Ten Days of Affordable Exotics-Day 5: Lotus Esprit V8

Every gearhead wants to drive something unique. We yearn for the thrill of g-sled acceleration, the feel of cornering as though on rails, and styling that makes you the envy of everyone at Cars and Coffee. This usually means an exotic or nearly exotic car. The thrill of being shoved back in your seat, hearing the wail of a high performance engine, as the scenery outside your window blurs, as you watch the speedometer tell you you’re approaching warp speed, it’s an experience few others eclipse. The problem, for most of us, is that exotic car experience is usually accompanied by a hefty price tag, and that job working at Uncle Plucky’s House of Chicken hasn’t impressed your loan officer enough to finance a new Aventador. So, how do the true car geeks among us scratch that itch to go fast, corner hard, and look cool without selling off our first born? Look for those rare-but-attainable affordable exotics.As the average price for a new car is just over $33,500, I have tried to find exotics with an entry price around $40,000. Compared with the sticker of the 2018 Ford GT (around $450,000), Porsche 911 Turbo ($159,200 base), Ferrari 488 ($245,400), and the Lamborghini Aventador ($399,500), $40k begins to look like an absolute bargain.

Lotus Esprit V-8 1996-2004- From the Esprit’s introduction as a concept at the 1972 Turin Motor Show until it’s scheduled demise with the 1995 model year, it was a four-cylinder, mid-engine sports coupe. The cancellation of an intended front-engined Lotus project left Lotus with a 3.5 liter V-8, and no car in which to put it. The engine, an aluminum twin turbo capable of producing 500 horsepower, had been developed in-house at Lotus. Even with significant reinforcement and engineering, the Renault-sourced UN-1 transmission that fit the Esprit could not handle this output. The 3.5 was detuned to 350hp, and the Esprit V-8 went into production. Despite having been reduced in output, the Esprit managed to streak from 0-60 in just 4.3 seconds, and go on to crush the quarter mile in 12.6 seconds. With an updated interior, exterior styling improvements, and recalibrated suspension, the Esprit was every bit a qualified contender among other exotics of the time.

Pros: It is indeed difficult to find another mid-engined exotic with this level of performance at this price. Sleek wedge styling is typical of this type of drivetrain. Low-slung, slippery, bedecked with a giant boy-racer wing, and an interior fully wrapped in sumptuous leather, the Esprit is everything you want in an exotic, without the terrifying price. The 3.5 twin turbo pulls like madman from a dead stop to a top speed north of 175mph. 100 mph arrives in under 10 seconds. Performance, comfort, and style can all be had here for a bargain basement price.

Cons: The Achilles heel for the Esprit V-8 will always be the Renault UN-1 transmission. It simply wasn’t designed to take the power the engine puts out. You can have the transmission beefed up, either by sending it to a specialty shop or doing the work yourself (parts are can be sourced through the Lotus Owners Forum). Without reinforcing the transmission, hard launches in first or second gear are capable of doing damage. When looking out the rear-view mirror, most of your view is the of wing. Some have complained of rather cheap switchgear, as Lotus was owned by GM at the time of the Esprit V-8’s introduction, and many of the parts came from the GM bin.

Verdict: They may have a weak transmission, but that is fixable. Once that is done, the engine is able to be modified without a great deal of difficulty, achieving much higher output. The styling is classic exotic, and you just don’t see very many of them. The entire 28-year production run yielded fewer than 11,000 units. If you fear the transmission, and you can do with a little less power, the previous iteration Esprit S4 produced 264 horsepower, and the S4S put out 300. Both of these cars hit 0-60 in under five seconds and had top speeds in excess of 160mph. The Esprit V-8 is excellent, so much so it is on the short list of cars I hope to buy for myself. Further, the earlier generations of Esprit have begun to appreciate in value, so long term the Esprit V-8 should be a solid investment.

