The Encor Series 1 is a modern update of the original Lotus Esprit and the company has released full images of the finished car 50 years on the launch of Lotus’ first supercar.
Daniel Durrant, Encor’s Head of Design and former Lead Designer at Lotus for the Emira, said: ‘The S1 Esprit was forward-thinking, pure and utterly uncompromised. To touch a shape like this is a huge responsibility. Every line we’ve refined, every decision we’ve made, is about honouring the original’s intent while letting the car perform, feel and function the way its silhouette always promised.’
The Encor team started by 3D scanning an original Esprit S1 before refining its design to incorporate modern touches such as LED headlights and bespoke wheels that look like the original’s slot mags but are larger to cope with the Encor’s uprated power.
The engine in the Encor Series 1 is a Lotus V8 motor with 400bhp and 350lb ft of torque, giving 0-60mph in 4.0 seconds and a top speed of 175mph.
A Quaife five-speed manual gearbox is used, along with AP Racing brakes, and the car weighs in at just 1200kg.
Mike Dickison, Technical Director at Encor, said: ‘Lightness and tactility guide every decision. The Series 1 drives with the purity you imagine from an analogue supercar, yet with a depth of capability the original platform could only dream of. It’s a transformation carried out with complete respect for its DNA.’
A floating digital instrument cluster is a unique element of the Encor car yet also tips its hat to the original design in its style. Encor’s Simon Lane added: ‘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.’
The Encor Series 1 is available to order now costing from £430,000 and only 50 will be built.
