Usually you can't buy a car with experimental racing technology, but this pre-production 1980 Lotus Esprit 'Essex' Turbo isn't your typical road car. It began life as a pre-production model loaned ...

Despite a couple of small chips on the lower section of the rear bumper, the A02 black paint and golden Turbo Esprit scripts make for a bit of a tribute to the John Player Special -liveried Lotus 76.

There’s also a specially assembled, blueprinted engine; Esprit Turbos of that model year featured a 2.2-liter turbocharged inline-four that made 210 horsepower and 200 pound-feet of torque.

Lotus identifies the SE's competitors as the Porsche 911 Turbo ($70,975) and Ferrari 328GTS ($83,800), and those are fair targets. In the 0-to-60 and 0-to-100 sweepstakes, this Lotus trounces both.

This mint-condition Lotus Esprit Turbo HC first rolled off the production line in 1987. This particular model was part of a limited-edition run released to celebrate the marque’s 21st birthday ...

This black over tan model, getting auctioned off on Bring a Trailer, comes with a removable roof panel, a 5-speed manual transmission, silver BBS wheels and just 48,000 miles (77,248 km) on the clock.

The 1988 Esprit Turbo, in fact, is one of the quickest cars in the U.S. of any kind. Consider a few comparisons. The V-8-powered Mustang GT accelerates from 0 to 60 in 6.3 seconds.

Bonta, a longtime Lotus enthusiast, had lusted after the Turbo Esprit for some time. In 1988, he spotted an ad for the Essex in AutoWeek’s classifieds. He had to have it.