Quickest.........

What is the best model of the esprit 90+
Quickest
Handling
HP???

V8 or turbo 4??

Quickest? '99 and up V8. You can update the ECU on '97 & '98 V8s.

Best Handling? I have no idea. The S4s is extremely neutral. There was a road & track test a few years ago with Mario Andretti driving many different cars. He hated the Esprit V8. It oversteered too much. Car & Driver drove an earlier V8 and liked the handling. Apparently Lotus changed the front roll stiffness at some point.

V8 vs. 4? V8s are faster. 4s are simpler and cheaper to own.

Many people (including some Lotus employees) that the '95 S4s is the best Esprit ever made. It's the most powerful of the 4 cylinder cars (300hp) and benefits from years and years of refinement.

In some ways they had to start over with the V8s in '97. They continue to get better, however, and Lotus Cars USA is *fantastic* about supporting their customers. I'm going to pick up the phone right now and call someone at LCU to get info about a part. Find another automaker that's so accessible.

I love my S4s but I've never driven a V8 even though I've had a few opportunities. My mechanic warned me not to!

Pretty much everything Lotus Mike said figures with what Iv heard from the guys talking at the club.
And certainly at track days the 4s that showed up where not slower than the V8.