andecorp

Also I want to add, that if by driving your car, it ends up in a tatty condition, then you cannot afford to drive this car. If you maintain it properly, REGARDLESS of how you drive it, there is no reason for it not to be a minter.

That is not the point. My S4s is a concourse car, yet I have tracked her many times, I have taken her on hillclimbs and just recently I have done almost 190mph in the Outback. How do you drive yours? Excusing a car's poor condition because she's 'driven' is just that, an excuse. Tatty cars exist due to the owners disrespect for the automative art form that they are.

I was actually generous with that figure. I have only ever seen two other used Esprits in the condition that I keep my cars. I usually get mad and sad when I see other people's Esprits.

Agreed. Ferrari has got it down pat - their cars overall are pretty crappy (talking from ownership expericence). But they know how to inflate their prices to keep values high. In 1996, a F355 was AU$280,000 and a S4s was AU$266,000. There are hundreds of 355's in Aust and if you want to buy one, it will cost you AU$180k. There are only 16 S4s's here, yet you can buy one for AU$80k. And the S4s is a MUCH better car in every aspect over a 355. As mentioned above, the problem is that 90%+ of the Esprits on the market are junkers bought by people that scraped by to buy them and then couldn't afford the maintanance.

I've owned both cars, and I can tell you straight away that you are seriously misguided if you think what you said is true! This is the reality - if you have a low mileage MINT Esprit that is well known as being MINT, you will sell it straight away for a premium. There are not many minters out there as most Esprit owners should have never bought one as they are out of their financial capabilities. I sold my black S4s for 25% ABOVE asking price, as I had so many people wanting it, it started a bidding war. And this was before the ads appeared in the magazines! As a matter of fact, the phone was ringing non stop with potential buyers even when I was doing the paperwork with the guy that bought it. My current S4s which I am its first owner, has been featured in many magazines and it has won many concourses, so I get offers on it way above market value all the time. But I'll never sell this one. Point is expect to pay top $ for a top car, but it will certainly be worth it when it will come to enjoying the ownership experience, and if you maintain the car so it stays in the same top condition, you will also sell it straight away for a premium. And this applies not just to Esprits, but to dancing donkeys, lambos, etc.

Agreed! Jon was PHENOMENAL! Thank you again.

For 3 years I ran two S4s's as my every day cars. Both my cars were always in perfect condition and no money was sparred when it came time to service them. Not once was I left on the side of the road! Over the years, my Ferraris and Lambos always found their way to leave me stranded, but never the Esprits. "How realistic is it to run an s4s everyday?" Very realistic. "What is the heating system like in an esprit? " Fine. Never had issues. "Does it mist up on the outside of the windscreen like the Elise?" No. "Is it man enough to adaquetly clear the screen inside? " Yes. "Does the air-con work in the summer?" Of course. Even in 42'C heat. "What gas does the air-con take?" The new one - forgot the code (R32?) "Do they leak and condense up on the inside?" Never. "Will i need a second car to fall back on?" Good idea if you need to go somewhere where it wouldn't be smart to take the Esprit (bad neighbourhood, unsealed roads, etc).

All the parts mentioned above came from Marcus - PUK. He also has great quality nolathane bushes, much better than I found anywhere else. I fitted a whole set to the car and it made a great difference compared to previous nolathane bushes I had on. I also have grooved and drilled brake discs and uprated pads. And I also have fully adjustable dampers and springs (adjustable for height and dampness). I figured that if I am making her so quick and fast, might as well make her stop and handle better too. Also I have GPS figures of 0-100kph in 4sec flat and the quarter mile in 12.2sec. All my parts are either from Marcus or from SJ. Other things like cold freezing the 2nd gear, I have had done here by local guys.

I have ayellow one. It has the raven interior with the yellow piping, just like my car. You can turn the wheels with the steering wheel, and even the sun visors come down. The interior buttons and dials have the correct markings, including the gear change stick B) Obvious mistake is the black plastic triangle in front of the mirrors, is colour coded, like on the early steven's cars.

That was the GPS figure. I have the red race chip, larger secondary injectors, no cat 3" exhaust, K&N, upgraded fuel pressure switch - she dynoed at 361hp. The longer 5th gear I had installed is good for a top speed of 307kph. I topped out at 295kph, and I couldn't figure it out why I couldn't get over 0.65boost and she wouldn't go over 6,000rpm in 5th. After we brought the car back home and ran the Tech1, we found that the 'Check Engine' light bulb was blown. So since the light was blown, the ECU couldn't warn if something would be wrong, so it would automatically cut boost down to 0.65bar. I was gutted. I spent $15,000 to prep and get the car up there in the Outback (part of the Exotics in the Outback run) and I couldnt' see what she could do properly. And there's no chance of ever doing it again as since 1st of Jan it's illegal to drive with unlimited speed there. You can see / hear her here in the Outback: http://www.lulu.tv/?p=3971

I've done 184.4miles/hour in my S4s in the Outback in August. And that was with mechanical boost only (0.65bar) as I had an ECU fault, so I couldn't get her past 6,000rpm in 5th. Plus a passenger and a boot full of luggage. I have the longer 5th gear from Marcus if you are wondering.

This is me on stage: I also do Supreme Court Appeal trials for fun and of course, play with my cars

I am SO EXCITED!!!!!! Thank you again! :D:D

Congrats! She's gorgeous.

I am so excited, I am jumping up and down and playing with my fingers in anticipation, the way Homer does! LOL

Show us!

Actually no, I think only 5 years ago, Brazil was producing the Lotus Emme, after investing hundreds of millions of $. But the company went bankrupt after only making a handful of cars. That's where all those S4 crated engines came from that you saw everywhere in the last few years. Here's some pics:

Lotus Emme is what I would have loved to gotten my hands on as an every day driver. B)

What happens when people like Jonathan need to pick up several of the same part, as he's picking up parts for a few of us that can't make it there? Will he be allowed to do that?

It's so exciting when a minter is found! Enjoy! She's special.

SJ is fantastic. As is Marcus in Germany. They are the only two suppliers that I have been using and they have always gone above and beyond in servicing me for many years now.

I hope you are not thinking about paying out of your own pocket for shipping things out?? The least people can do is pay you for the shipping, and I believe a fee on top of that as well, for you going through the hassle. Even that way, us using your kindness, we will be way ahead.

What chance do people like myself have of scoring some of these parts? Obviously, I won't fly to the UK for the sale, but do I have to wait until the sale is over to see what is left over, or can I get my request in before that somehow?

I was lucky to have experienced it back in August. Now, it can be said that it was a once in a lifetime experience Here's my story there: http://www.glcforum.com/esprit/forums/inde...?showtopic=6080 NT has the highest road death rate in Australia. 48% of the deaths are alcohol related and a third are drug related. 40% of the dead did not wear seat belts. 30% of drunk drivers are repeat offenders. They monitored 11 red light intersections over a weekend, and in that weekend over 2,100 cars ran the red lights! So, NT drivers are drunk druggies that run red lights and don't wear seatbelts, so the goverment's solution is to implement speed limited open roads! BTW, NT is the size of Spain, France and Italy combined and it only has a couple hundred thousands people living there. Yes, great place to implement speed limits!

Go here: http://www.lotusclubvic.asn.au/ look in the classifieds and you'll find a black S300 for sale in Australia. The car is a minter.