Ten Days of Affordable Exotics-Day 4: Dodge Viper

Every gearhead wants to drive something unique. We yearn for the thrill of g-sled acceleration, the feel of cornering as though on rails, and styling that makes you the envy of everyone at Cars and Coffee. This usually means an exotic or nearly exotic car. The thrill of being shoved back in your seat, hearing the wail of a high performance engine, as the scenery outside your window blurs, as you watch the speedometer tell you you’re approaching warp speed, it’s an experience few others eclipse. The problem, for most of us, is that exotic car experience is usually accompanied by a hefty price tag, and that job working at Uncle Plucky’s House of Chicken hasn’t impressed your loan officer enough to finance a new Aventador. So, how do the true car geeks among us scratch that itch to go fast, corner hard, and look cool without selling off our first born? Look for those rare-but-attainable affordable exotics.As the average price for a new car is just over $33,500, I have tried to find exotics with an entry price around $40,000. Compared with the sticker of the 2018 Ford GT (around $450,000), Porsche 911 Turbo ($159,200 base), Ferrari 488 ($245,400), and the Lamborghini Aventador ($399,500), $40k begins to look like an absolute bargain.

Dodge Viper 1992-1995- For those who hail from the “doesn’t-fit-get-a-bigger-hammer” school of thought, your exotic of choice is the Dodge Viper. With a brutish, all-aluminum, 8.0 liter V-10 designed by Lamborghini (then owned by Chrysler Corporation), the first generation Viper cranked out a then-massive 400 horsepower and 465lb-ft of torque. This monster power propelled the 3,300 lb. roadster from a dead stop to 60mph in just 4.6 seconds, with the end of the quarter mile arriving in just 12.9. There were a few other cars around that could achieve similar performance benchmarks, but none of those was strictly analog like the Viper. The Viper had no ABS, no traction control, no A/C, no roof, side windows, nor exterior door handles. It truly was the spiritual successor to the Shelby Cobra. The Viper did come with a folding fabric top and fabric/clear plastic zippered side curtains, which could be stored in the trunk. Air conditioning and a fiberglass hard top were not available until 1994.

Pros: Outlandish styling, massive power, and all of the raw, visceral feel of a Shelby Cobra in a modern wrapper, nothing else feels or drives quite like a Viper. The rear tires look like the kind of steamroller meats you’ll only find on race cars and dragsters. The side exhaust, which is plumbed through the door sills, is accompanied by a warning sticker reminding you not to burn your legs on entry/exit. Because everything in the car is so understressed, the Viper is one of the most reliable exotic/near exotic cars available. This also means they readily lend themselves to modification. No electronic interference from artificial safety devices like traction control or ABS. If you want the pure, unbridled driving experience, this is one of the last places to get it.

Cons: Just about everything else. If you are less than an accomplished performance driver, this thing will bite you, just like the name says. The ham-fisted need not apply. Give it moderate gas in a corner, and you will soon be looking where you have been. The door sills are hot, for obvious reason. Parts prices are considerably more than your average Dodge (although there are a number of parts straight from the MOPAR parts bin, which were shared with other models. With a little research, these can be had much cheaper). The clamshell hood is rumored to be $10k-$15k from the factory. No A/C. No real windows. The top is an exercise in sadistic origami. If you get caught in the rain, and you have the top and side curtains up, you are still going to get wet. Period. It has a firm ride, bordering on harsh. The interior, courtesy of the massive transmission tunnel, is quite snug. The huge 8.0 liter V-10 is THIRSTY, averaging around 11mpg in town, and 15mpg on the highway.

Verdict: Parts may be high, driving comfort may be somewhat compromised, and you may have to use real care in how you drive it, but there are few driving experiences like the Viper. Cartoon styling screams “I don’t give a damn. It’s all about the car.” Raw power, eyeball-flattening acceleration, and the adoration of car guys from 12 years old up, nothing is quite like this car….Unless, of course, you own a 427 Cobra.

