I am missing tone control and volume knob on the radio (panasonic) i am not sure if it is the original or not if it is i would like to keep it has anyone got a dead one.

If you have a roof fitting one you might convince me to have it LOL

There is a roof one on ebay at the moment in the US - wants about 280 for it. It's not the one fitted to the Esprit Essex but it one of the same line of Panasonic Cockpit models - RM310. 

OOhooo No i will have to have a look now 

Andy, If you ask Andy Graham at Lotus he can tell you exactly which radio the car left the factory with.  That's what I did.  I eventually tracked down a "Motorola Lotus " radio.  Basically it is a standard Motorola radio cassette but has Lotus written on it and not Motorola.  It even has the original lotus part number sticky label on the casing.  It is now fitted and is only allowed to play '80's cassettes.

 

Out of interest when I was searching for one I found an identical radio but with Volvo written on it!

nice move will do. i had a look at the roof mounted one in the US $350 plus $165 import $75 post no returns or g/tee. nice bit of kit though.

They are pretty expensive. I got mine for 200 and also had to pay import taxes and it didn't work when I got it. But local car audio place got it running so all good really. 

skiing

How does it fit to the roof

 

  i must admit it is a proper retro piece of kit. looking on the parts list my panasonic is listed so i think it is original. but i would fit a roof  one if i found one in the uk it's just the bees knees.

I have just tested my radio cassette and got it working tape was a bit lazy but after a couple of attempts 

 it played ok. The drivers side speaker was not working though. I have been working on it today and found no speaker fitted. I have also had a fault on the window motor intermittent one won't go up sometimes, looking into it now. 

I have found the fault on the window motor The cable has failed in the door hinge area and the speaker cable is in half. I have run new cables and fitted a plastic shield over them as before it was just loom tape i wish i had pulled a draw wire through when i pulled the loom out of the door and pillar night mare to get them back through and fit the grommets rain stopped play so i have had to leave it but i got the window back up i am pleased to say i am bleeding again the window was stuck down taking up the room in the bottom of the door struggled to get the motor re connected.

It was fitted the roof via two metal brackets, one screws to the rear bulk head behind the trim (the radio is trimmed to fit - you cut off the interior light part which comes with the radio) the other bracket screws to the front wooden rail which is under the capping rail. It was pretty simple. You then run the wiring down the a pillars and then to the amp (which normally fits behind the passenger seat) and then speaker wires as appropriate. I did mine myself and it has not yet caught fire. So pretty good... 

Now you've made the Blood Sacrifice, all will be well.....(!)