1988 Lotus Excel SE

In the seller’s care since April this year, this 1988 Lotus Excel is the fourth Excel/Eclat he’s had (a self-confessed Lotus enthusiast, he’s also got an Esprit) and he tells us that this one drives the best of them all following some work to the engine, brakes and front suspension.

After having had plenty of fun working on it - as an engineer, getting grease under his fingernails is how he has fun - ‘F357 OHV’ is only for sale because he’s been offered a job abroad and won’t be around to enjoy and look after it. 

He’s gutted he’s got to sell it but his loss could be your gain, especially because he’s got sufficient faith in the quality of his car to sell it with no reserve…  

The seller tells us that the Excel’s bodywork is “the real selling point”, going on to extol its virtues saying it is “excellent” before ending with the assurance it “has a brilliant shine that these photos don’t do justice!”

We agree, it does look good with very shiny paintwork. We haven’t seen it in the flesh but the photos show a very well put together example that is easily as good as it would have been when it left Hethel 35 years ago - and the shutlines and swagelines are especially impressive when you consider they weren’t always brilliant when the cars were new.

A brand-new set of Toyo Proxes TR1 tyres were fitted in August of this year. In the correct 205/50R15 size, they’re still like new and speak volumes as to the car’s curation because, as will never get tired of telling you, experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. 

The understated alloy wheels look good but do have some scuffs and marks on the rims, so would benefit from being refurbished when you get a moment.

There are a few other small jobs for you to do: Both rear lamp clusters look would benefit from being disassembled and cleaned; the casing of both mirrors shows some U/V damage and the nearside one is physically broken; a small section of paint is peeling off the rear bumper near the number plate after a recent wash; the nearside front foglamp has a hole in the glass lens (a spare comes with the car); and the roof-mounted aerial has seen better days.

Trivial stuff really then and just enough to warrant spending a few weekends in the garage fettling it – and by Boxing Day you’ll be thankful for the excuse to be able to escape…

After opening the previous section with the owner’s assessment of the condition of his car’s exterior, we feel it’s only right and proper we start this section in the same way: “Not as nice as the paintwork but still in good condition.”

We should give him a job here because we completely agree; while it is a little patinated and slightly grubby, interiors were never a Lotus strength and we’ve seen much worse than this. 

A good valet, especially to the seats, would help because the underlying cushioning looks to have become only slightly softened over the years. There would still be some marks on them of course but the appearance could be improved, we think.

Condition aside, the design is great, being very of the 1980s with soft pleated leather covers and gorgeous little round wooden handles to tilt the seats forward. 

The wooden gear knob echoes the shape of the seat handles and is supported by a walnut veneer dashboard. Sadly, the latter has dried out and some of the lacquer is suffering from a small amount of cracking, that can only be seen close up. The vendor reports that the veneer looks much better in person than in the photos, due to the lighting at the time of photography.

The foot carpets are brand new, and the headlining was completed relatively recently to a very high standard - a common issue and horrible job on these cars, the vendor advises. The rest of the leather trim is okay but does have marks and some wear.

A modern JVC CD player is fitted, and there are two Pioneer speakers in the rear.

The boot is pretty good with the only real deterioration being to the plastic battery cover, which is scuffed. The spare wheel is a matching alloy, which is nice to see.

The seller adds: “The only job I haven’t completed is sorting out the electric windows, which need new sliders on the bottom of the glass. I have the u shaped metal parts that will go with the car if I don’t get round to fitting it this weekend. The door beams were in good condition when I took the door card off.” The latter are often rotten, so their solidity is a welcome surprise.

Oh, and the air-conditioning doesn’t work. Being an older system, it now needs a more modern refrigerant than the one it left the factory with, so will need fully updating. 

The most recent work, which was completed this year, included new track rod ends, ball joints and ARB bushes, rebuilt brake calipers plus new discs, pads and copper brake pipes, a change of engine oil and a new filter, new spark plugs, a carburettor rebuild, fresh belts and more. 

Please see the summary attached for the full details but the recommissioning set him back £1,500 in parts alone.

He recorded the work in a diary but the top line is that the fruits of his labour resulted in an MoT certificate that’s valid until October 2024. The seller tells us that it also drives “really well” and, after a bit of percussive maintenance, took him around Skye on a 1,000-mile holiday.

As you can see in the video, it idles and revs well. It also shows good oil pressure and a healthy charge. 

The engine bay is serviceable and tidy. Of course, if you’re of a fastidious nature you could prettify it further but we imagine most folk would be happy to leave it as it is bar, perhaps, some new sound-deadening under the bonnet as the old stuff has degraded.

The last MoT in October 2023 identified the need for new springs and dampers all round, something that really irritated the seller because they are actually fine. He queried this with the man from the Ministry, who he said he always puts this down because a car he passed a while ago went on to develop a cracked spring on its journey home… 

We also noticed a cable tie peeking out from the ventilation grille between the bonnet and the windscreen. This is, we are told, a back-up bonnet release in case the primary system fails. We find belt ‘n’ braces modifications like this very reassuring.

As we mentioned earlier, the seller bought the car locally on a bit of a whim. Attracted by its condition, he was pleased to hear the previous owner had owned it since 2003 and while it had been laid up since, he thinks, 2007 getting it back on the road looked like a “straightforward task”. 

The history file that comes with it comprises the original owner’s handbook and wallet, every expired MoT certificate, 13 stamps in the service history booklet, a vehicle maintenance log, an original sales brochure, and a factory ‘Service Notes’ folder, an expensive and rare item. 

The seller tells us he also has more invoices dating back to the early 2000s in a thick ring binder

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear and it comes with two keys and a current V5 registration document. 

We yield to no-one in our admiration for Lotus; and yet, while we admire Colin Chapman’s legacy and the Norfolk-firm’s ability to weave magic from the humblest of mechanical components, we’d also be the first to admit that the company’s somewhat lackadaisical attitude towards build quality occasionally, can make it hard to put your money where your mouth is.

Unless, of course, you buy one that’s been not only put together properly and maintained well but has been recommissioned by someone who knows what they’re doing. 

Perhaps, if you can find one, a car that’s been owned by a Lotus-enthusiast who earns his living as an engineer and has a track record with the model?

Like this one.

A stunning vindication of the firm’s engineering integrity, it also demonstrates that the ne’er-do-well examples that haunt the classifieds are that way because of poor maintenance rather than anything more fundamental.

All of which means that our guide price of somewhere between £7,000 and £10,000 seems like chump-change, especially because it’s going to sell no matter what because it is being offered with no reserve…

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located with the vendor in Edinburgh. Viewings are strictly by appointment. To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.