A Lotus Esprit S1 That's Licensed to Thrill
We recently produced a Motor Folio that was customised for a car that James Bond-aficionados would recognise in an instance.
The mere mention of the make and model is enough to spark celluloid memories of seeing the ultimate getaway vehicle canon off a dock into the Mediterranean Sea to avoid a trigger-happy helicopter pilot, only to transform underwater into a submarine - another triumph for Q and another narrow escape for 007!
The car, of course, is the Lotus Esprit S1 - one of the most iconic vehicles committed to film!
Here, we present Ian Copham’s restoration journey in his own words.
Lotus Esprit S1 Reg UHP 985R: The Restoration Journey So Far
by Ian Copham
After watching The Spy Who Loved Me in 1977, the Lotus Esprit S1 became one of my all-time favourite cars. From that moment, I knew I would own one someday.
Cars have always been my greatest passion, and I have a group of friends who share that love. We even created our own classic car club, mostly as an excuse to meet up at the local pub a few times a month and plan road trips. In 2010, after years of searching, I finally found an original white Lotus Esprit S1 in need of restoration. It was a non-runner, but that night I showed it to my friends, and we decided to go take a look the next day.
We drove down to UK Sports Cars in Canterbury, trailer in tow just in case. The car needed far more than a little TLC, but it turned out to be an original white Esprit with the same green and orange tartan interior as the James Bond car — although at the time, it had been reupholstered in a white vinyl and red velour combination which looked terrible and that had seen better days.
Despite the condition, I knew I had to have it. I paid £9,250 for the non-running car, and we brought it home. My son loved it, my daughter was unsure, and my wife simply shook her head. The original plan was just to get it running with a basic re-trim, but that soon evolved into a full restoration project.
From the start, our goal was clear: to make this Esprit one of the best examples of the white-with-tartan interior S1 that existed. My son, who was 10 at the time and faces challenges with autism, ADHD, and dyspraxia, immediately took a strong interest in the project. His love of cars kept him focused, and it became a father-son endeavour that I couldn't wait to dive into with him.
We began the restoration that weekend, stripping out the interior. Each weekend after that, we removed more — bonnet, boot, doors, mirrors, dashboard, pedals — until we were left with a shell on its chassis. Three months in, we unbolted the body from the chassis and lifted it off with the help of friends, leaving it on stands.
Progress slowed a bit due to work commitments and home projects, but we still managed to work on it during weekends. The next step was to strip the chassis, remove the engine, gearbox, and suspension, but an opportunity to buy a partially-built Spire GTR track car came along, and that shifted our focus. We ended up completely dismantling and rebuilding the Spire with my son over the next two years to create a track car.
Three years into the Esprit project, we returned to it, fully stripping the chassis down. By that point, all we had left was the bare shell, a stripped chassis, and boxes upon boxes of parts. Over time, we had the chassis shot-blasted and repainted, and we bought new and upgraded suspension components. Despite only being able to work on it on Saturday afternoons, we pressed on.
With parts coming in from Lotus Bits and SJ Sportscars, we began rebuilding the chassis, replacing every bush, nut, bolt, and washer. All heating and cooling pipes were replaced as well. We decided to have the engine and gearbox fully rebuilt by Mike at Lotus Bits. The goal was to improve performance while keeping the original look, and the results were spectacular: the engine was upgraded from 160 BHP to 200 BHP, using all new light weight and balanced parts, while the gearbox was restored to standard specs.
The rebuilt engine was even showcased at the Race Retro show as a showpiece—it looked like a work of art. Back at our workshop, we installed it alongside a custom built stainless steel manifold and exhaust, which fit with millimetre precision. With the chassis now complete and rolling, the body remained untouched as we debated whether to leave it in its gel coat or repaint it entirely.
During that time, other projects distracted us. I bought a 1980 Porsche 911, which my son and I worked on, and he purchased a classic Mini that we also restored. Time passed without much progress on the Esprit, and we remained undecided about the bodywork and re-trim, as prices varied wildly.
By 2023, the project had stalled, and I even considered selling the car as it was for someone else to finish. Then, my daughter and her fiancé announced their wedding for August 2024, and she asked if the Lotus could be her wedding car.
That was the turning point.
With a clear deadline, I approached a friend who runs Templar Classics, a high-end restoration company. He took on the remainder of the work, and we had the body professionally painted in the original Monaco white, with a full top-to-bottom, inside-and-out repaint. One of the best trimming companies in the country handled the interior, working closely with my friend to get every detail perfect.
With the newly painted body back on the chassis, the car was coming together beautifully. It was completely rewired, and every electrical component — from windows to headlight motors — was upgraded. Although it took time, everyone involved gave 110% to meet the August 15th wedding deadline.
On August 13, 2024, just two days before my daughter’s wedding, I finally drove the Esprit for the first time since purchasing it in 2010. It looked stunning inside and out, with every part replaced, renewed, or upgraded. We had set out to create the best white Lotus Esprit S1 with the green and orange tartan interior, and we succeeded.
The car was perfect for my daughter’s wedding, and since then, it has gone on to win first place at Salon Privé club stands at Blenheim Palace. My son is incredibly proud of what we accomplished together, and the car has been photographed for Absolute Lotus and is set to feature in a Lotus-based YouTube video. After eight weeks on the road, we’ve covered around 800 miles, running the engine in, and we’re preparing for a full engine and gearbox oil change before addressing a few minor snagging issues.
In the end, fully restoring the Esprit was the right decision. Although it came with a hefty price tag, the engine upgrades, immaculate paint, and re-trim were worth every penny.
We now have one of the earliest original James Bond edition Lotus Esprits on the road, being the 13th out of 49 white and tartan spec cars built, with no expense spared at all in the restoration and as we work on film sets, we can’t wait to get it into Pinewood Studios to get some photos outside the James Bond Stage and the new Roger Moore stage, just to add to it’s nostalgic history.
We would like to thank Ian for sharing his incredible Lotus Esprit S1 restoration story with us and it has been an honour to help him catalogue the history of the vehicle and the project he undertook with his son Lui, with his Bond-inspired Motor Folio.
If you have a restoration story you’d like to share with us, we would love to hear it!
