If you were an esprit designer...

[dos Santos]

If you were on the esprit design team of the current esprit you own, what changes would you have made? Would you have changed something in particular from the way it is now?

(just trying to wake up the forum)

[Evil_Dr_Fish]

As ever..... The infamous Citroen Gearbox! I would have used one capable of handling way more power without self destructing!

I have a 210-215 bhp turbo and would very much like to mod it up a bit to put out more welly (late next year I think) but I know I can't really go beyond about 250bhp before I blow it to bits....

If I want to go further, then I know that this leaves me with the only real option of replacing the 'rear end' so I can whack the (not exactly great) Renault box on it!

I'm very glad I don't have ABS and don't miss Power Steering (so that doesn't bother me either)

I wouldn't mind reducing the turbo lag for a more predictable / controllable power curve.

As for the new one I definitely WOULDN'T be interested in a stupid flappy gearbox - STICKS are where it's at! Any 'driver aids' like b100dy traction control etc has to come with an ultra important "OFF" button (that really means off!)

Stylingwise I'm afraid the new one might end up like any other blobby jelly mould p.o.s (eg Audi TT) or might look like yet another Elise variant (!) (Dont get me wrong, the Elise is great but if I wanted a car that looked like one... I'd GET one! I have an Esprit for a reason!) I thought the Zonda and the now shelved Honda HSC (rear end not withstanding) look pretty damned good!

[Advantage]

Hmm, I think I'd beg, borow or steal the budget to make bespoke switchgear and door furniture. If only to stop the anorak brigade who love to point out the other cars that these are fitted to.

It'd be quite nice not have carpets that are glued down with evostick and maybe less of a reliance on handmade dashboard trim etc.

The V8 engined Esprit would have been launched in 1979 and would be well into it's 5th generation by now, so that it's not such a novelty. Obviously (as mentioned above) the transmission would have evolved alongside the V8 engine developments.

The pop up headlights would still be a feature, but they'd incorporate the mechanism from a Japanese car that didn't have wobbly pods no matter how new the Rose joints are....

The windscreen wiper would do what it's description says rather than just make a passing gesture. (The current mech is lifted from a Renault Twingo, which is a car that struggles to do 65mph!!)

The whole car would be around 200kgs lighter.

I'm bound to think of more.......

[Guest Troy Halliday]

Ok I like whats been mentioned so far here's mine.

I would have to sack the man who came up with the original design for the heater and start again with something that was not designed to go in Fred Flinstone's car.

I would over-rule the decision to make the bulkhead from wood. Basic reason being you make a car from anti corrosion materials like Fibreglass and Galvanise the chasis in an atempt to stop the car from becoming a pile of rust and then you put in a poor quality piece of ply wood as a firewall

I would source better quality nuts and bolts so that in some point in the future someone may actualy be able to remove more than 10% of the bolts without them snapping or rusting solid so much that they need cutting off.

Oh and made a proper tubuler manifold rather than putting in a poor quality piece of heavy pig iron with the life span of a May fly.

Other than the above and the things mentioned already I'd sit back with pride at a job well done, and driven it about town slowely so that everyone could see the car and me driving it.