50 years after the original Lotus Esprit concept dazzled the 1975 Paris Motor Show, Encor unveils the Encor Series 1 – a modern, carbon-fibre remastering created with the sole aim of preserving and elevating one of the most recognisable automotive forms ever created.
The Series 1 is the result of a philosophy Encor describes as ‘respectful enhancement’. The design and engineering team behind the project – drawn from experience with Lotus, Aston Martin, Koenigsegg and Skyships Automotive – approached the Esprit not as a blank canvas, but as a piece of cultural heritage. The goal was to remaster it with the sensitivity, craftsmanship and capability of the present day, without disturbing the purity that made it so extraordinary in the first place.
Durrant’s team began by digitally scanning the original Esprit, resurfacing and refining its geometry using modern design tools. The objective was to perfect: tighter highlights, cleaner transitions, greater precision and material honesty. The distinctive two-piece mould line of the 1970s fibreglass body could be removed, replaced by an uninterrupted autoclaved carbon-fibre shell that captures the purity of early sketches.
The result is a form that looks unmistakably Esprit, yet reveals its quality instantly: the tautness of the wheelarch surfaces, the crispness of the shoulder line, the exquisite sharpness of the front volume. The stance subtly broadens to accommodate modern tyres and brake cooling, while the lighting – now ultra-compact LED projectors integrated into low-profile pop-up housings – retains the distinctive wedge front end, but with contemporary performance and a cleaner aerodynamic face.
Even the wheels speak the same language of reverence. Inspired by the original slot-mag design and the later Sport 350 five-spokes, Encor’s forged and billet-machined wheels reinterpret familiar cues with modern structural clarity and proportion.
Beneath the full-carbon body sits the backbone of a Lotus Esprit V8, retained intentionally for continuity of identity and registration. The chassis is stripped, blast-cleaned and refinished before being paired with an entirely reconstructed powertrain. The mid-mounted 3.5-litre twin-turbo V8 receives forged pistons, upgraded injectors, remanufactured turbochargers, a new electronic throttle body, modern fuel and cooling systems, and an all-new stainless exhaust – transforming its character while preserving its unmistakable soul.
Performance targets reflect this upgraded philosophy. The engine now produces approximately 400 bhp, with 350 lb ft of torque, pushing a target kerb weight of under 1,200 kg. Acceleration from 0-62 mph is expected to take four seconds, with a top speed close to 175 mph.
The transmission receives equal attention. Working with Quaife, Encor re-engineers the original five-speed manual with a stronger input shaft, revised ratios, a helical limited-slip differential and a bespoke twin-plate clutch, giving the shift a precision and durability the original never possessed. Suspension components are upgraded to Sport 350 specification; braking is delivered by AP Racing; steering remains hydraulically assisted rather than electric, preserving the tactile, driver-focused character fundamental to the original Esprit.
Inside, the Series 1 preserves the Esprit’s most memorable elements: the dramatically sloped dashboard; the cockpit-like wraparound instrument binnacle; the tartan accents; the sense of sitting deep within a purposeful, driver-centric machine. Yet each element has been rebuilt from the frame outward.
The floating instrument cluster is perhaps the most striking reinterpretation: machined from a single billet of aluminium and wrapped around a modern digital display, it delivers clarity, beauty and a structural honesty impossible in 1975. The carbon-fibre dashboard “T” houses every essential control, putting function exactly where the driver expects it. Seats are restored, re-foamed and re-trimmed, maintaining their original ergonomics while elevating support and finish. Infotainment, climate and camera systems – designed in-house by Skyships – integrated discreetly, providing quiet convenience without disturbing the analogue intent.
GR Snippets
- Encor Reveals the Series 1: a carbon-fibre remastering of the iconic Lotus Esprit, 50 years after its Paris debut.
- The Encor Series 1 is a respectful, ground-up remastering of the original Esprit S1, rebuilt with a carbon bodyshell, modern engineering and a renewed design philosophy.
- Limited production of 50 meticulously re-engineered cars featuring a rebuilt 3.5-litre twin-turbo V8, advanced Skyships electrical architecture and a level of craftsmanship intended to elevate a 20th-century icon into a 21st-century supercar.
