The first inseption of this car was the original concept car in 1974. Two years later the Lotus Esprit went into production with a 160-horsepower 2-liter engine. In 1981, the engine was replaced by a turbocharged 2.2-liter, 210 horsepower engine. With the new engine the top speed of this vehicle becames 150mph. In 1988 the Esprit was redesigned with softer lines and a horsepower upgrade increasing the power to 228. In 1990 power went up to 280 horses, still from a turbocharged 4-cylinder power plant. The engineers squeezed all they could from the engine.

The Esprit is strictly a two seater with a reasonably sized rear boot, plus storage in the front. All of the S3 cars have a glove box and a 'map box' between the seats.

The older Esprits can now be insured as classic cars which means cheap insurance, but also means a limited annual mileage and probably the use of another car. The newest 2001 model of this car is available with a V8. It has dual airbags, anti-lock brake system (ABS). The Esprit engine is a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine producing 350 horsepower.

Standards include power windows and doors, ac, remote keyless entry, and a premium Alpine stereo system, halogen fog lights and a removable roof panel. This car also comes with alpine trim.