Mathieson/ Bell & Colvill conversion?

[blow-thru]

I've done a archive search but couldn't find anything related.

Apparently 22 of these were built,would love to see the SU turbo setup. Apparently,Stuart was the one to start the snowball rolling for Lotus to start their conversion

[espritmania]

I have the first one 600 LOT but the turbo was removed.

[plumdeplakmuis]

If somebody is interested I can get you one of these original kit's

after 30 years they only need some tlc.

[blow-thru]

I have the first one 600 LOT but the turbo was removed.

hmmm... very interesting .

What serial SU is it? How come you have removed the turbo?

Edited September 12, 2010 by blow-thru

[espritmania]

Turbo removed by Bell&Colvill same year,the number plate was removed and put on another Esprit.I have tried for over 20years to locate the number plate but I have had no luck to date.

The engine that is fitted now is an uprated 2.2 hc big valve (approx 200bhp)

[blow-thru]

A shame your hunt has proved unfruitful. 200bhp...pwoah,long time since I've experience such power,having to resort to 115bhp

[scott]

600LOT was featured quite heavily on "Lotus Esprit - Addiction for life".

I love Bobby Bell's comment, "a Maser would give 140, and a Ferrari would give perhaps 150 - we felt we needed to give the Esprit an edge" - B&C still have every press cutting and road test for 600LOT, getting great publicity at the time.

Forgotten the SU carb size, but there's an engine bay image in the Robson book .

One came up for sale on Ebay a while back, an S2 in solid Green with Yellow wheels, but I've never seen another - in the flesh or advertised.

Internally they were known as incinerators!

ATB

Scott

[Portocruz]

Hi there I'm the owner of the s2 turbo sold on eBay back in 2006, I've managed to get the original reg back on the car as it was used as a press car, it's cost a fortune to keep going but it's still in its original state with turbo all there! I know it's very rare and am looking for any of the other owners out there still running the turbos if there's any left on the road

[espritmania]

Hi,I had the first one ,the S1 reg 600 LOT.Sadly or happilly it,s now sold to a collector in the USA.

[Loose Cannon]

I've managed to get the original reg back on the car as it was used as a press car,

Great stuff, I recall it was a striking car in green & yellow - were those the original colours? Do you have a copy of the period road tests?

[Portocruz]

The original factory colour was black, I think it was changed in the early ninetys to the lotus racing green, ive changed the wheels to silver, the original press artical was in car and car conversions August 1978 under the title 'love in the fast lane'

I've had the engine totally rebuilt so it's mechanically sorted, interior is still original and only 55,000 miles with all old m.o.t's and history. As I've said before would love to fined any other existing ones if there's any left.

My car also featured the reg 600 lot from bell and colvill back in the seventys

[Alan Paterson]

I paid a visit to Stuart Mathieson when I was making 'Esprit-Addiction For Life' and he showed me his notebook that he kept of the tests while developing the early turbo on the Esprit. It was fascinating. Sadly, I'd done all the main shooting on the film and only covered Stuart's part with a few stills.

Alan

A bit more: I just remembered there's a B/W still of the Engine bay of the Esprit showing the Turbo in position - used in the film.

Edited May 11, 2012 by Alan Paterson

[Portocruz]

A bit more information regarding my Esprit. I had to contact Mathwall engineering last week as the rubber mounting for the Su carb has finally perished, I received a phone call from the main man himself today Mr Mathieson,he informed me my car was one of the first to be converted, as future turbos conversions had delorto carbs, the su is a 2 inch model used in the seventys mostly by Jaguar and he's going to look through his spares archive to see if he can help me with the rubber mount, so fingers crossed!, very interesting chatting to mr Mathison and great to find the company's still going strong

[Mark Blanchard]

I stumbled across this ad and article today in an old copy of Autosport magazine from 1979 (while waiting to get new tyres fitted. Why the tyre fitters had 36 year old car mags lying around was odd but a nice surprise).

 

Hope this is of some interest.  If you want bigger images, please pm me.