Ten Days of Affordable Exotics-Day 3: Acura NSX

Every gearhead wants to drive something unique. We yearn for the thrill of g-sled acceleration, the feel of cornering as though on rails, and styling that makes you the envy of everyone at Cars and Coffee. This usually means an exotic or nearly exotic car. The thrill of being shoved back in your seat, hearing the wail of a high performance engine, as the scenery outside your window blurs, as you watch the speedometer tell you you’re approaching warp speed, it’s an experience few others eclipse. The problem, for most of us, is that exotic car experience is usually accompanied by a hefty price tag, and that job working at Uncle Plucky’s House of Chicken hasn’t impressed your loan officer enough to finance a new Aventador. So, how do the true car geeks among us scratch that itch to go fast, corner hard, and look cool without selling off our first born? Look for those rare-but-attainable affordable exotics. As the average price for a new car is just over $33,500, I have tried to find exotics with an entry price around $40,000. Compared with the sticker of the 2018 Ford GT (around $450,000), Porsche 911 Turbo ($159,200 base), Ferrari 488 ($245,400), and the Lamborghini Aventador ($399,500), $40k begins to look like an absolute bargain.

Acura NSX 1990-2005- Designed with the intent of going head-to-head with Ferrari’s V8 line, the New Sportscar eXperimental originally began life as a 2.0 liter, mid-engine V6 design project. The idea was to build a car that would meet or exceed that of the Ferraris, with reliability and a lower price. The NSX benefitted from well-developed aerodynamics, an interior inspired by the styling of the cockpit of the F-16 fighter jet, an all-aluminum body (the first production car to feature one), aluminum chassis, and engine. In the later stages of development, Honda tapped no other than Ayrton Senna for his expertise and advice. Power came from Honda’s 3.0 liter VTEC V-6, and was routed through either a 5-speed manual or four-speed automatic. Initially, the NSX could only be had in coupe form, but in 1995, a targa model bowed. In 1997, the car saw in the introduction of a 3.2 liter VTEC motor, boosting horsepower from 270 to 290, and dropping 0-60 times from 5.5 seconds to 4.7.

Pros: As is typical of Honda (Acura’s parent company) products, the NSX proved itself to be very robust and reliable. It is not uncommon to see these mid-engine rockets with well over 100,000 miles on the clock. They are reasonably inexpensive to maintain in comparison with other cars of similar layout and performance. There are few maintenance concerns to watch for when buying a used NSX. The model has remained popular in automotive enthusiast circles, and for good reason. They return very good performance, are reliable, unique, exotic in appearance, and don’t cost a fortune to maintain, unlike some similar Italian offerings. It seems these first generation NSXs may be seeing a minor price spike corresponding with the introduction of the 2017 NSX.

Cons: Despite being one of the most reliable exotic cars of all time, there are a handful of maintenance issues one must take into consideration when purchasing a used NSX. The clutch design was smaller than it should have been. From the factory, the NSX had a bit smaller clutch than it probably should have. As a result, the clutches only last about 40,000-50,000 miles, or about half that of your average Honda. As with most any other Honda or Acura, the NSX needs to have the water pump and timing belt replaced between 80,000 and 90,000 miles. ABS sensors and accumulator should be inspected, and early models should have the A/C evaporators checked. The final, and most notorious item to check is the snap ring on 1991 and 1992 manual transmission cars. The snap ring failure is limited to transmission numbers J4A4-1003542 through J4A4-1005978. You cannot tell by the VIN, as the transmissions were not installed in numerical order. You must physically check the transmission number. From the website nsxprime.com:

“The snap ring is a very thin metal ring which holds the countershaft from moving in the transmission case. Since the transmission gears are not straight cut, when the main shaft gets power from the engine the cut in the gears makes the shafts want to move back and forth in relation to each other.

Snap ring failure is a result of the stresses put on it by an improperly manufactured transmission case. The snap ring itself is not the cause of the problem, just the symptom. There is a groove in the case which is cut too wide on some transmissions. This allows the snap ring to twist as the countershaft moves back and forth under load. The more load, the more twist.”

Verdict: If you want a reliable mid-engine exotic, there are few others that will match the performance and reliability of the NSX. With some ultra-low-mile examples now selling for more than the original sticker, now is the time to buy. Be sure to have an Acura dealer do a thorough pre-purchase inspection to avoid expensive repairs or possible heartbreak.

P.S., Recently, NSX prices have shot up. If you want one, now is the time.