Lotus esprit

A little off topic, but it always amazed me watching Bond movies that Bond always had some badass car and he never could shake the badguy henchmen driving clapped out Peugeots or something equally SLOW.

 

FYI, When ever I see another Lotus on the road I go crazy, it's only happened twice in the 4-1/2 years I have owned mine. My friends and I joke that it's tough to have 2 running at the same time no matter what model of Lotus.

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-11/why-the-lotus-esprit-is-worth-investing-in

Reviving an old thread because I’ve noticed an uptick in prices likely in part due to a possible revival of the model. It appears I am not the only one.

I found this iconic car just sitting on the side of the road at a paint shop left to fade into the abyss 6 years ago. I wasn’t even contemplating such a purchase. However, I couldn’t stand to see something like that rot. It took me 5 months to convince the owner to sell it. He loved the car but didn’t want to admit he could not afford to do what needed to be done . Finally it was mine and I had it put on a flatbed and shipped to the dealer. Interior and paint were fantastic but......We did a full engine rebuild, clutch, tanks, valves, etc and I had the engine parts repainted to their original colour. I brought this car back to new. Ever since then it has run flawlessly. It is extremely reliable and ridiculously fun to drive.

I believe the owners of these cars earned them the reputation of being unreliable. The cars were as quick as anything else on the street and probably even better with handling. However, for whatever reason the owners for the most part did not keep up with the maintenance, and ironically it’s minimal at that.

Lots of different series out there. For me this is perfect. It’s got the turbo so enough power to get you in plenty of trouble and no tail on the back which I am not a big fan of. But that’s just me and there are plenty of variations for differing tastes.

I’d recommend to anyone to snag one of these if it comes across your plate but you can’t have mine!
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I seem to go through this endless cycle in my head. I get bored easy, but then get cold feet. I own a '66 E-Type FHC and an '84 Ferrari 308. I love both, but I find I'm in the 308 much more than the E-Type these days, but neither are modern enough for me to use a lot.

I've entertained selling the E-Type and getting some combination of Elise / 240Z or Esprit / 240Z. Or maybe get rid of both and get a 570s or a 458. I don't know.

I recently saw a tastefully modified Esprit Turbo on Jay Leno's garage, and it RIPPED. It looked great and moved like a cat with its tail on fire. Could probably get a decent one for a reasonable price, get a 240Z and still put a few bucks in the bank.

Good luck - it looks great!

 

Good for you! White is the best on this car too. Yours looks great, is it an '88??

 

Thank you. Yes it is an 88. Although the car was originally white it has been painted. I am in support of keeping things original but I have to say I’m quite fine with the cool paint job that was professionally done. The interior is charcoal and grey and is in great shape. It’s pretty much exactly what I would have picked if I was the original owner.

 

Agree!

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Thread bump from the past!

So, Due to a super busy last four years or so, all my cars have sadly sat collecting dust, my new years resolution was if I don't drive a car for a year it must go, so I am getting driving!

Yesterday I spent a day moving junk and cars around in my shop to bring the lotus down from the lift, I have been on a waiting list for a few years to have the car mechanically gone through by an awesome local Lotus mechanic, I am letting him run loose and fix everything that needs to be addresses, new belts, carb rebuild and tuning to altitude, new turbo, etc. I am very excited to hit the road again in spring.

Also have noticed an uptick in Lotus Esprit prices, the first Lotus I ever owned (78 S2) recently came on the market again in Las Vegas, sadly it was neglected after I sold it and the motor was in boxes, he wanted 30K and wouldn't budge for a box of parts and neglected body... I sold it for 8K in 2008 :-(

ready for spring!!
J