Esprit Turbo project car - part3 - the further continuation

[Lotusfab]

Here's a better pic of the car.....has a Roman villa style to it!😬😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

[stephenwhyte]

A pic I just came across on Facebook. Taken in 1983 apparently at Norfolk Motor Company - looks to be the FYEO promo car👌

[Lotusfab]

Wow thats a great picture. Shame it's not a bit sharper.

[Steve V8]

Have you noticed the flooring. Looks like it's a display thats been specifically tiled to match the car.

 

[Lotusfab]

Yep eighties! I bet they were playing Gary Numan - Cars!

Thanks to Tim I shall be installing the speaker grilles. I will take great joy in putting them in inverted the same as the Bond car. I'm reluctant to cut holes in the bulkhead. So am looking for ultra thin speakers. Any ideas? 

[Lotusfab]

Here's the Maystar symbol. I originally thought it was a W because in the Bond car the speakers are inverted! I started to look at Wharfdale and all the old eighties makes.  Then solution came to me as most things via internet research of classic car speakers. I found the above speaker on eBay noticed the symbol was the same and bought it! This is how I discovered the speakers were Maystar and not the same as the parts manual. Quite satisfying after all the hours of research I did.

[Lotusfab]

Here you can see the speaker is reversed. This picture was taken whilst matching the carpet! It's not Brown! (Sorry to keep saying that but it's annoying when people say the carpet was brown!). These things keep you up at night. I will get slightly more sleep now. But the gear lever, and Turbo panel are still keeping me awake! Anyone coming to the rescue with the correct Turbo panel and thin gear lever? I have the upgraded one. Some people have trouble when I say I wish to put the inferior gear lever back in! But then you can't have James Bond running around willy nilly with the wrong gearstick can you? 

[Lotusfab]

The Bond gearstick and Turbo panel.....

[fjmuurling]

For starters (it is not completely the same.) for making your own heater panel.

 

Turbo Esprit Heater Panel.pdf

[Lotusfab]

Thanks, did you draw that?

[markt]

I did - almost 12 years ago looking at the date created. Jeez where'd the time go 

[Lotusfab]

Wow, I know what you mean. I'm four years into these resto! 

[fjmuurling]

On ‎10‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 12:56, Lotusfab said:

Thanks, did you draw that?

It was not me, I found it a long time ago on TLF.

Will look next week when I'm home if I have more.

[Lotusfab]

Thanks.

It was MarKt above....

[Andyww]

The heater panels are readily available from various suppliers.

These would be difficult to make as you would need to print the various colours in the correct level of translucency for the back-lighting and the panel has a green tint to it on the back as well as a masking layer which blocks out the light other than where needed.

[markt]

Got a lead on who can supply a replacement heater panel Andy?

I drew these up years ago when I couldn't find a replacement, got one on my car, but needs doing properly to smarten things up a bit.

[Lotusfab]

People sell them S and J and lotuscentre. But the graphic is different to the Bond car. To be fare most people wouldn't know. But I would!

[Lotusfab]

Thanks Tim!! A little closer to the endgame.now 

Speaker grilles (got them - thanks Tim)

gearstick thin 

1 x front wheel lip 15 x 1 ( can swap for one rear) Compomotive 15 inch 20 hole rolled edge.

Turbo Esprit Aircon panel 

only three things needed to finish the project! 

I cant help thinking I need to get a move on. With the Cold War back on Mr Bond will be needing his relics from the Cold War real soon! 

[Lotusfab]

S Andy J sports car have reproduced this panel. Very similar! 

[sunste]

I must have a blend of the two...😳

same as the top one but bold text. Why did they change them so early in production?

[Fridge]

I only saw one of these lit up recently. The lettering and graphics were back illuminated. I assume that is correct?

It'll be a shame if the Bond style panel cannot be found in decent condition, or recreated for the sake of accuracy at least. If need be, adding the alarm LED to coordinate with the 'Burglar Protected' theme.

A compromise could be have the later version graphics overwritten with 'FAN' and 'SCREEN/DEF.', but I'm not sure that's going to work with the back illumination. Perhaps stencilled on using florescent paint? Though all of the text and graphics appear to be white on the Bond example.

A tricky one.

Thoughtabout paying a load of wonga to a graphic artist with practical abilities, or combining the artwork with someone in a film production art department? It's only metal, paint and some stencil work after all. I'd say it's the best part of a week's work to recreate though as a one-off, using an example and photos.

 

[Lotusfab]

The reason Stefans has the LED is because the S and J is a reproduction. I have found one in poor confition the same as Stefans. S and J do a lot of these, so they must have contracted a company to make them. I may have to contact S and J and see if they wish to make the Other version. Does anyone else want one? 

Yep they are backlit.

[TAR]

The LED is to show the aircon is on, its got nothing to do with an alarm.  

[stephenwhyte]

The Turbo Esprit script on the reproduction looks rubbish don’t you think?

[RichardJGC]

Probably the closest one you will get but comes at a price from South West Lotus. It would need the top and a bit of the bottom trimming off to suit.

My original measures 77mm in height.