Cos

Hi guys I have looked into this mirror issue for the s1 for many years now. There are actually 2 types of pod mirrors that were fitted to the European S1. Actually, both are shown on this thread. There is the 6 sided pointy type that Chris has shown above, and the more bull nosed 4 sided type as fitted to Dave's car and the hillman. They are both correct although. The 4 sided type was fitted to some europa's too. The first prototypes and show cars had the 4 sided bullnose type, and the famous photo of CABC sitting in an esprit in the London motor show in early 70's even had 2 bullnose mirrors. First run production cars had the 6 sided types, as did the 007 esprit. The little metal stem should also be black, although under the paint, it was actually chromed. Boring stuff, but could be of some use to someone hopefully. Good luck in getting the right one. Cos

Look in eBay under fiat x19 oil pressure sender. About £20. Used and new available. X19 has same setup. Good luck.

Hi, I need to find a binnacle vent shroud for a S1 esprit. Its the plastic vacummed formed bit that the louvered vent is fixed to on the left of the dials. If anyone has one that's not fitted, perhaps they would be willing to lend it To me so that I can make a copy. It's important that it's an S1 type smooth finish and not he later dimpled effect like on the S2. Please contact me if you can help c.herodotou@cytanet.com.cy

I wish that I was this talented. As you have probably guessed, the car is being retrimmed by the talented Mr Fulcher. There really is no other option if you want a really original looking job. Here is something strange. During the removal of all the original trim, we found that the number 131G was written in quite a few places on many parts of the cars shell and also on the door beams. The car is an original white car with tartan trim, and is actual chassis number 127G. The first owner is also recorded as being a helicopter leasing company / operator based in Shoreham. The real number 131G is actually a yellow car according to lotus archive. The previous white car in the chassis series of numbers was the 122G which was the bond car. Does anyone have any idea why lotus used to do things like that? Hi Paul. I am not sure, but I think that the Fulchers could sell you some carpet.

Its the same, except they S1 esprits had a clear glass windscreen and side windows. The S2 onwards up to the Stephens design had the same shapes but had a greenish tint called SUNDYN. They can make both types. Pick up is from Pilkington glassmakers in Queensbough, Kent. They still have the tooling. They only make the front windscreens. No side windows and no tailgate glass unfortunately Latest parts of the retrim.

Hi guys The interior retrim is coming along nicely. Soon I will be ordering a new non tinted windscreen for it. I have spoken to pilkington glass. They said they will be willing to make them. It's also possible that they can be made with the original White XXX triplex logo on the top. Is anyone else interested in ordering one too? The price will be about £180 + vat. Maybe a little bit less if we manage to order a small batch. Personally, I will be ordering 2 just incase of any future problems.

Did he say £45,000 or maybe 45,000 miles?

Sounds promising. I will check their site. Does anyone else offer anything at a reasonable price?

Its been a while since anyone has spoken about what's available for the GT3. What would some GT3 owners recommend. I don't wanna spend hundreds on a chip, especially if it is no good for the engine, or doesn't make any difference to performance. I would also like to be able to switch back to factory if I ever need to. I already have the De-cat pipe. Walsh racing injectors, larini exhaust, Bailey BOV, k&n filter. The ram air mod is something I am probably going to do too. A mate has bought a RX 8 and I don't fancy being whipped by a MAZDA!

Before video After video

Hi Bibs Picked up the exhaust on Saturday from the consiege at the hotel. Thank you for packing it well. I took it straight up to my room and put it together on the bed. It looks lovely. It is very well made. The stainless looks to be of really good quality and the welding is much better than i expected. Didnt have any problems getting it onto the palne. Security were more interested in telling me that my ipad is actually a laptop. Got back home today, and as soon as I had had a couple of hors kip, i went down to the garage and fitted it. Fitting it was a piece of pee. It took about 1 hour. The only adjustment it needed was to the bolts that hold it onto the exhaust mounting rubber. they needed about 1cm lopped off the end. I made a small video in the garage of a before and after. It is definately louder at idle than my old custom exhaust. Then took it out for a quick 5 minute run. The real difference is when you hit 4500-5000 rpm. The exhaust note changes. It sounds much raspier. At about 8000 rpm, you would think you were listening to an F1 car. I love it! The car seems to rev easier too. I wouldnt be able to say if it has made any change to power yet, but the engine defiantely seems to accelerate quicker. I would definatley recommend it to anyone who is thinking of upgrading their exhaust. You really cant go wrong.

Cool, cant wait

Where can I see the video?

Took them to a company called spit and polish. They have loads of experience with wolf race wheels. Had the Tyres sent to them too. I was happy with the finish. The enamel the back and the slots to protect the wheel as much as possible but not the front of course.

