James Bond Esprit Turbo

[Lotusfab]

Does anyone know if the Deezer Collection in Miami still have the car? Has anyone been there to see it? I'm trying to get some closeup pictures of the ski racks. As I will have to make some replicas. Thanks.

[Dan E]

Fabian, can't help you with that but I have found a great, reasonable fibreglass manufacturer near me when you need to have them made. 

 

[Lotusfab]

Thanks Dan. Think I might make them myself. I made a mould for the gearstick tunnel on my S1 and it came out pretty good. The problem with this will be getting the original design measured and photographed. Recent carriers I have seen aren't much like the original. I may contact the Deezer museum, confirm they have the car and see if they will send me some pictures and measurements. If not I may have to pop over to Miami. 

[Loose Cannon]

As good an excuse as any!

[G_Reaper]

There are some close ups of the copies fitted to MPW71V on this video. On another note Josh at Classics MC is really desperately trying to connect MPW71V to the Bond Film by allowing it to be displayed as a car that was sent to Pinewood Studios without any evidence to prove this.

I did so much research back in the late 80s early 90s when I owned it and all the people at Lotus said it was not used in the Bond film. So beware he is trying to claim he has found people who worked on set and contacts with people close to Cubby Brocolli. I pointed out that as the cars on set would have been wearing false reg plates when they arrived on set how would anyone on set know which car was which? He then changed tack saying he was more interested in its prototype history, funny that after spending so much money to make it look like a Bond car.

[The Pits]

For what it's worth (not much!) I think the car is quite stunning enough in Copper Fire without the ski racks. Fantastic to have the Olin skis to go with it but I wouldn't bother putting ski racks on my Copper Turbo. I'd hate to ruin my original engine cover so would recommend gluing ski racks on a seperate resprayed engine cover from another car.

I would always use the videos and photos of the car from the film for reference. So many of the movie cars have been messed about with I'd ignore how they look now.

[franjipane]

Snowy conditions or not, copper fire looks amazing on an esprit. Love it!

[G_Reaper]

Well I have been thinking further see my new thread after reading a quote from Roger Becker Bibs posted. 

As far as colour goes Copper Fire is a superb colour when clean and in good light otherwise when covered in dirt it is brown (not my first choice car colour) a bit like white really and I own 2 white Esprit.

Cheers Mike

[Lotusfab]

Dealers Eh, its all about the money! This is the car that was displayed in Monaco. Easy to criticise, but here goes. I could be wrong but believe A well known sports car dealer made this car for a client. It's quite a good attempt. However the skis are wrong. Comp SL skis were used in the movie, one if these is a comp DH ski. Comp SL stands for  Slalom, DH downhill. They appear to have the wrong bindings. The original had orange Tyrolia 380 bindings. The ski holders were apparently made from the original mould. Why then are they different to the original car which is in Miami in the Deezer Collection? 

Some time ago a. White S1 was sold to a collector as one of the Spy who loved me cars. The seller was forced to pay back all the money buy solicitors as it was proved to be a hoax. Hope this doesn't go the same way. It is very nice though!

[Lotusfab]

Has somebody cut off the ends of the skis on the RHS as you look at the rear?The correct Ski ends are shown above. The ones on the car are different? Maybe they are not OlINs but replicas? Either that or someone has sawed the end off? The edges of the ski also look wrong? Of course maybe it is the car and just looks different due to lighting etc and the Skis are correct but the ends have fallen off due damage? 

Inhave said before my S1 was probably driven by Roger Moore for Publicity events after the movie Oh and they were going to use my Turbo in the movie but couldn't because it wasn't built at the time! ???

[Lotusfab]

Here's a picture of the original ski mounts judge for yourself whether they are the same? This is a picture of the "real" car at Hethel before it went to Miami.The original mould that was found must have distorted and change length due to heat damage and water absorption over 30 years!

[Lotusfab]

The wheel centres are also wrong on both cars!

[The Pits]

Decals are all wrong on that Monaco car also. Whoever did those made a hash of it.

[Bibs]

@Lotusfab, I'm fairly sure that car you've pictured was a replica the factory were commissioned to build for a customer within the last few years. The reason I know is that they were really struggling to find the correct skis, spent ages searching then over lunch one day one of the engineers involved was discussing the frustration in finding them when a long standing employee mentioned there was a spare set sat in a cupboard for years, and lo-and-behold... 

Also, the (non) Bond S1 was bought by a member on here (I remember his name is James Strickland iirc) and through a topic on here our members found out it was the car the camera was mounted in the boot of for the filming, not the actual car. He contacted Bonhams, having paid six figures for it and asked them to prove it's provenance based on TLF's research and they couldn't so he got his money back. I'll see if I can find the thread but it's got to be 8+ years ago...

[PhilW]

Steering wheel is black.  If you look at pictures of the car in the Deezer collection I very much doubt the car pictured at Hethel is the same car........as Bibs says.

