RACER FOR THE ROAD
Taking a leaf out of Porsche’s book, Lotus Cars, USA, will market a Club Sport-style Esprit Turbo SE. Only 20 will be built, the cost of such exclusivity being approximately “$125,000.”
The “race car replicas,” as Lotus calls them, celebrate the marque’s successes this year in the Sports Car Club of America’s Escort World Challenge series. (At this writing, the Esprits of Doc Bundy and Scott Lagasse had won four of seven races.) Available only with a monochromatic white exterior, they feature larger wheels, tires, and brakes; stiffened suspension; and a driver-side seat harness.
Meantime, the Lotus Elan SE, which was supposed to arrive here in June with a sticker of $33,900, should finally reach U.S. showrooms in December, asking for a snip less than $40,000.…