Where have you been in your Esprit!??

[eprsplit]

Slade,

I have used a company in Florida that pop's out plates for the motion picture industry.

The quality is awesome but the decal (palm trees) might be a problem.

[slade]

hmm... sounds interesting

this is the plate I'm talking about

Thinking about getting a custom plate anyways though. the legitimate way that is

slade

Edited June 9, 2006 by slade

[Evil_Dr_Fish]

Paul - that pic is just awesome...

It makes me feel incredibly home-sick... Well I think that's "sick of home!"

My Dad drove us down the Big Sur when I was 10

Did Monterey, Carmel and then Santa Barbara.

I suddenly feel really depressed!

[Guest Troy Halliday]

Now I have to say this for tha sake of our US friends that telling us how long a journey takes is not a good indicatoin of distance. as I have taken 7 hours to do a 115mile journey! It takes me 1hour 15mins on average to get back from Hampstead in north London and that is approx 17miles

The ferthest I have been of yet is proberbly Coventry so not very far. But I do use the car every day. If that counts

[Bibs]

When we went on our infamous Wales Hoon we travelled from the M25 to Wales in 40 mins, that's 120 miles I think. Obviously this was done exclusively on private tracks and no public roads were used

Here's the vicar who blessed my car in Swansea

[Evil_Dr_Fish]

Indeed - Bless'ed was the hoon!

[JRTurbo909]

Paul - that pic is just awesome...

It makes me feel incredibly home-sick... Well I think that's "sick of home!"

My Dad drove us down the Big Sur when I was 10

Did Monterey, Carmel and then Santa Barbara.

I suddenly feel really depressed!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I actually just returned from a trip to Santa Barbara Wine Country last weekend. That area is so beautiful. Same place the move Sideways was filmed. Great place to take a weekend trip too. Would be nice to retire there as well for a change from the big city LA lifestyle...

unfortunately i didnt go in the esprit. we went in a Pontiac Sunfire . (not mine)

Shah

[Evil_Dr_Fish]

Ok... That has done it - I HAVE to move!

[Guest Troy Halliday]

Fishy got room for a shorty in your suitcase?

[Guest Troy Halliday]

When we went on our infamous Wales Hoon we travelled from the M25 to Wales in 40 mins, that's 120 miles I think. Obviously this was done exclusively on private tracks and no public roads were used

Here's the vicar who blessed my car in Swansea

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

At an average speed of 180mph I think he was more than likely doing the last rights for the way home

[Evil_Dr_Fish]

I'm guessing the private roads ran parrallel to the first junction after the M25 to the first service station the other side of the Severn River Crossing!

I think it was more like 45/50 mins

98 Miles according to the RAC route planner (and it didn't even send is Via Ireland or France or anything! )

[slade]

do you even know how many spiders and scorpions are hidden in that pic fishy?

slade

[Evil_Dr_Fish]

That's South Wales dude (and not the New version!)

If there are spiders they are harmless and as for scorpions.... yes... zero!

[slade]

figured you were talking about Shah's Santa Barbara pics, or is that not what you were talking about

Ok... That has done it - I HAVE to move!

slade

[mr50bmg]

I have been meaning to take the Esprit up the California Coast along the 101. Its a beautiful drive just begging to be driven in the Esprit...

shah

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Shah, you really really should've been at the West Coast Lotus Meet a few weeks ago; there were tours along highway 101 to Big Sur and the Hearst Castle. The WCLM was at Morro Bay, which is idyllic. Your car would've won the Best Esprit award easily!

To get to the WCLM and back, I drove my Esprit 2000 miles. Going with me in an Elise was a fellow local club member. Driving just one Lotus through Oregon and California is attention-getting enough, just imagine the sight of two Lotuses with out-of-state plates! People would cruise alongside each of us for miles taking photos and the drive overall was a very positive experience.

Attached is a photo of my car at Buttonwillow raceway, just west of Bakersfield, California. It represents the southernmost part of my journey. Also is a photo of the concourse on the last day of WCLM. Ironically, it rained that day.

