Sold! | The best used Lotuses you missed out on

A lot of people think the automotive press is full of lead-footed racing driver wannabes who’ll rag the hell out of a test car in the name of chip-paper journalism. So when a press car winds up on the used market, it can sometimes attract a crowd of naysayers wailing about the hard life it’s almost certainly led. But that’s rarely the case, because manufacturers pour thousands into their press fleets to keep them in as-new condition, as Lotus would have done with this Esprit V8 Twin Turbo show car. On top of that, its one-of-one spec has been treated to an array of upgrades by its previous owner, upping power from 355hp to 507hp. All of which proved hugely appealing for bidders, with the hammer falling at £48,562 including the buyer’s premium. A great result for a little-known piece of Lotus history, and proof you should never underestimate an older presser. 

The Lotus Elise and the K-Series engine felt like a match made in heaven. Both built in Britain, both as light as can be. But, as you know, the K-Series has a habit of blowing its head gasket at 40,000 miles if left alone, and likes to get very hot if it’s pushed too hard. So, a few years into the Series 2’s lifecycle, Lotus ditched the K-Series and replaced it with the more sensible – yet considerably more reliable – Toyota 2ZZ-GE. The R was a good 30hp up on the older 111S, and sounded like a touring car as it climbed up to an 8,000rpm redline. No surprise that it’s one of the most sought after Series 2s around, with the £27,995 price tag of this Burnt Orange example representing a sizeable premium over a 111S. But in return, you’re getting a faster, more dependable sports car with a dollop of peace of mind to go with it.  

One of the great things about buying and selling a Lotus is that values rarely fall off a cliff or skyrocket through the stratosphere. But if you were to put one on your ‘get this now before prices get silly’, you’d probably want to make it a Series 1 Exige. It’s the rarest of the three generations with just 604 produced; the car had genuine racing pedigree (it being a road-going version of the Motorsport Elise), and precious few of those that are left are in original condition. So this 2001 car already has a lot going for it, while a full specialist service history and suspension overhaul made it even more enticing to bidders. The hammer hit the gavel at £30,016 including the buyer’s fee, which is a good deal more than the going rate of a standard S2 Exige with similar mileage. Who knows what it’d go for if it were to pass through our auctions again, but there’s no doubt the new owner’s already getting their money’s worth. 

You’ll have your own opinion as to what constitutes the perfect Evora. You may think it’s the original, given it’s considerably cheaper than the later specials and yet still packs the same 3.5-litre V6 as every other variant (minus a supercharger and a bit of power), or you may think the GT430 deserves a nod as the quickest and most extreme of all the Evoras. But you’d be hard pressed to argue against the runout GT410 Sport, which mixed some of the GT430’s track-honed hardware with a more road-focused setup, while doing away with the pointy wings. Obviously, it’ll cost set you back a fair bit more than a standard Evora or the supercharged S, with this 2019 example originally listed at £62,995. But as long as the Emira continues to divide opinions, there’ll be buyers clambering to get their hands on one of Hethel’s finest GTs. 

Hard to believe anyone could find excess weight in an Elise, but Lotus somehow managed to drop 28kg with the Club Racer. But that’s what you get when you fit a lightweight battery, track-developed air box and exhaust system, and chuck out the air con, insulation, radio and floor mats. It was originally exclusive on the 1.6-litre, but was later offered on the 1.8-litre supercharged version with spectacular results. That’s the car we have here, though it brings back some creature comforts like air con at the expense of weight. Nevertheless, the S Club Racer is one of the finest ways to experience the third and sadly final iteration of the Elise, so it’s little wonder why it bagged a strong £28,676 including the buyer’s premium at auction. All the underbidders will be as green as the paintwork of the lucky winner, but it does make you wonder how the seller will top it with their next car…

If you’d like to sell a Ferrari or any other premium, performance or collectable car, please submit your car’s details here and a consignor will be in touch. Or, if you’d prefer to list your car on the PistonHeads classifieds, you can do so here.

*Auction car prices shown are inclusive of the buyer’s fee which is 6% of the selling price + VAT, with a minimum of £695 + VAT.