I spend about 90-minutes a day on the highway during my daily commute. This isn’t something I look forward to, but I do my best to make the most of a daily ritual I don’t particularly enjoy. Podcasts on Spotify help the drive and admiring cars on the highway keeps me sharp as an automotive writer while passing time on the 202.
I try not to waste a lot of time in my life, as time is the one commodity you can’t buy and you can make a bummer situation into something positive with the right mindset.
As such my commute can be used to study automotive trends.
I’m seeing more EVs and hybrids on the road, while oversized SUVs are still abundant on the road they seem to be dwindling and I figure that’s due to gas prices. The sports cars always catch my eye and that genre is filled with Camaros, Mustangs, Corvettes, various BMW M models, and some Porsches. You’ll see the occasional Ferrari or Lamborghini around Phoenix, but the sportier affairs from England are a rare sight. I might see a McLaren once a quarter, and the same goes for any products by Aston Martin. If I see an English sports car on the highway I am immediately drawn to them and hopefully this distraction doesn’t cause an accident from rubber neckin’.
A Lotus? A rare sight and welcome change from seeing a lot of Porsches. They’ve always had a feeling of exclusivity, style and unique flavor. I can’t remember the last time I saw one in the wild but when I window shop on ClassicCars.com I usually do a quick search to check them out. I consider a Lotus eye candy and will always want one.
The Pick of the Day is a 1995 Lotus Esprit S4S with 27,256 miles listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealer in Philadelphia, PA. (Clink the link to view the listing)
“It is #136 of 145, one of only eight Esprit S4s models finished in Racing Green and one of only two in the Racing Green and gold leather/sand seat piping combo,” the listing states. “Apart from the no-cost Sport Package, the car was equipped with sport wheels from the factory, a $1,500 option, and a radio/CD player that was installed in the US by the importer. It was received by Palm Beach Motor Cars in Palm Beach, FL in October of 1995 who then sold it on December 18, 1996 to a customer in Vero Beach, FL.
“This first owner later moved to California sometime in 1999, bringing the Lotus along with them. There, he serviced the car at Lotus Prepared By Claudius, an independent Lotus dealer in Cerritos, CA, which included an AC recharge in July of 2000. After 14 years of ownership, the car was sold to a resident of Palm Springs, CA, who continued loving the car for the next four years.”
In the ensuing years it had one more owner before it was acquired by the dealer who is offering the Lotus on ClassicCars.com and then received more service.
Power is provided by a mid-mounted turbocharged 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine that produced a factory-rated 301 bhp and 290 pound-feet of torque when new. The engine is paired with a five-speed manual transmission and the Esprit S4S could go from 0-60 mph in 4.6-seconds. Stout numbers today and blistering back in 1995.
mid-mounted turbocharged 2.2-liter four-cylinder 
This 1995 Lotus Esprit is rare, one of 145 Sport models produced, and has been well maintained by previous and current ownership. It’s available for $85,000 or best offer, and the sale includes the original owner’s books, original window sticker, all of the service records on file, as well as the aftermarket Momo steering wheel and a custom Covercraft car cover.
Unfortunately you have to pay a premium for exclusivity on the highway, but it is a nice change to see a Lotus Esprit on the highway, as opposed to another Porsche.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
This is a rippin’ cool car in a stunning colour, with a gorgeous interior. The maintenance and insurance will be back breaking, but if it goes to the right owner, that won’t matter.