Esprit Turbo project car - part3 - the further continuation

[Lotusfab]

6 hours ago, G_Reaper said:

Yep. That's the carpet iis normally only on the quarter shelves. Fabian I might have a carpet sample for you I will check, it is a copper terracotta which matches very well the exterior what colour did you think it was?

Andy it is still a very early "factory car" i.e its use even as a press demo car would have meant extra care would have been taken in ensuring it was built as well as possible with any mods that might aid reliability and serviceability in the field before it rolled off the production line, also Lotus have a habit of their early production cars still being in a state of development. This Factory car will have been extensively stripped back and then reassembled during its re-colour and unique colour scheme. Remember Lotus were trying various changes on the Bond cars only some of which made it to the production cars. The Lotus embossed rear bumper made it to production as did Copper Fire colour and leather trim but evidently the quarter panel carpet did not. 

 

I must admit I thought the interior carpet colour was brown until you said Terracotta. This was because of looking at many poor pictures and other cars. Now I have seen the Bond Car it’s obvious. In the video of your old car on you tube , ,that is now fully restored they say it is identical, “ as it was”. Having spent months researching this they have got just about all of it wrong! Shame you didn’t hang onto it! 

[RichardJGC]

Whilst we are on the subject of additional carpets....has anyone ever come across a carpet in the front compartment? 

My 82 has one and it’s made from the same material and edging as the rear quarter panel carpets so it appears genuine. It sits under the spare wheel..but I’ve not seen another. It’s a bit worse for wear now but will get it remade as part of the restoration.

[Lotusfab]

Hi Richard, I haven’t seen a carpet there before?

[RichardJGC]

It’s an odd one. Doesn’t appear on any parts list but also would be an unusual thing to have made?

[stephenwhyte]

Never seen that either Richard?

[Lotusfab]

My friend took some pictures I think you will like!

[Lotusfab]

The Burglat protected sticker is translucent red, here's the script. Maybe someone will make some translucent identical ones for us all?

The original wheel centres!

[Andyww]

I very much approve of the white door mirrors

[Lotusfab]

Were they white in the movie?

Andy your pretty switched on at making stuff, could you print the stickers on a translucent material? I'm now trying to replicate the wheel centres! Having seen the originals a lot I have seen fitted are after market and different.

[Andyww]

3 minutes ago, Lotusfab said:

Were they white in the movie?

No. The movie is wrong

I dont have any way of printing in white unfortunately. I could 3D print in white but that would result in raised lettering and I dont think the resolution would be good enough.

[Lotusfab]

Yeh, there are a lot of inaccuracies in those movies!

oh well. Will have to devise a plan to make the stickers, unless one of our other talented members can assist?

It's a big job replicating a Bond car, I need some help?

[TAR]

Oh yes, you definitely need help.  

[stephenwhyte]

Strange the Lotus badge on the front of the white Turbo is in the wrong place and is the interior black instead of brown?

[Lotusfab]

Come on lads who knows about printing decals and can make some translucent Buglar Protected badges? Must be simple if your in the printing business? 

[RichardJGC]

Ive always wondered why the copper car has a later bonnet.

Perhaps it was overstressed at some point in its life!

On ebay under For Your Eyes Only Girls.

[cbclotus]

Great picture ..Thanks for posting it .My god poor car ...Surprised the windscreen did not break .wow ..Mike

[stephenwhyte]

Those heels.......!.

[Lotusfab]

Ski Racks

To anyone making these they are far more sophisticated than the copies you have seen so far. The upper rack does not have square sides, they lean inwards and the edges are rounded off. It looks like an aerofoil on an aeroplane. The oute4 edges are sloped like a Pyramid. The edge in the outer side is hollow. The forward and rear racks are riveted to a metal plate which hooks over the tailgate and is then bolted to the other end. The design is totally unsuitable for the safe carriage of skis. Anything you make or replicate from any info on here is done at your own risk. For liability reasons I will not make any racks other than for myself, sorry. But I will provide pictures. Here’s an end on shot.

Well looks like I will have to make Burglar protected stickers myself! I have done a bit of research, it should be quite easy!

