Spot on - thankfully they fixed it up a bit by reverting to the pre 85 update in 1994 where they extended the front quarter window with a black plastic insert. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Sorry, but that is a dog's breakfast... nothing fits together properly (silly little gap left at the bottom of the door to the wheel arch; bumprail sitting above the front bumper line (complete with a crease to emphasise the error); wheel arch that can't decide what radius it is , or where to finish so it does something different from back to front) just dreadful design, IMHO of course
I rather like the Esprit 350 Sport and think its a great looking car and except for a crappy gearbox, is by all accounts a fantastic car. In fact, the engine was capable of a lot more power than it delivered and this car was potentially a F355 beater if it had a gearbox that could cope with the horsepower and torque. I guess when it comes to aesthetics, we all have an opinion that is personal and I can't say you are wrong. I seem to recall you liked the Lotus Europa when you were young and aspired to own at one stage if I recall correctly. Now, I'm in the camp that for some reason likes the Lotus Europa and I know many that just think its plan weird and ugly. How do you reconcile your sense of aesthetics with the Lotus Europa? Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Those Esprit’s are great looking cars, and any commentary about panel gaps etc is laughable from anyone whom admires OHOS Ferraris. That’s just the way they are.
I wasn't referring to panel gaps, I was referring to bad design that left little bits of space like at lower door corner intersection with the lower scuttle /wheel arch. Bad design. not bad fitment. I love the earlier Esprit by the way!
I've always had a soft spot for the Europa, but I've been able to maintain enough sense/restraint not to buy one. I really don't like the early Europas with the higher rear deck, but the later models can look pretty amazing in the right color/condition. The pre-Stevens redesign Esprit Turbos I think are one of the most beautiful cars ever made (again condition and color are key). That's probably the more logical car to own over the Europa.
This car would make a perfect candidate for a LS3 conversion - a la - Renegade hybrids. Watch this and try telling me this isn't a fantastic idea. Boxster gearbox is a lovely bonus too. I think an even better option would be the LT5 Lotus designed V8 in the C4 Corvette ZR1 as that would be using a Lotus designed V8. It says something about British engineering when the LT5 was such a reliable engine because it was manufactured by an American firm - Mercury Marine. The Rudd designed V8 also inspired GM engineers to to raise their game and start designing the LS series of Chev engines. When Lotus finally designed their V8, it was riddled with a number of issues such as liner sealant, piston rings, tensioners and cracking manifolds - no doubt the type of issues due to cutting costs in productionisation of an engine.
i put down a deposit last year when they came out. The first batch were suppose to be the amg dct unit, but that got delayed, they only delivered the v6 manual version. I actually havent driven the damn thing yet, from just sitting in it, kinda felt like a cayman. Pretty nice. But the inside is not as cool and nice as the exterior. I'm goikg for a test drive next week, will let you know if i go through with the purchase
I’m guessing you must be in China, as the information for Aus and the rest of the world was that the first few batches were always going to be the V6 manual first edition, followed some months later by the V6 automatic. The i4 was still in development when the first V6 cars were being delivered to customers. They hadn’t even started making the i4 until quite recently and so far there have only been a few customer deliveries and all of those to China. Given what we’re hearing about significant issues with the DCT gearbox, this may be a good thing. The talk is that Lotus are holding onto a large number of i4s while they try to improve the software. In any case, hopefully you enjoy the drive. I think the V6 manual is a cracker.