Saying that the Deezer car now has an HC bonnet and the white letters on the rear bumper are gone.  I sometimes wonder if we we have a case of "Triggers broom".

MPW 71V looks lovely but as a professionally built copy which I expect cost a fortune it is terrible if you are looking at the detail.

[Bibs]

 

[G_Reaper]

MPW71V was bought about 2 years by its current owner following a very poor restoration by the previous owner  which involved colouring the interior completely the wrong colour and putting all the wrong decals on the car.

The current owner had the ski racks fitted and the car converted back to 4 stud and split rims fitted. He was trying to sell it for 70,000 euros very recently but was unsuccessful. I believe he is currently trying to manufacture a connection to the Bond Film to boost its value instead of properly researching the cars history. ALL of the information known about MPW71V currently was supplied by me after months and months of letters telephone calls in research back in the early 90s. 

The car photographed at Hethel recently could NOT be the actual Bond car as that car left Hethel and was sold to an employee in the 80s only to be bought by Peter Nelson owner of "Cars of The Stars" Keswick in the late 80s. Everyone needs to bare in mind these Bond cars and screen props were not particularly sought after back then. I remember talking to Peter Nelson and him telling me about how various cars in his collection were discovered, cost very little money and were saved from a much unloved existence by him.

Please see my other thread just started.

Although I do not condone the current owners attempt to create a false history for MPW71V. I do still think as I did back when I owned the car there is more reason for Lotus to have used MPW71V along with NCL458V than any other car alleged to have been used in the film. 

What I certainly think now following Bibs quote from Roger Becker on another thread about the S1 Bond cars it is MOST Probable MPW71V was supplied for filming duties along with NCL458V.

It makes no sense Lotus painting 2 prototypes to save cash and then sending only 1 prototype for filming and painting another car for the purpose of filming with all the costs involved. Especially as this other car would have to be built not as standard on the production line and then fitted with a N/A engine as per NCL458V specification for reliability in the snow.

I took the responses of people at Lotus at face value back in the 90s why would they not confirm MPW71V was in the film? What would they stand to win or lose by releasing this information is what I thought? However they would NOT state it was not used just they thought it was not used. Having read what Roger Becker has stated about Lotus ethos that there can only be 1 bond car I am very much thinking I fell foul to this line of thinking with MPW71V. The key people involved in this at the time are still around today the question is are they prepared to tell what they know? Roger Becker should tell what he knows about the S1 Bond cars why keep tight lipped it is so long ago? Did Roger have any involvement in FYEO?

Cheers Mike

 

 

Edited December 12, 2016 by G_Reaper2

[LOTUSMAN33]

They always stated the white car was returned to Hethel and painted, if MPW was painted it would need to tie in with the filming dates. Perhaps the white car was a different car also and still exsists unknown?

This was keep there can only be one bond car going? 

Who owns a early white Dry Sump we know?

So there could be three FYEO cars still around....

Dave  

 

[Lotusfab]

Thanks chaps, interesting stuff! So do Lotus have the original ski rack plans/moulds?

[Stuart Monument]

My father just popped in and I asked him if MPW71V was ever used for the bond films. He said that it was done as a spare and not used. I asked him if he was sure and he said 100%. He is having a lunch on Wednesday with Mike Kimberley, Ian Doble, Alan Nobbs ( who developed the V8 in the car) and Harry. I have asked him to double check with those guys to confirm. Hope this helps.

 

Stu

[Lotusfab]

the bond car, I think???

Interestingly the ski mounts look the same as the Hethel car, but different to the Monaco car???

[stephenwhyte]

Have you been on Facebook to see the work that was done on MPW71W by UKSportscars in 2013 in preparation for the next owner and the subsequent Monaco showing.

You need to go into their own account which can be found by going to Groups and looking up UK Sportscars. Lots of photos and comments for each one, if you click on the photos - hope this better helps explain the work that was carried out in 2013.

Photo attached showing a selection of the photos used.

Incidentally the shine on the photo posted above of what you believe to be the real Bond car has an awesome shine on the Copper Fire paint......lovely!!!

[PhilW]

Based on Stuarts dads confirmation that MPW71V was prepared for FYEO you will note the steering wheel in the picture below is tan in colour which I believe was done for the film.  Would support his comment, even though the comps are the wrong colour!

[Andyww]

On 12/12/2016 at 16:57, stephenwhyte said:

Have you been on Facebook to see the work that was done on MPW71W by UKSportscars in 2013 in preparation for the next owner and the subsequent Monaco showing.

 

 

Not sure how they got BBS wheel centre caps to fit the Comps, I thought the holes were a different size. Or why for that matter.

[stephenwhyte]

Must have been the only ones they could get. Would look worse with none at all I suppose. It's the lack of effort with the stripes and decals that bugs me and is completely inexcusable!! They must have been on a tight deadline or something......why spend so much time getting the wheels looking good and then bodge the stripes and decals!!