The Esprit was launched in October 1975 at the Paris Motor Show and entered production in June 1976, replacing the Europa in the Lotus model lineup. These first cars became known as "Series 1" (or S1) Esprits. The wedge-shaped fibreglass body was mounted on a steel backbone chassis. Power was from the 1,973 cc (120.4 cu in) Lotus 907 4-cylinder engine that was rated at 162 PS (119 kW; 160 hp) in European trim and 140 hp (104 kW; 142 PS) in US/Federal trim.
The engine was mounted longitudinally behind the passengers and drove the rear wheels through a Citroën C35 5-speed manual transaxle also used in the SM and Maserati Merak. Rear brakes were mounted inboard, following contemporary racing practice. The Series 1 embodied Lotus' performance through light weight mantra, weighing less than 1,000 kg (2,205 lb).
Front suspension consisted of upper A-arms and lower lateral links triangulated by the anti-roll bar. Rear suspension consisted of tapering box-section trailing arms and lower lateral links. The half-shafts had no provision for plunge and handled some of the lateral forces. There were coil-over shock absorbers and disc brakes at all four corners. Steering was by an unassisted rack and pinion.
While the S1 Esprit was lauded for its handling and was said to have the best steering of any Esprit, it was generally regarded as being under-powered, especially in markets such as the United States where the engine was stifled by emission controls.
Lotus' claim of acceleration from 0–97 km/h (0–60 mph) in 6.8 seconds and a top speed of 222 km/h (138 mph) may have been optimistic, as actual road tests revealed a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 8 seconds and a top speed of about 214 km/h (133 mph).[7]
The S1 Esprit was distinguished from later Esprits by its shovel-style front air dam, Fiat X1/9-sourced taillights, absence of body-side ducting, and Wolfrace alloy wheels. Inside the car, the S1 Esprit had a one-piece instrument cluster with green-faced Veglia gauges. The S1 is rare in the present day, mostly due to drivetrain problems.

Finished in monaco white coachwork with a fabulous black leather interior with original wolf race wheels. This is a uk right hand drive matching numbers model with lots of history. This is an extremely rare car as there were not many right hand drive models produced. The esprit s1 was made famous for being used in the james bond films. The vehicle has been in a private collection for many years, is in immaculate order throughout and has been maintained to a very high standard with no expense spared. This is a great investment and would give a collector or an enthusiast many years of pleasure.