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Originally Posted by Volken
It is for same reasons Aston Martin,TVR and other,
makers that use V8. It simply can't pass any new regulations.
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Where did you get this information?
It's been well publicized in other Esprit forums (and at least one European magazine) that the reason for the Esprit's demise is the discontinuation of the Renault 25 gearbox. This box has been in the Esprit for several years now (and is considered by many to be the "weak link" in the car.) Renault offered to sell Lotus the 25 gearbox line, which Lotus declined. Further, the amount of money to re-engineer a gearbox for a car which has sold a little over 10,000 units in it's 27 year history is huge.
The gearbox issue has been mentioned as recently as the December 2002 TV episode of Top Gear in the UK.
Unless you know something we all don't, the problem is the gearbox, NOT the engine. The lack of a source is why the Esprit is going out of production.
Oh, and to answer an earlier question -
rumor has it that a replacement is in the works.
JM