Hi I recently did my Wolfrace wheels. If you want your wheels to be original, the way they should be is, diamond cut, with the machine marks actually showing very finely. That is how they left the factory. You should then keep them well waxed and only polish them in a full circular motion. If you should laquere them, you will find that the laquere will delaminate because the casting of the wheels was quite crude and there are many micro bubbles of air in the alloy. Also, the laquere does not particularly like the sharp corner of the slots in the wheels. They do need looking after, but they look great if you spend some time. Good luck

Brilliant Looking very shiny! Cant wait to get it and fit it. Any idea when you'll be sending them out Bibs? But will the Larini be able to do this?

Come on guys, you'll regret it. Bibs has put a lot of time and effort into this one. I am sure it won't happen that often. Last chance to get a good one for a good price. Looking forward to getting mine :-)

It's no problem if they can't. It's just really fiddly fitting the bolts and the exhaust paste when holding the EBPV in place. You sort of need 3 hands. I won't be able to do Xmas do! I will be too busy playing Michael Jackson, The experience on my wii. Aoowww! Might catch up for a beer when I have time off from work though later in the month. Chat soon Cos COME ON GUYS, JUST 1 MORE PERSON WHO NEEDS AN EXHAUST!

Ok, I am going to go for it. Looks pretty much like a fit and forget kind of thing, which is perfect. 1. Cliff 2. Jeremy 3. Rory 4. Cos Twin tip, for GT3. with the silencer. The slanted tips are fine seeing as it's a larini trademark. Have a cat bypass pipe, but swap back every year for the Mot. Any chance they can make the inlet pipe an inch or so longer to avoid having to use the BPV replacement ring altogether? Looking forward to fitting it. Cos

Giasou again Bibs Umm, no, not quite Brad mate. Just more fun than I would have thought. I will try my best to come over for the xmas party. All depends on my work roster. I have a special concoction for you from Cyprus next time I see you. Its the local spirit. Strong stuff. Gives me the hiccups! If you dont like the flavour, you can always use it to clean the windows or put a bit in the tank of the esprit for some extra vroom! Anyhow. Back to the exhaust. I am pretty sure I want one. Spoke with Kevin and Chris (GT3s) last week at the Ace cafe. Lovely blokes. Learnt quite a bit about GT3s from them. We had a nice time too. I think they have the blueflame version, which sounds lovely. If the Larini is anything as good, then I will be more than happy. I saw that Kevins car had his tips end cut off square. I think this looks good for the esprit and more stock. Also, they have rolled tips. Do you think that Larini might offer an option for the tips, or will they come with the type shown in the photo above. Giasou from Cyprus Cos

Giasou Bibs Was really really nice to meet you finally. Your nothing like I expected! I hope I'll be able to come over in December. Anyhow, I am interested in a new exhaust for my GT3 too. It has a bypass pipe, but still has the EBPV ring. Will they be able to do me one too? I need to be able to refit the CAT for the Cyprus MOT though. I'm a bit confused about the difference between the Larini and the BlueFlame versions. Whats the difference apart from the price. (Or is that confidential?) Regards Cos

