The last ever Lotus Esprit, star of TSWLM and FYEO, rolled off the production line today in Norfolk, UK

Following the announcement in January 2003 that the Lotus Esprit was to be decommissioned, the last ever Lotus Esprit rolled off the production line this week, report The Business.

Smooth, stylish, sophisticated – and licensed to thrill. Just like its most famous driver, James Bond, the Lotus Esprit has become a British star with a global following.

But today Norfolk`s very own `Bond car` reaches the end of its action-packed 28-year journey as the last ever Esprit rolls off the production line.

The saffron yellow 3.5-litre twin-turbo V8 supercar, with a top speed of 175mph, is the 10,675th Esprit to have been made at Hethel, near Wymondham, since production began in 1976 – and it`s already been snapped up by a Lotus collector in America.

Current and retired staff who have been involved in hand-building Esprits will gather this morning with other guests for a ceremony to mark the end of an era. The company says the Esprit has reached the end of its "long and illustrious life" and wants to concentrate on developing other models.

"We will be celebrating how successful the Esprit has been and look back at a really important period in the history of Lotus," said company spokesman Mike Stainton. "It will be a chance for people to share their many memories and stories from the last 28 years."

He added: "The Esprit has been such a great product because of the hard work, dedication and support of all the staff involved. We cannot speak highly enough of them."

Unveiled in 1972 as a styling concept at the Turin Motor Show, the Esprit`s`s hand-made suits.

The Peter Stevens redesign of 1987 gave the Esprit softer, rounded edges and though some enthusiasts felt this endowed it with a butch, muscular body, traditionalists were saddened by the demise of Giugiaro`s "cutting-wedge technology".

Thanks to a shrewd deal struck with producer Cubby Broccoli by the then Lotus public relations chief, Don McLauchlan, the Esprit was propelled to world stardom as Roger Moore`s amphibious Bondmobile in the 1977 movie The Spy Who Loved Me.

Two more Esprits featured in Bond`s 1981 adventure, For Your Eyes Only, albeit briefly.

"It was quite something to say I was off to work each morning to build James Bond cars," said Bill Brown, 60, who began at Lotus in 1963 and is its longest-serving employee. "Everyone`s disappointed to see the Esprit go – it`s the last of the traditional hand-built Lotuses."

Over the past year, 50 people have been involved in Esprit production, including 13 on the assembly line, making three cars a week. All staff have now been switched to other roles and the line is being dismantled to make way for stores.

At the car`s peak in 1988, about 25 a week were built by a workforce of 300. More than 1000 Esprits were made in that year alone.

Colin Moy, who has supervised the Esprit line for its last 18 months, said: "It`s the greatest supercar in terms of value for money and, although it`s over a quarter of a century old, it still turns heads. The Esprit is one of the Lotuses from the days of the late Colin Chapman and I`m sure he would have been proud of its success and how long it has lasted."

The sadness as Lotus ceases Esprit production has been tempered with excitement as it gears up to launch the American-specification Elise in April, which means US citizens will be able to buy road versions of the Elise for the first time this summer. The Elise` will be sold through a 50-strong network of dealers in North America

The company will also unveil its Series II Exige, a race-styled version of the Elise, at the Geneva Motor Show on March 2.

Launched in 1995, the Elise has won dozens of awards and about 17,000 have been built. Lotus currently makes around 44 Elises and 15 Vauxhall VX220 Turbo/Opel Speedster Turbo cars a week.

About 1400 people are employed at Hethel, divided almost equally between Lotus Cars and Lotus Engineering.

Norfolk is now the new home of the UK sales operation of Proton, Malaysia`s national car-maker, which owns Group Lotus. Proton Cars UK relocated its UK headquarters from Bristol to purpose-built offices at Hethel last summer.

Lotus chiefs are hoping to launch a new flagship supercar in two years` time and there has been talk of it bearing the famous Esprit name.

But Mr Stainton told the EDP: "The Esprit has been a legend in its own right so another car with that name will have a hard act to follow. But using the name Esprit is not being ruled out at the moment – we never say never."

Retired head of manufacturing Morris Dowton, 64, who worked for Lotus for 38 years and still acts as a consultant, said: "The Esprit has definitely become a classic Lotus icon. Of all the Lotuses built, it`s been the ultimate supercar. While people here are sad to see it go, there has been a pride in what they have achieved – it`s been a job well done. And the Lotus badge goes on into a new era, which is what`s important."

Matthew Jones, the manager who has overseen the phasing out of the Esprit, said: "It still looks stunning and has stood the test of time. There`s a mixture of emotions as the Esprit finishes but we are all very much looking to the future. The unveiling of the new Exige is particularly exciting for Lotus."

And Brian Angus, Esprit platform manager for Lotus Engineering, added: "It`s sad to see it come to an end here at Hethel but, for me, it still goes on. We still have 10,500 of these cars being driven around the world and they will need aftercare and parts for some time to come. These Lotuses never die."

Discuss this news here...