2017 Lotus Esprit
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2017 Lotus Evora Sport 410: one-off special remembers iconic James Bond Esprit S1
Remember the amphibious Lotus Esprit S1 from the 1977 Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me? Well, the bods at Lotus Exclusive – the UK brand's in-house personalisation department – have tried to recreate the iconic model in celebration of the original car's on-screen debut, some 40 years ago.
Based on the standard Lotus Evora Sport 410 revealed back in February 2016, the modern interpretation of James Bond's submersible Lotus Esprit S1 (dubbed 'Wet Nellie') was commissioned through Lotus Exclusive, and features a range of design cues drawing inspiration from the famous 1970's movie car.
Such touches include a two-tone colour-coded front bumper, a trick-painted one-piece carbon-fibre tailgate (part white to give the illusion of a traditional liftback), a black, full-length 'coach line', unique B-pillar decals, and heritage Tartan interior trimming and red contrast stitching highlights.
Underneath, though, the one-off is identical to the car it's based on. With the normal 1280kg Evora Sport 410 powered by a 306kW/420Nm supercharged 3.5-litre V6, that's no bad thing.
Additionally, it means the new Bond-themed Lotus should still be able to go from 0-100km/h in 4.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 300km/h.
Group Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales said customers have been embracing the Lotus Exclusive service, with 25 per cent of new-car orders receiving some level of personalisation.
"It is well established that Lotus cars come with benchmark performance as standard," Gales said, adding, "Now, thanks to the skilled team at Hethel, responsible for hand-building all Lotus cars since 1966, you can specify a Lotus that perfectly reflects your personal tastes."
Limited to 150 examples annually worldwide, the range-topping Lotus Evora Sport 410 is available in Australia, priced from $199,990 (before on-road costs). That said, securing your own Lotus Esprit S1-styled one… that could be a different story.
You could, of course, always save up for the original movie car, however, which last sold for more than $930,000 at a UK auction back in 2013.
What do you think? Has Lotus hit the mark with its homage to James Bond's deep-diving Lotus Esprit S1, or should it be left at the bottom of the ocean? Let us know in the comments section below.
Source: https://www.drive.com.au/news/2017-lotus-evora-sport-410-one-off-special-remembers-iconic-james-bond-esprit-s1/
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