Hi Andrew, As most people have said before about S1 esprits, it really does depend on the condition. Although they are pretty simple car in term of technology, there are so many things to look out for when buying one. Starting from the bottom and working upwards. S1 wolfrace wheels are specific to the S1 esprit ONLY and are very difficult to find if your car comes with aftermarket wheels, and expensive if your lucky. Appox 800 pounds for a solid set of 4. Repairing a damaged wheel may also prove impossible. The chassis is extremely prone to rust and requires removal of the body to restore it. This can take many hours to repair and you will also need a double garage. Hopefully, you wont find that the chassis has been bent. Although the body is fiberglass, Lotus tried many different techniques in resin injection during the development of the esprit. This means that its common to find esprits with cracks and splits in the bodywork. The early self coloured resin bodies can also suffer from serious colour fading I have also seen a few S1s with splits to where the wheel arch meets the floor, especially on the rear arches. Mounting points to the chassis can also be cracked or split. If an esprit needs a respray, you will find that most classic lotus specialist ask upward of 5000 for a proper strip down respray with the correct techniques and primers. This may seem like a lot, but the S1 needs hours of fettling and the cracks MUST be repaired correctly. 34 year old fiberglass needs special care and attention if its not been kept in a dry garage. Bumpers, valences, spoiler and headlamp pods also don’t seem to last to tests of time and can cost around 100 pounds apiece, even before they are fettled, fitted and coloured. The original Citroën gearbox is rather robust, but if it should need a rebuild, this can cost well over 1000 pounds. The early S1 esprit engines commonly suffered from oil supply problems, especially to the crank shaft. This often lead to cheap dodgy rebuilds by POs. A decent rebuild of an 907 series engine will cost upwards of 2000 pounds. Windscreens if scratched or chipped will cost over 200 pounds to buy and the chrome set around it another 100 pounds plus fitting. If the roof has been cut for an aftermarket sunroof, this will cost well over 1000 pounds to close up. You will need to reupholster the roof lining too. Most S1s have rotten wooden engine bulkheads behind the seats. This can also add to your expenses and is almost impossible to check unless you remove the glued down carpet. The seatbelts are mounted to this wooden bulkhead, and it is also a structural part of the car. Rear brake disc and calipers are also rather rare now. Fuel tanks can also rust and will cost about 500 pounds a pair. The original lotus cloth will now be over 33 years old and will normally have faded and sagged a little. The original interior looks great and makes a huge difference to the value of an S1. An original re-trim in orange, green and tartan interior done by the proper man with the proper materials will cost 10000. Then you have to hope that you don’t need many other parts or services that can add up to another few thousand quite easily if you want a car that looks original and tidy. You will probably find that you with have quite a few independent lotus parts specialist on speed dial. Finally, there are S1s and there are S1s. Earlier 1976 R reg esprits are more sought after than the later ones. Very early S1s (including the movie car) had the tartan interior and center armrest ashtrays which makes them very rare. Also later esprits had gradual improvement leading up to the S2. These included wing mirrors, rear valence, interior changes and some very late S1 even had S2 type cooling vents behind the C post. I decided a few years ago not to bother with going into the expense of getting an S1, and accepted that I would appreciate the S1 from a distance and bought myself a silver esprit GT3 instead. However, this needed thousands spent on it too. The idea of owing an S1 though continued to haunt me and I finally took the plunge last year. It’s had it respray now, engine being rebuilt and interior is being done. I have been lucky with quite a few things I have mentioned and unlucky with others, but it is all adding up. My S1 had had its original chassis galvanized and the body was sound although in desperate need of a good respray. It came fitted with an excel engine, but came with the original engine in a crate. The car had been stored and off the road for over 22 years. The original engine is being totally overhauled now and the car is also being treated to a new interior. So, unless your very gifted in restoring cars and lucky, and if you’re looking to have a reliable, tidy, un-molested, original white S1 with a proper new original tartan interior, expect to part with to the best part of 30,000 pounds because today that’s roughly how much it will cost. If however your satisfied with a cheaper option, you can expect to find an MOT’d S1 which for around 10,000 - 15,000 pounds. I think what Anthony and Carlos are asking for seems like reasonable prices for running cars. Not many S1s come up for sale now days, and I am sure that they will find buyers in time, and that is assuming that they can bear to part with their cars. Finding another one will never be easy. Carlos and Anthony, Good luck with your sales. Anthony, I cant believe that you have decided to sell it. I am a little bit shocked. There really is nothing that can replace the S1 for someone who really wants one, and I believe they will hold there value for a long time. Andrew, good luck with your search for an S1.

I think some earlier S2s has the vertical narrow rad like the S1 and later S2s and S2s with A/C had the taller rad that was mounted with a backwards slant.

Hi Andy, Yes, sorry. I meant the original copper and brass original one of course. I got the new aluminium one a couple a days ago in the post from Serck Motorsports. Luckly they happened to have one on the shelf. It looks like a well made peice of kit. I will be carrying out the doorstep challenge by comparing the origianl one vs the ali one at the end of the month when I come over to London for a few days. I will fill them up with boiling water and doing a temp/time comparison. I will have a fan blowing through them and plotting some results. I hope the aluminium one will be at least as good as the copper/brass one. Here are some pics of the new one.

Thanks I spoke with Steve at SJ for his opinion too. He says that its all to do with ultimate cooling efficency. He says that in normal temperate climates, up to about about 30 degrees celcius, a normal steel radiator will be ok. But that in high temperatures the aluminum radiator has better cooling efficency. I have looked at some US sites that sell radiators for hot rods, and they all claim that the aluminium radiators offer better cooling in race conditions. Most articles I have read seem to say the say thing. Most modern cars also use aluminium rads. Even race and track cars seem to use aluminium rads. Nobody seems to put copper or brass rads in any type of performance cars any more. I guess the only real test to see which is better will be to compair the 2 next to each and add boiling hot water in both and see which will cool the water faster with a small fan in front of each one. I think I will get myself an aluminium radiator for the S1 and try the test. I am biased mostly because the aluminium rad wont corrode as much as a stell one and because I dont like the idea of using the old original end caps which are already 34 years old. Once i get the new rad, I will be carrying out the test to see what happens. I hope that I will be happy with my decision when i see the results