mr50bmg

The S1 and S2 Esprits have the cleanest and sexiest lines. The broadside view of S1 and S2 Esprits is very nice. Conversely, the broadside view of the Turbo Esprit is awful; it looks chopped at the rear. I can't stand to look at my car broadside. However, all the Esprits look great at an oblique angle, especially from the rear with that wide rear end. Even when I'm going somewhat slow, I've had other cars pace me in the the adjacent lane, about two car lengths back, so it must be that they are entranced by the view. -Dave

On the road about once or twice a week. I live only 3 blocks from work, so when I'm driving the Esprit I take the scenic route which is a 7-mile circuit. I'm anxious to take it on longer evening drives, especially as the sun doesn't set until 8:30 in the evening this time of year. However, there is too much road construction at the moment and too much congestion, so perhaps I'll have to wait until September. TSD Beautiful car. Sometimes they put lamp posts in the silliest of places. -Dave

Ok... finally confirmed it is a Crossland from JAE and has the anti-drainback tube. As for the remote filter idea - that sounds attractive. Yes, I would think you would want to mount it with the threads up. -Dave

One of my other cars is an Audi S4. A few years ago Audi had this wonderful advertisement and slogan:

Driving the Esprit around town in traffic is very different than out on the open road and twisties. In traffic, the Esprit is a bit of a chore due to the vague engagement of the clutch and to the slowness and heaviness of shifter (I am making this comparison against my other cars). Actually, when on a course that requires a lot of shifting and speed variation (i.e. other than just driving through the countryside), I consider the Esprit a difficult car to drive well; it is something that needs to be learned and mastered. If there is a Lotus club in your area, I would suggest attending a few meetings and you'll likely find someone that has a nice Esprit and can get a few rides in it, that'll give you an idea of how it should sound and I'm sure they'd eventually let you drive it once they gain confidence you would be gentle with the clutch and gearbox. Check out: http://www.lotuscarclub.org/ for a club in your area. -Dave

A bit miffed tonight to discover that after my very expensive servicing ($3000), the oil filter is not a Lotus one. Odd, because my mechanic has used Lotus filters on my car during previous servicing. My concern is whether this filter has the anti-drainback valve. Anyway, this filter is dark blue with orange lettering - I can't read the lettering too well using my inspection mirror. Basically, I can make out what appears to be a lower case "cloa--" or "clos--" or maybe "cios--" or even possibly "cros--". Don't know how many letters there are and if the last visible one is an "a" or an "s". There can't be that many dark blue filters with lower case orange lettering. I don't think it's Crosland, as they use upper case. In addition to Lotuses, he also works on Jags, but I've google searched all sorts of filters and filter images and just can't find this one. If anyone knows what it is, let me know. I'll see if I can call the mechanic tomorrow morning and find out. Thanks, -Dave

When cold, mine's just under 5 at 1500 rpm; around 4 at 1000 rpm. -Dave

Here we go... -Dave

I always thought "both feet in" referred to clutch and brake. Anyway, good job keeping the car under control! The only times I've spun my Esprit have been on the track (Portland International Raceway). Once going into turn 1 where I shifted too late and let the back end go light*, and another during an autocross event, giving it way too much throttle going around a cone. On the roads, I'm very conservative. I took a 3-day "high performance driving course" many years ago; it was very valuable and I'd recommend such a course to anyone, regardless of what they drive. When the tail starts to come around, the main thing is to look in the direction you want to go. Also, once you correct for the spin, be prepared to quickly counter it if you've overcorrected. -Dave * The lesson to be learned there was: "get all your shifting and braking done in a straight line"

Hello Gordonie and welcome. I met you at the Lotus Convention in Portland in 2003 and we talked about your road trips; your yellow Lotus Esprit is just beautiful. It is great that you drive your car so much on these long trips; it is like being an ambassador for Lotus. -Dave

That reminds me of a "conversation" I had with two young gentlemen (hah!) in the motel parking lot of our Lotus Convention a few years ago. As I was getting into the car, they remarked in very descriptive fashion where they would go if they owned such a car, who they would meet, and how their evening would end. My comments to them about whether they would want a woman who was interested in them only because of a car obviously showed them I didn't know how to score in this game. But, still, it's been my experience that not one single woman has ever remarked about my car or looked at it twice. As for passengers... I'm a little bit amazed right now to think that it's been about 10 years since I've even had a passenger in the car. -Dave

I voted for yellow because it seems to emphasize the subtle curves of the car, no matter what model year. A friend's Turbo Esprit HC in yellow with red trim is one of the most stunning G cars I've seen and V8 Esprits look great in yellow. However, G cars in JPS colors and in "British Racing Green" just look right and proper. My favorite is the Essex, but I've never seen one - not even at the Monterey Historics in 1995 when Lotus was the featured marque and the place was filled with Lotuses. -Dave

In our club there were two women who owned an Esprit because their husbands also owned a Lotus; there was also one woman who owned a Europa. However, other than wives of men who own a Lotus, I've not known of any woman who has been interested in these cars to even the slightest degree. In 14 years I've not known of any woman who's given my car a second glance, either on the road or parked. Certainly none have ever asked me about it or made any comment. Rather, it is the men or teenage males who are curious and ask questions. For example, a few years ago, as I pulled into a gas station, there were two young boys, not even teenagers, who recognized my '84 as a Lotus. I was impressed, as Lotus had long been out of Formula 1 (where many of us first heard of Lotus) and in this city a Lotus is a very rare sight. The car to get women's attention is not a Lotus (nor probably any car that men find highly appealing). I imagine women would find a Miata or new Mini more intriguing. -Dave

Greetings all. I'm a proud owner of just one of the 418 Lotus Turbo Esprits made in 1984. A few details about my car and a photo appear in the Garage section. Now that I've had my car recently serviced and it's passed emissions, I'm back to a weekly driving schedule. Being that we're in the midst of summer, I'm hoping I'll get to do some nice long drives, preferably with our local club or even a non-Lotus car club -- any excuse to take it out on the road and be with fellow car enthusiasts. I've always thought it was a good thing for others to see the car on the road - not to be a show-off, but so that others can see these cars are driven. Some people have never seen a Lotus and at times I think they're as surprised as if they'd just seen a MiG-21 fly overhead. -Dave