[Book Review] Lotus Esprit

Lotus Esprit

By Matt Younger and Mike Younger

For almost ten years Amberley Publishing has been producing authoritative books on a number of subjects, but in the main local UK social history, transport and sport. These paperback titles are very affordably priced for well under £20. Here’s a sampling of recent titles. These books are all well written by enthusiasts and easily consumed by readers. Each offers an insight into a particular marque or model dear to the author’s heart and are illustrated with mostly previously unpublished black and white, or color photos. Each title deserves shelf space in any aficionados’ library.

First launched in 1976, the Lotus Esprit was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and based on a Lotus Europa chassis. Authors Matt and Mike Younger use their first-hand knowledge from 20 years of ownership to cover essential information such as how to buy, own and keep a Lotus Esprit, as well as unpublished research and history of the various models, including the original “Essex” turbo models. They also describe the development of the new designs for the Esprit in 1987 by Peter Stevens and in 1993 by Peter Thomson. Making its debut in the Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, where, after a car chase, it metamorphosed into a submarine. The authors also explore the story of the Bond film cars, both terrestrial and aquatic, and where they are now.