Fifty years after the Lotus Esprit made its debut at the 1975 Paris Motor Show, British firm Encor has unveiled the Series 1; its respectful, ground-up remastering of the original Esprit S1, now made of carbon fibre and reengineered for the 21st century.
Limited to just 50 cars, the Encor Series 1 aims to preserve the spirit of one of the most recognisable silhouettes in automotive design, while improving every element through modern engineering.
Design
The Series 1 is what Encor calls “respectful enhancement”. It’s not about reinventing the Esprit, but refining it. Led by Daniel Durrant, former Lotus Lead Designer on the Emira, the Encor team digitally scanned the original Esprit and then reworked its geometry to sharpen lines, refine transitions, and remove the fibreglass body’s visible mould lines.
The result is a clean, precise carbon-fibre shell that is unmistakably recognisable as an Esprit, with a widened stance for modern tyres and cooling, LED pop-up headlights, and forged wheels that give a nod to both the early slot-mags and later Sport 350 five-spokes.
Classic Meets Contemporary
An original Espirit V8 chassis from a donor car (intentionally kept for continuity of identity and registration) is blast-cleaned and refinished before being paired with a reengineered mid-mounted 3.5-litre twin-turbo V8. The engine, fitted with forged internals, upgraded turbos, a modern fuel system and stainless exhaust, now produces 400 bhp and 350 lb ft of torque. With a kerb weight under 1,200 kg, it’s expected to go from 0mph to 62mph in four seconds and have a top speed close to 175mph.
Each one will have a five-speed manual gearbox, developed with Quaife and featuring revised ratios, a limited-slip differential, and a new twin-plate clutch. Suspension components match Sport 350 spec, with braking from AP Racing and hydraulically assisted steering to retain the analogue feel.
Inside
The cabin stays faithful to the Esprit’s DNA. The sloped dash, deep seating position, and tartan trim are all there, but everything has been rebuilt. An eye-catching feature is the billet-aluminium instrument cluster, housing a digital display in a wraparound binnacle. Climate and infotainment systems, developed in-house by Skyships, are subtly integrated to maintain the minimalist approach.
“This car is analogue at heart. We wanted to avoid the modern tendency toward gadgetry, therefore the technology exists to enhance the experience, not to dominate it.”
Simon Lane, Encor co-founder
The Team
Encor is backed by a team with huge amounts of experience in high-performance automotive design and engineering, including projects at Lotus, Aston Martin, Koenigsegg and Skyships Automotive (a company known for cockpit systems for airships before supplying electronic architecture to supercar manufacturers).
“The Esprit has been part of our story for nearly three decades. We built systems for its owners, we lived with these cars, and now we have the chance to bring all that experience together in a single, deeply considered package. This project has always been about respect.”
William Ives, Skyships co-founder
Availability
Only 50 examples of the Encor Series 1 will be built, each individually commissioned. Prices start at £430,000, not including the required donor Esprit V8, taxes or options. Commissioning takes place at Encor’s Chelmsford HQ, with international consultations available. First deliveries are scheduled for Q2 2026.
To configure your car, visit www.encor.design.
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