Bazza 907

Mike I absolutely love the car - the kick when the tubo kicks in, oh wow, the sound it makes when you change gear above about 4000 revs, the looks of amazment on peoples faces..I could go on... Only a few very minor niggles - mostly related to the fact that the car's been standing for so long but I'll get them sorted when it goes back to the garage in October. Main issue is when the car is very hot I can't disengage the clutch - I know it needs a tougher hose putting on but until its on its a bit embarrasing crunching the gears when you want to pull away. Not driving the S3 much now, in fact havn't driven it since the Essex turned up ! Hope you're well and things turned out OK at work Bazza

Gordon Thanks very much - I think you're right that the originals are more pointy but these would probably look better than the black ones on the Compomotives at the moment. I'm trying to find out if the black ones on the wheels at the moment were the originals - they look very different from other Compomotive centre caps but there was a 'foreign' plated Essex at Donnington this year that had the same black centre caps as mine and maybe they were original ? Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Bazza

Bibs Great looking car mate Bazza

Gordon That would be great if you don't mind - A full frontal and a side (ish) view if possible. Thanks Bazza

Cliff Saw the headline and thought you were talking about getting Fulton Mackay out of his place of work..

Does anybody know if they are very different from the Compomotive split rims used on the Essex cars? They look very similar.. Bazza

Matt There are some on ebay now - not sure if they'll fit but worth a look. Item no. 110156665793 I'm looking for a set of 4 centre caps for Split Rim Compomotives if anybody has got any....? Bazza

OK so I know that this has been debated at length and every now and then there is talk of trying to get goodyear to remake the orginal 235 60 VR 15 NCT 1 tyres.... So why doesn't Goodyear simply come out and say something like.. a) We don't have the moulds so can't make them B) We have the moulds but won't make them period. c) We have the moulds and will restart manufacture d) We have the moulds and will restart production but only if we're guaranteed money in advance for XXXX tyres. You know it really hacks me off that there are suppliers or people around to supply just about any part we need but not tyres. Ahhhhh. Rant over, I feel a bit better now so I'm going to start doing some work. Bazza

Not sure if the landlord went bust - I think that it might a relative of Gerald's so maybe they've just taken it over? Chaps - Do remember to drop Rob an email so he knows you're coming - unless your Kimbers of course as the bike won't take up 'mushroom' in the car park.

Top man Gerald Turner from GST Performance and Club Lotus Cambridgeshire are organising a lotus evening "Five Miles from Anywhere" Sunday 12th August from 5pm onwards at the Five Miles Inn, Upware, Cambs. CB7 5ZR Apparently its a great pub on the river. Nothing specific organised other than a pleasant evening eating and drinking with lots of lotuses I'm planning to go and (unless it looks a bit wet) Chris Mickey Mouse will be going. Anybody else up for it? If so perhaps you could post here and let Rob at rob@cambsclublotus.org.uk know before 5th August. Bazza

Not much spare time but when I do, Arsenal FC Bazza

Oh wow that looks attractive doesn't it. And its in white - Imagine it in black, Mmmmmmmm

Unless it looks like it might rain eh Chris ??

Tony Excellent piece - Wish I was in the US to take advantage of your product knowledge. I'm totally with you on keeping the car original. If a car is 30 years old, personally I think that it should look the same - albeit in well looked after condition. Bazza

Iain You wouldn't have seen them as they're all underwater being driven by Roger Moore look-a-likes. Bazza

Until recently I lived in London and faced the same problem. I couldn't find anywhere that was reasonably priced in terms of professional storage and so I ended up looking at garages to rent but they were all in awful places that you really wouldn't want to leave an Esprit. Sorry to sound negative but I did spend a few years looking ! :crybaby: Good hunting

I was tempted to bid on the car at Coys but at the time couldn't really afford it so on balance it was no bad thing that it was pulled. Can you imagine how much it would have cost Lotus to build and they were hoping to get 'only'

I did a Club Lotus driver training day with the Mrs in her Elise at North Weald airfield (just off M25) in June. It was a FANTASTIC day and cost... wait for it....

Chris Fairly certain that its not the same tread pattern as the holy grail, er I mean the NCT1. If they had been I'd have bought the entire stock this morning and sold one to you for mega money Bazza

It used to be part of the unofficial museum in the centre of the factory and if I recall is was to be auctioned off at Silverstone (Coys) with the rest of the Group Lotus car collection about 10 years ago but I think it was pulled a couple of hours or days before the auction started. I have a magazine piece about the car, and I'm quite sure the "the book" you mention but it would take some digging out. Worth a point? Bazza

I've just come in the house from cleaning the mud off the underneath of the car - blimey it got everywhere, but what a great day. A big thank you to Simon for organising us and Dave for the shelter. Must admit I was surprised by the absolute devotion that some members of those other car clubs have to their cars - I guess I can understand some but...Vauxhall Cavalier MK2's being given 200 BHP and the Corsa's ???. I guess each to their own but surely these guys could put their hard earned into an Esprit given how cheap they are and at least have a car that looks the "muts nuts" as well as going like them them. It was a shame about the weather but it did eventually dry up on the way home and I had a great drive up the A303 and A30. Nice to meet some of the guys on the forum. Bazza

Interesting that the colour picture of HRH talking to Mansell sems to show the colour of the interior looking more orange than red. I wonder if that's the case ? - I ask because the interior of my Essex is more a red/orange than red mostly because I think its faded in the sunlight. Bazza

I agree with the others that it would be a shame for somebody not to restore it but financially...I think its another story. Somebody was trying to sell a nice/working/mot'd JPS on the Esprit world website not too long ago and the price if I remember correctly was c

I think you've been zooooming up and down so it now has 50,962 miles Bazza

Sets the car off really well Alex Bazza