[Britman]

People that buy an S1 buy it because of the purity of shape and the fact that it is as close to both Giugiaro's and Chapman's vision as was possible in a production car. Personally I've read people having more issues with the V8's than they have with S1's. Most S1's have issues because they have been neglected. An S1 is the type of car that if you drive it for 3 or 4 hours you need to spend 15 minutes in the garage afterwards checking that things are all nice and tight and you have no leaks. An S1 was engineered just like a race car and so it needs constant attention for it to perform well. If you don't have the time or the knowledge to devote to the keeping up with maintaining the car I suggest that an S1 is not the car to buy. Buy an S3 which is far more owner friendly but not the original vision. For me playing and tweaking with the my S1 is all part of the deal. I'm not a guy that just wants to turn a key and drive it. I like to understand how it works. Plus owning 1 of about 370 left hand drive cars in the entire world. An S1 has such simple mechanics and is as close to a road going F1 car that Lotus ever produced. Just look at the rear suspension - it's pure F1 of the time. IMPO a car of any historical significance it is always the 1st and last models that seem to be the ones that generate the most interest and are most collectable. Although from what I understand the S4s is well sort after due to the fact it is considered the most mechanically reliable 4 cylinder Esprit made.