swindon_alan

Thanks Bibs, didn't know about this! Place and Concorde photoshoot booked

3:04 - Alan - swindon_alan - Esprit V8

139. Alan - Lotus Racing Green Esprit V8 Cheers!

Cheers everyone! That wasn't as difficult finding the spares as I feared, which was quite a surpise as they are generally pretty rare cars. There are some really nice helpful people around - thanks guys. The target date for being back on the road has been set for 30th April, so all ready for the May Bank Holiday, the May Club Lotus Avon section meet (my first one) and the Club Lotus Castle Combe Track Day hopefully, with a following wind and not finding anything untoward during the rebuild.

Pleased to meet you ramjet! Yes, I'm hoping it will be back on the road by the target date of 30th April. Ha, my car restorer is a car fanatic and mainly restores Aston Martins for a living. The Esprit V8 has always been one of his favourite cars and I think having mine in his shop has convinced him that he really does need one So I have passed him the details of an ex-factory (until last year) very late Final Edition example that I know about. So tempting! A question for you - and all Esprit owners come to that - about road conditions. I know that they have been raced in pretty bad conditions but I seem to hear a lot of stories about pretty frightening experiences in the wet, losing them on roundabouts and so on. Like I did big time. I can understand that in the dry with grippy tyres they are brilliant, but it crosses my mind that even with tyres the size of road rollers, perhaps because they are very light they don't have enough weight holding them down on the road when it is damp? Just conjecture really but I would like to hear other's experiences and thoughts.

All parts now sorted. Thanks to everyone who helped!

All parts now sorted. Thanks to everyone who helped!

All parts now sorted. Thanks to everyone who helped!

Hi I'm after the following and I'm in a bit of a rush ;-) S4 series front bumper V8 front spoiler* S4 series RHS driver's door S4 series RHS driver's door beam/hinge S4 series RHS sill cover* S4 series rear bumper *proving difficult to find Has anybody got spare ones lying around or in storage that they think that they will never use? These will get an accident damaged V8 back on the road where it belongs! Good prices paid Thanks in advance Alan

Thanks Bibs. The previous owner recently replaced my oil coolers, so I will go with the Radtec. Hmmm. I wonder if I can squeeze the LOTAC setup into my insurance payment budget? Oh and I have paid for full forum membership. It's good on here

Hello Captain, pleased to make your acquaintance and thanks for the best wishes. Erm, yes the OZ wheels definitely look good, much racier, but I kinda like the AWIs. Isn't there a feeling about originality is better around the forum though?

Thanks Dave, I will go with one of theirs then I think, unless somebody else can recommend an alternative. There is a black powder coat option which seems a bit counter intuitive, coating aluminium with paint seems a bit daft in terms of heat transfer/insulation? I guess it will stop corrosion though. On another note, has anybody put the Lotus designed spring/shock combination on their V8? http://www.lotusespritworld.com/EGuides/EModifications/Lotus_Suspension.html I'm not rushing to do this, but am interested. I assume that it is still available from Lotus through a dealer.

Thanks for the link Andy, yes it was Mark. He is an aircraft fitter by training so knew what he was doing and he did some great mechanical work on the car. So once the bodywork is done it really is going to be a great ride. Hopefully I will get a lot longer than nine days this time! I look forward to the photos, the two together must have turned some heads

Thanks Andy, appreciated. I'm a bit confused what model that is off though? The bumper looks ok but I can't place the spoiler? Does anybody know what it is from? Yes, it had those replacements from the owner before the one I bought it off and it was up in your neck of the woods in Preston. Do you know the previous owner or saw it around? Thanks very much Jonny and to everybody who has welcomed me. I am beginning to understand Lotus ownership now! It's dedication...

I think this is correct as the parts manual for the first V8s says: "ESPRIT MODEL HISTORY ‘96 MY on Esprit V8: May ‘96 Esprit V8; VIN: T 5009 As S4S with following principal changes: ... New one piece road wheels and restyled front spoiler."

Cheers Paul, I might well be interested. Can you check it against the picture at the start of the the thread as I think that the V8 spoilers are different to the S4/S4S, in that the ducting is bigger and they have small aerofoils on the corners? This one is on eBay but it doesn't look correct: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LOTUS-ESPRIT-GT3-S4s-FRONT-LOWER-SPOILER-/300390533160 Thanks in advance

espritmania, MPx, Rick Edwards, mayesprit, SWLC, elite503chris, rafphillips, splodge s4, malcolmS, JayTwo, Simon350S, Alex Carter, paul1972, blueg33, swindon_alan

Ah ok, I see, that's the full body shell moulds. So are the moulds for the additional panels like bumpers and sills not available?

