1976 Lotus Esprit

Estimated Price: £25,000 - £30,000

The 1976 Lotus Esprit Series 1 (S1) is one of the most significant British sports cars ever built. Code-named Project M70, it was designed by legendary Italian stylist Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign and debuted at the October 1975 Paris Motor Show before deliveries officially began in mid-1976

Powered by a 2.0-litre (1,973cc) Lotus Type 907 naturally aspirated inline-4 fuelled through twin Dell'Orto DHLA 45 and offering 160bhp through a 5-speed manual transaxle

Dating from late 1976, this example is presented in Signal Red with a factory interior in Brown and Oatmeal Marcasite cloth

Showing just 25,894 miles, this is a genuine 'garage find', offering an exciting opportunity to acquire one of the most distinctive British sports cars of the 1970s

The engine turns, and the car now presents an appealing basis for recommissioning and returning to the road

The Esprit was owned for many years in Warwickshire by a dedicated car collector and enthusiast, who always intended to get behind the wheel again. Time, however, inevitably passed and the car remained safely stored away

The current owner subsequently acquired the Esprit directly from the family, preserving its Warwickshire provenance and bringing this long-hidden Series 1 back into the enthusiast market

Accompanied by a handful of receipts, a collection of period tax discs, and MOT documentation dating back to 1980, @13,357 miles. The last MOT was issued in 2005, making this an intriguing opportunity to recommission a genuine, low-mileage Series 1.