 models is individually commissioned and priced from £430 000 (approximately R9.7 million), excluding taxes, options and the donor Esprit V8.

Click here to browse thousands of new and used vehicles here with CARmag!

The post Lotus Esprit Reimagined by Encor Design appeared first on CAR Magazine.


The Car Guide

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Porsche’s Panamera Goes Bulletproof in SA

Image
A first for the South African market, Armoured Mobility has handed the Porsche Panamera a bulletproof package. Here’s what you can expect…  Image: Armoured Mobility Looking for your next new or used Porsche? Find it here with CARmag! Equipped with a B6 armouring package, Armoured Mobility has launched South Africa’s first-ever bulletproof Porsche Panamera. The Panamera model in question comes in the shape of the Turbo, which, seen here, has been “expertly” modified to withstand an array of ballistic threats. The Armoured Mobility-converted Panamera is bulletproof to rounds of rifles such as AK47s, and R1 and R5 rifles. According to the firm, the armouring kit it has handed to the German marque’s saloon sets a new standard for armoured vehicles on local shores, combining the safety provided by this package with luxury and without compromising the donor car’s style and performance. In fact, the company says the B6 protection-equipped Panamera represents the epitome of automoti...
Read more

Top 10 Best-Selling Automotive Brands Locally – April 2024

Image
Following eight consecutive months of sales decline, the milestone of celebrating a century of vehicle production locally saw a welcomed increase in the motor industry for April 2024. Have a look at the data below, which sees Toyota drop in sales but retain the top spot, with Suzuki moving into second and Nissan dropping to the bottom of the list without the NP200 rolling off of the production line. Image: Toyota Looking for your next new or used Porsche? Find it here with CARmag! South Africa is marking 2024 as a significant year for its automotive industry, celebrating 100 years of car manufacturing. Mikel Mabasa, CEO of naamsa , the country’s automotive business council, commented, “As the sun rises on a century of automotive innovation, South Africa proudly commemorates a century of automobile manufacturing excellence. This milestone reflects a journey of resilience, ingenuity, and passion that has shaped the nation’s automotive legacy.” Details on how the industry will commem...
Read more

BMW’s Plant Rosslyn Firing on All Cylinders to Keep Up With X3 Demand

Image
Despite being on offer for several weeks now, the all-new G45 X3 has officially been launched in South Africa and BMW has provided an exclusive tour of its retooled Plant Rosslyn facility that produces and exports this popular SUV.  Image: BMW Looking for a new or used BMW? Find it here with CARmag! When BMW says this is a popular model it continues to demonstrate the shift in consumer preference for high-riding SUVs. Depending on the market, the X3 has become BMW’s most commonly sold staple and since production commenced in October 2024, the new BMW X3 has been met with overwhelming demand from South African customers, with all available stock either sold or on order. Of this undisclosed figure, around 10% of sales comprise the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) BMW X3 30e xDrive, underscoring a growing interest in electrified vehicles and BMW’s leadership in the ‘New Energy Vehicles’ segment. The popularity of the X3 30e xDrive has driven a 45% surge in monthly retail r...
Read more