Lotus’s iconic Esprit celebrates its 50th birthday this month. First unveiled at the 1975 Paris Motor Show, this legendary car, whose sharp, wedge-shaped design defined an era, is getting one of its most special renditions yet: a “restomod” called the Encor Series 1. Here are the details.

Lotus’s Former Masterminds and Supercar Experts Unite

This special birthday celebration not only keeps the traditional Lotus spirit of lightweight construction and handling alive, but also combines the powerful V8 engine from the late models with modern technology and reliability.

Encor, the company behind this ambitious project, stands out for its team. One of the founding partners is former Lotus Advanced Performance Director Simon Lane. The team also includes numerous former Lotus employees, along with experts transferred from supercar giants such as Pagani, Koenigsegg, Aston Martin, and Porsche. Encor has established, so to speak, the “Q-Unit” of the automotive world.

While Encor calls its redesigned Esprit the “Series 1,” it has a curious requirement. Buyers must donate their own Series 4 Esprit (the final V8-powered versions). The foundation of this project will be the Series 4 chassis, housing the powerful V8. Atop this chassis will be a new, all-carbon fiber body, faithful to the original Esprit’s striking, angular design.

The original Esprits, especially in the early years, were quite fast even with modest power output thanks to their light weight. However, over the years, turbocharged engines and eventually the twin-turbo 3.5-liter V8 arrived. Encor takes this V8 and completely redesigns it, not only delivering more power but also improving reliability, putting to rest the “Lots of Trouble, Usually Serious” myth, sometimes humorously uttered by Lotus owners.

The Esprit, driven by James Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only, has become a pop culture icon. Encor aims to bring this legend up to modern speed standards and create a car that can get from point A to point B without calling a tow truck.

But this dream reality won’t come cheap. Like Singer’s Porsche 911 restomods, Encor demands a price for its attention to detail. Buyers must fork over a staggering $579,000, in addition to the donor car they need to source.

This price is steep considering that even the cleanest Esprit models, or the latest V8 versions, sell for about a sixth of that price. However, Encor is creating an ultra-rare piece with the Series 1, of which only 50 units will be produced.

If you already have a Singer in your garage, this cost may seem “reasonable.” Regardless, the Lotus Esprit will celebrate its 50th birthday with a car that both pays tribute to the past and