1994 Lotus Esprit Sport 300
Pilots: R. Piper, P. Hardman, O. Iacobelli
Team: Lotus Sport / Chamberlain Engineering
Race: DNF (class GT2) at Le Mans in 1994
Spark - S0447 (resin)
Published 06/18/17
Introduced in 1992, the Esprit Sport 300 was as a stripped-out lighter version of the Esprit Turbo. Based on Lotus’s IMSA racing X180R, it used the Lotus 910S engine. The 910S was an inline-4 cylinders with 2174 cm³, 16 valves and DOHC. Turbocharged by a Garrett T3/T4 unit and inter-cooled, it delivered 302 hp. In road trim only 64 cars were produced, and it wasn’t a commercial success. Though it was a pretty quick car (comparable to the Porsche Turbo of the time), the hefty price tag combined with a harsh ride didn’t make the car very popular.
For the 24 Heures du Mans of 1994 Lotus had two works cars in the race, both Esprit. However, both failed to finish – Esprit Sport #62 here was out in the 59th lap due to an accident. I guess this falls into the oddball category of models, but a nice one. An older mold from Spark – paint job not as crisp and shut lines on the shallow side – but a nifty model nonetheless. Reminds me a lot my Ligier by them, but without the bad headlights. However nifty, I think it’s a model only for the Le Mans nut.
PS: Mr. Stupid All-Thumbs here managed to snap a wing mirror. Fortunately, an easy fix. But I confess I got mighty pissed at myself. And may have used a bit (just a smidge) of foul language.