Wahoo!!! Sorry, scrabbling around all excited! Do we have any contact details or further info?

Esprit V8 SCC082918THA15182 September 1996 Lotus metallic green with cream interior Swindon, Wiltshire, UK swindon_alan

(Duplicate post to introductions section of the forum) Hi all, hope that you are doing well I've recently bought a '96 Esprit V8 in Lotus metallic green, only 44k miles with full provenance, service history, receipts and so on. I have wanted an Esprit since they were introduced in 1976 when I was in short trousers and now I have finally got one! It is a fantastic car and completely gorgeous...except I should have known not to take it out in the winter. Nine days in I was coming off a roundabout a few hundred yards from my house, driving carefully, hit a patch of ice, lost it completely. Went straight across the road, up a verge and demolished a two pole road sign. One of the poles was hit by the middle of the front end and went down flat, the other one grazed the driver's side. Luckily nobody was coming the other way or it could have been so much worse. No injuries, just a bit of shock. I drove the car back home pouring out coolant. What sees like a long time later I have got a cash settlement from the insurers to repair it. It took a lot of effort to convince the company not to write it off, they employed an independent assessor in the end who described the car as "beautiful and must go back on the road". A flexible insurance company? Well yes, in this case. So I am now working with a classic car restoration specialist who has a lot of experience with fibreglass to get it sorted. I now understand how difficult spares for them are to get, particularly body panels. Lotus have destroyed the moulds apparently, surely it would have in someone's interest to take them off their hands and make some occasional money on replacements? My mission is therefore to scour the Internet, the forums and the Lotus specialists to see what I can get hold of. In the meantime, if anyone has any of the following knocking around surplus to requirements or can point me in the right direction I would be very grateful: S4 front bumper S4 V8 front spoiler S4 RHS driver's door S4 RHS sill cover S4 rear bumper If these are indeed like hen's teeth then the other option is to pay the labour to repair the damaged panels but that is going to be pretty expensive. The windscreen took a whack at the bottom edges from the bonnet and is cracked, so will need a new one. Any suggestions on suppliers or pricing? I need a coolant radiator as well, I see that Radtec do an aluminum one, does anybody have any experience of them? http://radtec.co.uk/products/536/Lotus-V8-Esprit.htm. Oh and anyone know what the fans were off? Fiesta Mk 2? Target back on the road date: 30th April, parts permitting. Wish me luck! Cheers Alan

Hi all, hope that you are doing well I've recently bought a '96 Esprit V8 in Lotus metallic green, only 44k miles with full provenance, service history, receipts and so on. I have wanted an Esprit since they were introduced in 1976 when I was in short trousers and now I have finally got one! It is a fantastic car and completely gorgeous...except I should have known not to take it out in the winter. Nine days in I was coming off a roundabout a few hundred yards from my house, driving carefully, hit a patch of ice, lost it completely. Went straight across the road, up a verge and demolished a two pole road sign. One of the poles was hit by the middle of the front end and went down flat, the other one grazed the driver's side. Luckily nobody was coming the other way or it could have been so much worse. No injuries, just a bit of shock. I drove the car back home pouring out coolant. What sees like a long time later I have got a cash settlement from the insurers to repair it. It took a lot of effort to convince the company not to write it off, they employed an independent assessor in the end who described the car as "beautiful and must go back on the road". A flexible insurance company? Well yes, in this case. So I am now working with a classic car restoration specialist who has a lot of experience with fibreglass to get it sorted. I now understand how difficult spares for them are to get, particularly body panels. Lotus have destroyed the moulds apparently, surely it would have in someone's interest to take them off their hands and make some occasional money on replacements? My mission is therefore to scour the Internet, the forums and the Lotus specialists to see what I can get hold of. In the meantime, if anyone has any of the following knocking around surplus to requirements or can point me in the right direction I would be very grateful: S4 front bumper S4 V8 front spoiler S4 RHS driver's door S4 RHS sill cover S4 rear bumper If these are indeed like hen's teeth then the other option is to pay the labour to repair the damaged panels but that is going to be pretty expensive. The windscreen took a whack at the bottom edges from the bonnet and is cracked, so will need a new one. Any suggestions on suppliers or pricing? I need a coolant radiator as well, I see that Radtec do an aluminum one, does anybody have any experience of them? http://radtec.co.uk/products/536/Lotus-V8-Esprit.htm. Oh and anyone know what the fans were off? Fiesta Mk 2? Target back on the road date: 30th April, parts permitting. Wish me luck! Cheers Alan