I have just completed about 2,500 miles in my '82 S3 Esprit. No problems at all, aside from the windscreen wiper coming off (easily fixed).
Drove down to Monaco for the grand prix, then onto San Remo in Northern Italy, then down to Pisa, up to Parma, and then Lake Como. After Como we drive up to Chamonix to see Mont Blanc and the Mer de Glace, then onto Interlakken, follwed by Basel and finally Reims and around Amiens. Faultless and a great holiday.
Even managed to get a photo taken of the Esprit in the Mont Blanc tunnel... Although the police charged us quite a bit for it...
We were nervous at first at taking the Esprit but it was great - it attracted lots of attention and made us a few friends.
Can't recommend driving through Europe enough! The Esprit has now become part of the family!
Angus