You’ve probably never heard the name Encor. It's a new English automotive brand backed by a group of automotive professionals—each with over 30 years of experience in the industry. That includes former Pagani, Koenigsegg, Aston Martin, Porsche, and Lotus executives, all with backgrounds in projects like the Emira, the Q by Aston Martin customization program, and Lotus Advanced Performance.
Even with all of that experience under their belts, though, Encor still has plenty of work to do to become a household name. But the brand's first big project should help bring them closer to that goal. This is the Encor Series 1, a modern revival of the iconic 1970s Lotus Esprit S1. And it looks lovely.
The Encor Series 1 is built atop a stock Lotus Esprit V8, which means it retains its iconic "backbone" chassis in homage to Colin Chapman's original design. But the body is fully modern. Like Singer and others before it, Encor maintained the Esprit's original lines, with modern touches like new bumpers, wheels (17 inches front, 18 inches rear), and LED light fixtures—still with pop-up headlights, of course.
Under that beautiful body is a new Sport 350 suspension with new uprights and Bilstein shocks that assure that the Series 1 handles as well as it looks. It also features a fresh hydraulically assisted steering setup that the company promises is on par with the iconic Lotus steering feel. All told, the Series 1 has an estimated curb weight of just 2,650 pounds.
The S1’s original 3.5-liter V-8 was completely rebuilt and thoroughly modernized. It features forged pistons, bigger injectors, upgraded turbos, and a stainless exhaust. That results in 400 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque, which sends the Series 1 to 62 miles per hour in just about 4.0 seconds, and on to a top speed of 175 mph. And praise be, it does have a manual.
Inside, the signature wraparound cockpit is elevated with premium materials like leather, Alcantara, and machined aluminum. Modern technology is seamlessly integrated, including Apple CarPlay, 360-degree cameras, and digital climate control. The Series 1 even features an electrical architecture that runs the same infotainment setup used by supercar makers GMA and Pagani.
Even though Lotus only made 1,237 Esprit V8s all time, Encor says it plans to build 50 examples based on those original models—assuming they’re not too hard to find. The company is currently working on its first prototype, with customer car number one slated to be delivered in April.
Pricing will start at around $575,000 (£430,000 in the UK).
