Saleofcar.com :Lotus

Lotus Esprit S3 (1987)
for sale

Price: US $5,000.00

Description:

This is a true barn find. 1987 Lotus Esprit S3 turbo with only
1478
miles on the odometer. I've called around to all the Lotus parts suppliers within the US and nobody has ever heard of an Esprit with this low mileage before. This is the last year of the Italian designed S3 chassis. The vehicle is as it was when I purchased it. Comes with everything in the pictures. Almost everything is here, all original. This vehicle is being sold as-is with a bill-of-sale. I have all paper work from the original purchaser with receipts dating back to 1989. As far as I know the vehicle was purchased back in 1989 and kept in an environmentally controlled garage on Mercer Island, WA until I purchased it. There is absolutely no rust or degradation on the chassis. Everything looks like new under this vehicle. I do not know what happened to the vehicle to cause it to be taken off the road. What I can tell you is that it is going to need some minor to moderate fiberglass work and full paint work. The body is straight. I changed the oil, checked camshaft/timing belt, put a little fuel into the throttle body and started the motor for a second to make sure that all the electronics were in order. She fired without hesitation. Lights function, dash lights/gauges work. Vehicle has the original BBS mag wheels with original tires.
Q: Why am I selling it?
A: No time to finish, let alone start the project. I have many others and cannot get to it.
Q: Why is there no title?
A: I purchased this vehicle from a local dealer a few years back. He did not have a title but I have all paperwork needed for you to go file for a lost title within your jurisdiction.
Q: Is the title clear, salvaged, or rebuilt?
A: Being that there is no title currently and this vehicle does not come up in Washington's DOL records, I would assume that if you finish repairs then go file for a title they will issue you a new clear title. As far as I know, this vehicle was never registered for road use so no title was ever issued.
Q:How do I know that the Odo didn't just roll over? Is this truly a 1478 mile vehicle?
A:I removed the valve covers and inspected the cams, there is no oil build up or carbon (see pictures). I also removed the tail housing to the gearbox to inspect for excessive wear or dirty oil (again see pictures). The gear oil was clean and everything looks brand new. In addition, all the suspension components still have their gold coating and there is no rust anywhere. This is essentially a new car.
Q: What damage is there to the vehicle?
A:
All of the paint has been stripped down to primer.
The body is straight. There is some minor cracking that comes with a older fiberglass bodied car.
The complete interior is included but door cards are not installed. The engine fires and runs but I would not recommend driving this vehicle before replacing the timing belt and all rubber hoses. Gates makes a blue racing timing belt for this application that lasts twice as long as OE.
Water pump has seized - will need to be rebuilt/replaced
One of the two fuel pumps has seized. The bosh number is located on the side of the pump and they are currently still available for under $100
This is a project car that, in my opinion, will be a collector vehicle once finished. Everything is original and marked with Lotus tags. Please feel free to ask any questions about this project. I'll get back to you as quickly as possible.
Thank you for your interest in the rare vehicle!

_{update: 2016-02-25}