1979 Lotus Esprit 'Commemorative'

Lot details
Registration No: JNH836T
Chassis No: 79030689G
Mot Expiry: Dec 2017

- No 99 from the limited production run of just 99 UK supplied examples

- Subject to a machinal overhaul in 2007 and offered with an MOT into Dec 2017

- 61,000 recorded miles and offered with letter of authenticity from Lotus

The first and arguably most memorable of the early Esprit limited editions was officially dubbed the World Championship Commemorative Model, but is better known to enthusiasts as the John Player Special (JPS), as its distinctive black and gold livery was inspired by the ground-effect JPS-sponsored championship-winning Lotus 79 cars of the period; as raced by Mario Andretti and Ronnie Peterson. It was originally planned to build 200, but in the end it is believed 185 were produced; 99 for the UK; 56 for the US and 30 for the rest of the world. The eye-catching specification included: gold-coloured side stripes complete with 'World Champion' lettering; gold-coloured windscreen surround and alloy wheels; gold-effect corduroy inserts for the race-style seating; three-spoke leather-clad sports steering wheel in place of the standard plastic offering; and Hitachi Digi-One radio/cassette. The 1973cc 16-valve DOHC engine delivered a feisty 160bhp, which was sufficient to sprint the 1980 lb fibreglass-bodied two-seater to 60mph in 6.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 124mph. Production ran from December 1978 to July 1979.

The extremely smartly-presented example offered here hails from April 1979. It is the last UK example being the 99th built and was previously a member of a private collection. 'JNH 836T' was the subject of a mechanical overhaul in 2007 that included: the chassis being checked, prepared and painted; attention to the brakes and electrical system; new suspension bushes, front springs, gearbox bushes, tyres and water hoses. More recently the wheels have been refurbished with new wheel centres and the Lotus, currently displaying 61,258 miles, is being offered complete with: DVLA ownership history; original owner's handbook and workshop manual; Lotus authenticity letter; 2 sets of keys; collection of invoices and old MOTs, and one valid until December 27th. The vendor currently classes this extremely collectable Esprit as having 'very good' bodywork, paintwork, interior trim and five-speed manual gearbox and 'good' Lotus 907 engine and is said to drive 'exceptionally' well.