You can get acrylic laser printer paper tha5 you can make decals from. The problem is only very expensive printers can print in white. Solution find a very good print shop and print a scan of the photo on here. Or paint the white letters onto the decal. Will let you know how I get on, should be pretty easy.

[G_Reaper]

13 hours ago, RichardJGC said:

Ive always wondered why the copper car has a later bonnet.

Perhaps it was overstressed at some point in its life!

On ebay under For Your Eyes Only Girls.

I love this photo I wonder how many others like this there are out there. It is a prime example of the hard life these cars had while promoting the Film and Lotus. There must have been numerous events these cars attended to promote the brand and the film as Don Mac PR supremo was an expert at finding ways to maximise promotion of Lotus at the lowest cost.

[Lotusfab]

Finally looking at making the ski racks. I intend to make the moulds from Styrofoam. I will then fabricate the bottom rack from carbon fibre and the top from fiberglass with a metal bracket underneath that supports the locking mechanism. It will be the same sort of design as the original and hopefully will be identical apart from rubber jaws to grip the skis and a key slot on each one.

[Lotusfab]

On 13/01/2018 at 11:37, G_Reaper said:

I love this photo I wonder how many others like this there are out there. It is a prime example of the hard life these cars had while promoting the Film and Lotus. There must have been numerous events these cars attended to promote the brand and the film as Don Mac PR supremo was an expert at finding ways to maximise promotion of Lotus at the lowest cost.

Maybe we could recreate this with my car and the original cast?

[Fridge]

40 minutes ago, Lotusfab said:

Maybe we could recreate this with my car and the original cast?

Given that the film was made 37 years ago you may need to beef up your front suspension a tad!

[ANDYR]

Fabian,

Welcome back.  Looks like you had an awesome trip and well worth the investment in going to collect all that info on the car.  

Ski racks:

so from your photos and comments, I see the design like for like would look cool from a distance but up close reveal an unreliable/impractical way of securely holding the skis for travel.  As suspected; but good to confirm. I see from the photos that the 'centre fin' in the top bracket doesn't touch the clamp.  I'm also confused by the black metal bar that bends over the skis at the rear of the tailgate... maybe the racks were tested and went round the first bend at Hethel with skis only to have them fly off and hence a hidden black strap for security... ?  who knows.  With different ski profiles now (think your classic race profile and 'fat boy off piste' ski) such a design won't be practical.

interesting to see the width is 200mm.  Our prototype is 250mm.

whats the length? can you confirm from 'front of tailgate top to back'?

and how high does that rack and angle?

 

once i've got these i can get cutting.

I'll then share the drawings proper as stimulus for you and other readers.  I'm going for 'skis secure first/aesthetics later' design...

 

what did you buy in the gift shop?

[Lotusfab]

I believe the metal ski clamps were not on the original car and it looks like someone has tried to secure the whole thing a little better.

the lower rack on the car has cracked at the top, obviously not up to the loading. They look like they are fibreglass. I believe a carbon fibre lower rack would be strong enough. Else a metal bracket with in the rack. The lower racks are riveted to a metal plate which hooks over the tailgate at the rear and bolts in at the front, the upper is the reverse.

I believe the upper rack is about 73 mm high, not including the bracket which is 15 mm at the widest part..use photos for the angle.

You can scale  the other photos. This is what an am doing.

By the way the lower racks are totally enclosed end on  with no drain holes, unlike the Monaco car which has them open.

 

I may well go back to check my racks. Some of the cars are being shipped to Vegas. Not sure which ones yet. Will email before the return.

[Lotusfab]

Note the shape of the wheel centre caps. Different to quite a few I have seen. The rear wheel lip inner edge is 2 1/4 inches wide. Fortunately I have acquired the correct ones. You wouldn’t believe how difficult that was! I  really need your help out there to get one 15 x1 (Essex style) outer lip. Once I have  one I can make an exact copy of the wheels. Surely someone in the world has one they could sell me? It would be a shame to come this far and be short a lip! If Any of our foreign friends are reading I can collect from just about anywhere.....

If not there a company who said they will be remaking them but I can’t pin them down on timescale.