The Esprit's backbone chassis was later adapted to carry the body of the DeLorean car, another low-bodied, Giugiaro-drawn, sharp-creased, wedge-shaped sportscar design.

In 1994, an official Series 4 Esprit, drawn by designer Julian Thomson, had a further rounded shape, especially the bumper sections and lower body of the car.

Over the years, the performance of the Esprit's 4-cylinder engine was increased from around 150 PS (148 hp; 110 kW) and just under 200 N⋅m (148 lb⋅ft) of torque, to double those power figures, mainly through greater inlet and exhaust flow, and strong turbo-charging.

Contrary to a long list of low-volume British (sports) cars, with the 3.5 l Rover V8 engine, the Esprit received a Lotus in-house designed V8.

According to Italdesign, Chapman was disappointed with the wind-tunnel test results with the model and halted the project, but the Italian coachbuilder pressed on and built a full-size mock-up on a stretched, modified Europa chassis.

That nameless prototype, often simply called "the Silver Car", appeared on the Italdesign stand at the 1972 Turin Auto Show and the positive reception convinced Chapman to approve further development.

[2] The Esprit was launched in October 1975 at the Paris Motor Show and entered production in June 1976, replacing the Europa in the Lotus model lineup.

The engine was mounted longitudinally behind the passengers and drove the rear wheels through a Citroën C35 5-speed manual transaxle also used in the SM and Maserati Merak.

[10] External changes included intake and cooling ducts added behind the rear quarter windows; bigger, ribbed taillights, this time from the Rover SD1, and a new front spoiler that was now integrated, folding rearward under the nose and so forming the start of the car's initially modest, thin black side-skirts.

Other changes included relocating the battery from above the right side fuel tank under the rear quarter window to the rear of the car, adding an access door to the engine cover, installing wider seats and replacing the Veglia instrument cluster with individual gauges made by Smiths and a new style of illuminated dashboard switches.

[11] Lotus' production records are notoriously vague, but reliable estimates suggest that 149 Commemorative Esprit cars were made.

This special edition model wore the blue, red and chrome livery of the Essex Overseas Petroleum Corporation, the sponsor of Team Lotus from 1979 to 1981.

The HCi variant added Bosch KE-Jetronic fuel injection and a catalytic converter to the Turbo HC engine.

Equipped with an intercooled and turbocharged 1,994 cc (121.7 cu in) version of the 900-series engine that had a power output of 243 PS (179 kW; 240 hp) at 6,250 rpm, this model appeared in December 1991.

These cars were designated Type 105 and were campaigned by the Pure Sports team headed by "Doc" Bundy, who helped with development.

These were developed to homologate parts for the 1991 and 1992 racing seasons, specifically to allow an Esprit to campaign in IMSA's newly formed Bridgestone Supercar Championship.

They were fitted with a full roll cage, reduced sound insulation, special bucket seats, competition-type disc brakes, synchromesh gearbox with limited-slip differential, 16" Revolution racing-style 3-piece wheels, special tuned suspension and shock package, racing-type front spoiler and rear wing, and competition type mirrors.

Three more race cars were built for the 1991 season to be run by Lotus Sport alongside the two upgraded 105s in the American IMSA Bridgestone Supercar Championship.

The engine was modified with larger fuel injectors, a better Chargecooler and the removal of the catalytic converter which caused the output to rise to 305 PS (224 kW; 301 hp).

In 1993, the sanctioning body changed the rules such that the X180R was assessed a 136.1 kg (300 lb) weight penalty, which made the cars uncompetitive.

[32] Esprit sales and production fell sharply in 1991 and 1992 as the SE started to face newer competitors like the Honda NSX.

Other notable interior features included a milled steel gearshift knob and a colour coded central tunnel to complement it.

[42] the ECU in the Sport 350 was remapped to have the same Lotus type 918 power output of 350 horsepower (per the name), but in different rpm / gear range (turbo spool characteristics) compared to the normal SE/GT sales version and had chassis, body and braking improvements that included thinner fibre layer in the body, AP Racing brakes and stiffer springs .

The braking system used AP Racing carbon ceramic discs and calipers, and Penske triple-adjustable gas-pressurised shock absorbers were used at all four wheels.

Alongside the Chevrolet Corvette C5 (which ended production on July 2, 2004), the Esprit was one of the last cars produced with retractable pop-up headlights.

[56] The car was unveiled during Donato Coco's tenure as design chief and was to have featured a futuristic front-end with LED front daytime running lights and a centre-mounted dual exhaust system in the rear.

[57] Power was to come from a 5.0 litre Lexus V8 engine delivering up to 620 PS (456 kW; 612 hp) through a 7-speed dual-clutch transaxle, giving a 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 195 mph.

The interior was to have a futuristic but minimal design which included a digital instrument cluster, a sport steering wheel and carbon fibre trim scattered throughout the cabin.

The alternator on the V8 models was a standard GM unit also found in the V6 Opel Omega B and the earlier Lotus Carlton/Omega, which also provided interior plastic fittings such as door handles and steering column covering.

The clutch master and slave cylinders on 1998 and newer models were Girling parts shared with the series 2A Land Rover.