-Dave

Edited June 9, 2006 by mr50bmg

[dodgy]

2000 miles! that would cost us in the uk about

[JRTurbo909]

Shah, you really really should've been at the West Coast Lotus Meet a few weeks ago; there were tours along highway 101 to Big Sur and the Hearst Castle.  The WCLM was at Morro Bay, which is idyllic.  Your car would've won the Best Esprit award easily!

To get to the WCLM and back, I drove my Esprit 2000 miles.  Going with me in an Elise was a fellow local club member.  Driving just one Lotus through Oregon and California is attention-getting enough, just imagine the sight of two Lotuses with out-of-state plates!  People would cruise alongside each of us for miles taking photos and the drive overall was a very positive experience.

Attached is a photo of my car at Buttonwillow raceway, just west of Bakersfield, California.  It represents the southernmost part of my journey.  Also is a photo of the concourse on the last day of WCLM.  Ironically, it rained that day.

-Dave

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for the compliments. I really wanted to go but my brother was graduating from Berkeley that day and i had to go show my support. Bad timing. Otherwise, i would be there in a second. It makes me feel worse considering, in all the pictures that I saw of the event, there were no S2s in attendance. Im not even sure I saw a pic of an S1. Early G cars seemed to be missing and i would have loved the honor of holding up that side of the spectrum for the event. Next time for sure...

Shah

[mr50bmg]

There were only two G-cars: mine and a 1985 which won the Best Esprit category over a multitude of V8's and some S-cars. Mine was the earliest G-car. For older Lotuses, there was an Elite Coupe, and a few Elans. Most of the cars there were Elises, Exiges, and Esprits. I want an Exige!

Here is a link to a thread which contains many very nice photos:

http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23268

It's hosted by Club111 (the Elise club). It goes on for about 20 pages, but the photos are worth it.

The 1985 G-car looked brown at first, but the owner told me it was a some sort of "red". I looked at the color codes for the Esprit, but have forgotten which red his is. Maybe someone here can identify the color when they see his car in the photos.

-Dave

[CharlieC]

Drove to Stuttgart - In your face Porsche!!!

[Goose]

Great thread! Love the photos! They all look better than north London (not difficult I suppose )

Anyway, I am planning a hoon down to the Monza for the Italian Grand Prix in September and then off camping around Europe, it will be great! Want to try and find some good mountain roads... Can't wait!!

Just need to keep away from helicopters...

[Evil_Dr_Fish]

Angus - It's called the stelvio pass! (or via stelvio to the locals!) :)

We were meant to be there a few weeks ago!

[Goose]

Excellent - I will see if I can find it when I am over there! Edited June 28, 2006 by Goose

[Evil_Dr_Fish]

http://www.adamanda.org/travel/it/98/

It's the "SS38" in the national park - "parco nazionale dello stelvio", on the Swiss, Italian border, North East of Milano / Monza and is hugely famous :)

Google Map

Close up they're so mad, they look like scribbles on a map!!!

[Evil_Dr_Fish]

Those pictures aof the drive up the Big Sur look so awesome they make me almost want to cry!!!!

(I tried (but failed!) to attach the one of the bridge across the bay - just stunning!)

[Rob]

agree, Big Sur pic is awesome

I did so many great road trips in the esprit its hard to pick out just one..

Le Mans (five times in the esprit)

Paris a couple of times for weekend breaks (including peripherique, champs elysee and arc du triumph at rush hour).

Magny Cours and back in a weekend for French GP.

Too many to remember early morning blasts across snowdonia to visit my folks on the coast in north wales.

Monaco, cote d'azur via route napoleon (again, early morning trip in teh summer with a deserted road)

Alps; col du turini and lots of other awesome roads.

Trips I will do at some point but didn't manage whilst i had the car:

- nurburgring

- stelvio/stressa/futa passes

damn.. i miss my car :-(