Esprit Picture & Video Thread

[unity1]

@tomcattom it's a custom paint but in essence Lotus Racing Green with with two coats of a measured gram amount of Alchemist colour shift from perfect pigments and pearls. The paint work was completed around 3 month ago with body assembled 6 weeks. Took me 5 weeks to refit intererior. Actually going back to the body shop next week for final paint correction, polishing and ceramic coating. The paint needed time to cure.

[Bibs]

 

[Geek]

Nice car(s) terrible music (in my opinion).

[Escape]

Even muted I couldn't bring myself to watch the full clip...

But it's great to see a classic Esprit get that kind of attention! Maybe all hope isn't lost after all. 😉 

[skiing]

I think I can work out who this car belongs to! Or rather two cars - anything else you can share @Suddabym - did you get then to sign your leather seats heh?

(one of the cars is I think your one)

[unity1]

Nice eye candy, shame the woman keeps getting in the way.

[Suddabym]

Did the wheels give it away? So, they asked for 2 classic cars of a certain colour range and style, and the movie motor company found Nigel and me. Filmed in East London and it was all good fun; long day mind, and the girls worked their absolute socks off. Real professionals and it was mid January so also Baltic. The shame for me was that the cars were static; I’d have liked to have driven it about a bit.

What I did love was that I drove 4 hours in Jan, in the early ours, through central London, forty odd starts to move the car, and then 4 hours back late at night and the car was faultless. But basically good fun, eye opening and great to get the car out in January and let a new generation wonder what it is.

Taste in music aside, I think it’s brilliant that an Esprit is out there, being cool, up in the faces of a whole new generation, keeping the car current and relevant.

[unity1]

@Suddabym I assume the tiger print panties on the headrests were an addition from the production company.

[Fridge]

Owner's own.

[skiing]

I would worry about starting mine 40x on an off - hot starting can be a little uh interesting sometimes... but of course mine is not fuel injected which would help...

[Fridge]

My Esprit is on DHLA45's and it would start no problem. You don't need EFi to obtain that.

[Suddabym]

The tiger print headrests were all my own idea. In fact, I’ve kept them, and all the crap hanging from the rearview. Makes it classy, and goes with the wheels. 

39 minutes ago, Fridge said:

My Esprit is on DHLA45's and it would start no problem. You don't need EFi to obtain that.

You should have seen the other guy

[Fridge]

A carb rebuild with quality parts from Eurocarb (not eBay), a proper tune and a refurbished distributor help.

How many people overlook the latter after 40+ years (like the springs in the cambelt tensioner), or fit a cheap aftermarket distributor made in China?

Remember, these cars started OK from new.

[skiing]

I have just had carbs fully re-built and it has new distributor and coil and leads and plugs - it used to be bit of a pig to start when hot but I have not experimented more recently - hopefully it is now much better! 

I think the leopard skin headrests are a very tasteful mod - one wonders why Lotus did not offer as a standard interior fabric at the time... 😎

[unity1]

I've done the same, in fact more than once over the 20+ years ownership. Car still doesnt like cold start or re start after a break and hot run. Always has required a little more crank and fuel blip. The current E fuels dont help either in my experience. I needed to use some E10 last year and the car was poor to start and run until I had topped up a couple of time with E5.

[Fridge]

Well, mine works fine. But quality, Del'lorto authorised parts and original Lucas distributor with the original power curve. It's all in the detail.

I never use e10 fuel in any of my cars.

[unity1]

@Fridge I believe you, I had new fuel pump, fuel filter, Distributor cap, Distributor Arm, Pickup, And carb rebuild kit, plugs and leads all from SJ fitted last year. I must add they were not fitted by myself but Barry Ely in Maldon. I've not checked timing, mixture or the carbs balance but assume it was all done. I will check it at some point over the summer but iits been like that forever and in in the past I was very much on top of maintenance and regular care. I was lead to believe and bought into the suggestion its due to fuel evaporation from the chambers. Its not that its doesn't start just takes 5'ish cranks cycles  and a couple of throttle blips.