GTK

@ Neil, Well Lotus called it Martini but it might have gotten brightened up a little in the mix. It was the colour of the Lotus 80 F1 car, less known because in service development wasn't enough to make it a winner. @ Ian, I'm stealing the bejingos out of that @ Steve, have you ever read about Nick Offerman? He's a professional boat builder and wood worker. You can def see that influence in the Ron Swanson character once you know.

Ok I've put some speed holes in a little bit of my Esprit, do your worst

If only there was a spreadsheet, it would make everything so much easier

There'll be a trip to the 6hr Classic at Spa, and possibly a lap of the Nurburgring, but there is a long list of people who I owe at least a spin to, not least my good pal who I bought the car from. I'll be making a b-line for him first, and he's not in Ireland. haha casting shade there man? I'll step up

The metaphorical difficult second album of my return to the Esprit project... so many plates and only so much spin 😂 I'm very excited about next week's work schedule, and not thew we didn't know it around here but finding excess weight on the Esprit without going to considerable expense isn't so easy. But I suppose thats a great example of exactly the issue Lotus would have had when designing it. I always wondered did it irk Chapman that it wasnt far over 1000kg.

@brian_gt4 I love you 💚 For anyone who doesn't know the significance... http://www.lotusespritworld.com/EOtherstuff/MrEsprit.html

I love that. Although you need money to go down the pub. I fuel Soup on the other two

It's been incredibly difficult to kick start the Esprit project again, but I'm only days away from starting to build up a rolling chassis... So close now I can taste it.

Thanks Rohan. I did see that but because Lotus Marques are in Australia I was wondering whether ROW spec cars are the same as Domestic spec or Federal? It could make a big difference.

Just a follow up: my rear dampers are confirmed Armstrong, part number 64 8016. They are not rebuildable. Even the Armstrongs from way back when that are rebuildable can be a hit and miss endeavour because they have some sort of alloy core that degrades. They while they can be rebuilt and brought back to original tolerances, they can start to leak in short order. For the sake of reference the front Armstrong dampers should have the part number 63 3305 stamped in them. The Armstrong catalogue lists this 64 8016 rear / 63 3305 front damper combination for all M70 Esprits 1975 to 1983. If by chance someone sees this and can shed light on my original question, i.e. length of euro spec Esprit S2 springs, especially the fronts, I'd be grateful. I've not been able to find a definitive answer. George

I actually bought a used set of Protech shocks as a backup and to compress/extend by hand side by side with my [presumed] original rear Armstrongs, they feel completely different. That said I didn't play with the adjustment knobs. Will be checking the old rear for makers marks/part number later today.

The spring seat looks very similar doesn't it. That's an interesting spring compressor, haven't seen the like of it before.

That’s some lovely intel, I’m all for rebuilding anything that is serviceable. There were Gabriel Red Riders on the front when I got my car, I believe they were cheap but common aftermarket items back in the ‘80’s. So I’m out of luck there. The rears are something different. They’re not in great nick aesthetically, but seem to work well still. There’s a distinctive shape around the spring seat, and blue paint evident elsewhere. Would be very interested to know if they look familiar…

As gorgeous as ever Pete, the car too. So off the shelf springs, and which dampers?

@peteyg seems like a good excuse for you to post a photo of your car 😁 @drdoom Problem is I don’t have a known standard spring for reference measures.

A search here didn't bring any up to date info, so I need to pick the collective brain on the right springs for my S2 Esprit. I see some G cars riding high, presumably because they have federal or aftermarket springs. I believe the later cars, from S3 on, had a ground clearance of 17cm [6.6"], while the S2 is quoted at 14cm [5.5"]. I don't want to correct ride height with adjustable spring mounts or some other trick. I've been told there's only one correct set of springs for the S2 Esprit, but are proper factory spec S2 springs still out there? Thanks! George

I quite like it! The wheels do look like an old TV test card, but you have to love the tip of the hat to the 5 Turbo, in the whole back 3/4 area

I shouldn’t have been surprised, but it wasn’t a good feeling watching the new Top Gear (now the old Top Gear… again) wreck a lovely bronze coloured one.

Was just looking at production figures and to be frank, with over 9000 Europa’s to less than 200 Matras, and scarcely over 50 De Tomaso Vallelungas, the Lotus really is the first mass produced mid engine imo

Some say the Europa was the first mid engined proper production car, but that accolade goes to the Djet 😎

Really cool find, Fil. I’d love a Bagheera or a Murena. How bad is the rust?

Hope you’re up and running soon!

… now the fun can begin!

Turns out it was Every Which Way But Loose, and I had the bus bit wrong. This scene at about 2:00 mins, he makes a point of looking at the BB . . . https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sUf1cy78kKY

Clint Eastwood had a dark coloured one, amongst other Ferraris, and used to park it in the background of scenes in movies. Intentionally. Can’t think of any movie names now but remember a scene where he’s getting on a Greyhound bus and the BB is in the background.