Long before Top Gear became a programme about smashing up classic cars for a laugh and yelling ‘poweeer!’ down the lens while igniting tyres on a runway, it had a Thursday night slot and wasn’t afraid to get right into the technical details of a car. 

We’re fortunate that it was in this incarnation of the show that it turned its attention to the then-new Esprit Active Suspesion concept. Former Team Lotus grand prix driver and Autocar journalist, the late John Miles, introduces the piece. He’s arguably not a natural television presenter but what he lacks in slick delivery is more than compensated for by the fascinating content of what he’s telling us. At one point, he even removes a wheel to let us see what’s going on underneath the car. 

Aside from the technical details, there’s also some terrific footage of the car in action, with a regular Esprit provided for comparison. The video is worth a watch in its 6min 20sec entirety, but the highlights for us are as follows…

2:15 A high-speed straight line where you can see the suspension working hard to control the body

2:33 A cornering comparison between the Esprit Active Suspension and a conventional road car. The difference between the two is stark, the active car carrying more speed with far greater composure

4:06 The active car drifting, with an absence of the word ‘poweeer!’ being yelled over the top of it

5:03 A static demonstration of all four corners of the car working in unison

When the prototype had fulfilled its brief, it was due to be scrapped but one foresightful Lotus employee, Esprit Platform Manager Brian Angus, kept hiding it away. It eventually survived long enough for management to appreciate its historical significance and is now in private ownership.

In Issue 38 of Absolute Lotus, we tell the story of the car, interviewing those involved at the time and bringing the story up to date with its rescue and restoration. The magazine is available here.