Esprit videos on Youtube, hundreds of 'em...!

[megalomaniac]

3 hours ago, Buddsy said:

Well its another Vid...poor Esprit looks like it could do with a bit of TLC....and a new set of tyres if 5:10 is anything to go by!

Buddsy

Looks like he's in Japan.

[The Pits]

the daddy of them all, I'd love to know more about what was done to the engine, doesn't look like much 910 left!

 

[The Pits]

Did you hear it though Budds? Sweet Christmas!

[The Pits]

thought this might be of interest to V8 owners, I think the title is very misleading though, he gets an amazing result if you ask me!

 

[OwenGT3]

Here's a couple of mine.

The first one is me age 14 having a ride in the James Bond Esprit around the Lotus test track in 1979. This clip was filmed by my Dad with his silent 8 mm cine camera, I did several laps as a passenger reaching 120 mph, it was very noisy.

Here's another one I made about a year or so ago. It's got music as the sound wasn't very good, so couldn't be used.

 

Edited December 5, 2016 by OwenGT3

[Loose Cannon]

11 hours ago, OwenGT3 said:

The first one is me age 14 having a ride in the James Bond Esprit around the Lotus test track in 1979. T

 

Did you win a competetion or something to do this Owen? As a Lotus/Bond obsessed 11 year old at the time I would gladly have murdered you and adopted your identity to take your place!

[The Pits]

That Bond Esprit footage is amazing Owen. He looked to be driving like the clappers! what can you remember of it? I imagine it was both very impressive and absolutely terrifying at the same time!

[GTK]

 

Here here Owen, that's such nice footage to have! Do you still have the camera? The biggest thing that struck me considering the two videos have 36+ years between them... you've changed your hair! 

[OwenGT3]

8 hours ago, Loose Cannon said:

Did you win a competition or something to do this Owen? As a Lotus/Bond obsessed 11 year old at the time I would gladly have murdered you and adopted your identity to take your place!

I was there with another young lad who had won a competition, I think he was on his own, so as far as I can remember has no kept memory of the event, other than what he can remember from back then. I was invited by the pen friend I used to write to on a regular basis who worked in marketing at Lotus at the time. She used to send me loads of Lotus stuff, brochures, posters, patches, t-shirts, lapel pins, anything they did, stuff would just turn up at my parents house in the post, she then got me the ride in the JB car. I used to get a Christmas card every year from Lotus. I went with my Dad, you can just see the top of his Vauxhall Viva in the clip. Obviously this is the old circuit and the driver did go flat out down the long straight, he said at one point we were doing 120 mph, which back then as a kid was very fast. I can remember the car being very noisy and lots of rattles. I am so pleased to have had the opportunity to get a ride in it as I understand it's no longer on the road, but in a museum. 

6 hours ago, GTK said:

 

Here here Owen, that's such nice footage to have! Do you still have the camera? The biggest thing that struck me considering the two videos have 36+ years between them... you've changed your hair! 

I think the camera is still at my parents home along with the original 8 mm film of the event. I converted it to digital some years ago.

 

[The Pits]

Terrific stuff Owen. How cool that you went on to own an Esprit years later. Great story.

120mph is actually still pretty quick, if not downright amazing from 160bhp. The Sport 380 with over twice the power and vastly better brakes to lean on hits about 140mph there and the track is much smoother and faster now than it was back then.

The Esprit S1's legend continues!

[mad_wolf]

My search  gave the result that this youtub was not posted : THE INTERNATIONAL MOTOR SHOW - NO SOUND - COLOUR

Look at 1:50

[The Pits]

Wow, great spot Wolfgang! It only lasts until 2.14 but what a fantastic 24 seconds! 

[The Pits]

Inspired by the above I found this (ignore the thumbnail!) - red Sport 300 at the 1993 motorshow:

 

[stephenwhyte]

Another nice find Jonny

[Loose Cannon]

Wow. 2 great new videos, there must be a ton of stuff still to come to light out of various archives.

[mad_wolf]

There are so many but I think this one was not posted yet.

Should someone create a Register with index ?

[mad_wolf]

And one more

 

[ChrisJ]

@mad_wolf - I started to write that I'd posted that one before, but that it was always worth another post, then I watched it - Hmmmmm.... The original one is much better

 

 

[mad_wolf]

Dear ChrisJ you are right.

 

I'll start to find a real new one.

[caulkhead68]

Have we had this one yet ? 

Really nice set of 4 esprits, particularly the red one 

[stephenwhyte]

A bit of a special yellow early V8 there that I haven't seen before. Not many of those early V8 models in yellow about. Love the wheels.......there's a surprise!

[hopo]

great vid.

N7 SLV is such a great car, wonder where it is now? I recall it was for sale a few years back. wonder who has it now.

[stephenwhyte]

I've a feeling Jon it may have been re-plated with another private plate and may be now residing up in Scotland, as an identical spec one has turned up here recently. I've got a pic which I'll post up later. The one I am thinking of recently turned up at Craig Moncrieffs place who is the Lotus specialist I'm putting my Turbo into for recommissioning.

Edit : photo attached - not sure if this is the same car but if not......they're twins

[hopo]

I would dearly love one in that spec but the maintenance on a v8 scares me! now that S4s that's for sale looks lovely.... price is laughable though.

[stephenwhyte]

I originally wanted a V8 before I bought my S4s but now realise it was the look I was after rather than the high mainataince bills!! 

I don't see the one you're referring to, being too expensive to be honest.....maybe a tiny bit but try and find another with those miles. The only thing I don't like is the twin exhaust conversion- not the conversion itself, but the fact the original valance hasn't been modified & reused