Cabbage

Looking for any Esprit, ideally Stephens body non turbo, or S2 but open to anything. Have a spotless 07 Aston Martin DB9 as potential pc if wanted. Cars perfect but I've been doing too many miles on it. 07876174455 James

HI Neil, How much restoration are you looking for? i have a very light project, mechanically all sorted, just interior trim needs some tlc and some exterior paintwork (lacquer peel)

Ahoy Gents. thought i'd share some pics and learnings from my recent road trip in the Esprit. Route was Essex > Brussels > Luxembourg > Black Forest (Germany) > Liechtenstein > Lake Como (italy) > Paris > Essex Car was an absolute dream with no issues throughout the trip. I was particularly impressed with how cool the car stayed even in the super hot Italian days and stand still traffic. Only slight niggle is the windscreen wiper (slow speed) sometimes takes a while to turn off but im sure this is just a sloppy connection in the lever. We favored the twisty turny mountain passes over the shortcuts and tunnels and although some corners were a bit hairy it was well worth it for the views. The car has a non-standard exhaust on it and just sounds amazing through the hillside tunnels and small streets. The car was in pretty decent mechanical condition when i bought it, with the main issue being poor tuning and a few age related issues where the car hasn't been in regular use. We changed all fluids although both oil and coolant were decent but better to be safe. I fitted a new fuel filer, spark plugs and checked all ignition items which were in decent condition already. Tuned the carbs over the course of a few hours of slight changes but we got it spot on as it pulls smoothly with no hesitation, but also not running too rich as quieter on the motorways. Didn't loose any fluids or need to top anything up. so a huge success for the old boy.

Hey dude, top work on the dials, i have a similar issue. looking at your pictures im pretty sure the black number plate surround on your car is upside down, the thicker black side should be at the top, not the bottom, it then aligns with the lights :-)

Got it all clean before driving to Italy :-)

i adore the colour :-)

pics!

Ahoy Gents, Summer preparation has begun and i kicked off with a fresh MOT. It failed on a leaky front damper, saggy door, and a ball joint, so to keep everything event i replaced both upper ball joints, both front struts and stripped everything for a bit of paint. The saggy door just required tightening of the lower bolt. I've also been sorting the rear bumper as the paint had a nasty crack on one corner and the general condition was very poor. I've removed both sections, finding the lower bolt strip to be completely rotten. Fortunately everything else in that area was relatively tidy but i will definitely be bolting it all up with some stainless bolts or where the original fixings survived, a heavy rust treatment and plenty of wax oil. The exhaust support (subframe ?) will be coming off in the meantime for cleanup and paint as its solid but has a lot of surface rust, this also allows me to fit new exhaust damper/mounts.

Thanks guys :-) @Jacques yes your right, fortunately the marks you can see is fluff and greasy hand prints, this card was already very smooth - however the other side is a lot worse, so i'll definitely be using the filler :-) Items required for MOT have already been ordered so hopefully get them done this weekend :-)

Yes i used a satin clear coat :-), really finishes it off well. thanks @Jacques

So Gents, Failed MOT today - fortunately it only on a couple ball joins and track rod ends, items i had planned to replace anyway. One front shock is leaking so i will be replacing both - if anyone has some up for sale give me a shout. But onto the good news - i finally got round to recoloring the drivers side door card, i stripped all the buttons off and the ash tray for repainting and cleaning seperatly. I then followed the instructions from @Jacques and im very chuffed with the result! I highly recommend trying this yourself if your considering it - its very much like doing bodywork but easier and more forgiving Also, for fun

Took some quick pics this evening, gives you a better view of the current body condition. Once the spoiler is done the rear bumpers will come off to be sprayed.

A cheeky side view for you @franjipane ;-)

Thanks @Jacques, i do love the look but must admit i have no idea whats original and what isnt. The mirrors are super neat though, i wonder where they came from as im guessing lotus borrowed it from something? Ill get some more pics up soon, full member now :-)