RE: Lotus Esprit V8 Turbo: PH Carpool

RE: Lotus Esprit V8 Turbo: PH Carpool

Monday 18th August 2014

Lotus Esprit V8 Turbo: PH Carpool

As our owner says, who doesn't want a 90s supercar? Thankfully reality lives up to dream



Name: Mark Johnson
Car: Lotus Esprit V8
Owned since: Not disclosed
Previously owned: VW Polo (first car!), Mk2 Escort, Mini 1275 Clubman, Mk1 Golf GTI (Janspeed Turbo), 16V Golf GTI, VW Scirocco, Triumph TR7 Convertible, Triumph TR8 coupe (TR7 with V8 engine transplant), Porsche 924, Subaru Impreza Turbo (early company car, amazing), Honda Accord Type R (early company car), 3.0-litre Subaru Legacy (early company car), TVR Tasmin convertible, TVR 350i convertible, Porsche 911 (996), TVR 280i Coupe, Lotus Eclat, Lotus Excel, Lotus Esprit Turbo (x2), Lotus Elise Tourer, TVR Cerbera, Classic Mini (put a BMW mini supercharger on it )

Mark has a bit of previous with Lotus...
Mark has a bit of previous with Lotus...
Why I bought it:
"I always seem to migrate back to Lotus because they are quite rare to see on the road, fairly easy to mechanic on (if you persevere), you can still get most parts, the chassis doesn't rust, and the insurance premiums are good. Being a confirmed petrolhead the early Lotuses I had just missed the soundtrack of a V8 engine 'on song' like the TR8, TVR 350i and TVR Cerbera ... which was a scary car, but fun. I found this Lotus Esprit V8 in the North West, having kept an eye open in the specialist's adverts, and did a deal with my 1988 Esprit Turbo, which by then I had looking really nice."

What I wish I'd known:
"Certainly read up about the model, but be sensible about buying any car. Read some of the forums and you'll just get depressed with more negativity than positivity. At the end of the day, they have four wheels, and an internal combustion engine (like most cars), so check the usual stuff. Don't be afraid to talk to a specialist, as the good guys want to keep the cars on the road too, and they can usually help with most things."

With a V8 craving there was only one option
With a V8 craving there was only one option
Things I love:
"You can drive it fast, or take it easy. People wind their windows down as they see you coming. It's a 90s supercar (don't we all want an 80s/90s supercar?) so it still looks totally fantastic and sounds even better. It starts every time, and I don't have to watch the gauges with a beady eye. When you take it to a supercar meet, that's when you know that you've got a pretty decent car."

Things I hate:
"When you're doing a big job like upgrading the radiator over winter you need to keep your resolve, especially after lying under the car in the cold, performing keyhole surgery and wondering how the hell they put everything together at the factory in the first place. But it's all forgotten when you've taken it out for its first blast of the year."

Costs:
"Insurance is cheap, VED not so cheap. The racing clutch (AP Racing) was quite expensive relative to other powerful cars like TVRs, but then things like alloy coolant pipes came in very reasonable. The car comes with £17K of receipts on file, so things can add up, especially labour if you don't do it yourself."

Green with tan a classy combo
Green with tan a classy combo
Where I've been:
"Not too far afield this year, but blasting around the Yorkshire Dales early in the morning is pretty awesome. Wish I had considered the Le Mans Classic, maybe next time."

What next?
"Possibly may sell it, kind of done everything I wanted to do. I may change for something slightly more focused, like a Noble. Or I may just crack on and make some carbon fibre parts which would keep me busy, parts like the sunroof spoiler, front spoiler, window side trim, rear valance, rear number plate surround, dash, engine cover..."


Want to share your car with PHers on Carpool? Email us at carpool@pistonheads.com!

Author
Discussion

daveco

Original Poster:

4,122 posts

206 months

Monday 18th August 2014
quotequote all
Always loved these, especially with the softer 90s lines and new brake lights.

As an aside, would this be a good match for a Ferrari 355 on the track or in a drag race?

Edited by daveco on Monday 18th August 10:13

RGambo

847 posts

168 months

Monday 18th August 2014
quotequote all
my brother has a Sport 350. I had a go the other day. It's a quick motor. I would say about the same pace as a curret 991 C2S. I don't know how that compares against a 355 as I've not driven one of those.

LordFlathead

9,641 posts

257 months

Monday 18th August 2014
quotequote all
Lovely car and great writeup. A friend had an S1 when we were all scratching around in early Escorts and Capris. Fond memories of the tyres spinning down the road!

IanCress

4,409 posts

165 months

Monday 18th August 2014
quotequote all
Was always fascinated by the Esprit as a friend of my Dad owned one back in the early eighties when I was young.
It wasn't until 20 years later that I found out he didn't have an Esprit, it was a VW Scirocco. Well, they kind of look the same when you're 5.

JohnoVR6

690 posts

211 months

Monday 18th August 2014
quotequote all
I do like these. There's been a Norfolk yellow one outside of Bell & Colvill for a couple of weeks now... I really didn't need any further encouragement to stop and have a closer look around it! They really are lovely looking things cloud9

Frimley111R

15,535 posts

233 months

Monday 18th August 2014
quotequote all
RGambo said:
I don't know how that compares against a 355 as I've not driven one of those.
I drove one of these and a 355 on track and the Esprit seemed much quicker.

Alfa159Ti

827 posts

156 months

Monday 18th August 2014
quotequote all
Stunning car and great to read about an owners experience. Thanks for sharing and much kudos for working on it yourself.

Can you tell us more about what it is like out on the road?

PH - some constructive feedback I have given a few times before - why not add an extra sub-heading to these articles entitled 'what is it like to drive' or similar to give the contributors a bit of a nudge in this respect as too few of these features tell the readers anything about the actual drive of the cars.


KMB

254 posts

222 months

Monday 18th August 2014
quotequote all
Very nice car, after being forced to watch the chick flick 'Pretty Woman' some years ago, the highlight was indeed a Lotus Esprit (and maybe Julia Roberts legs)...

j_s14a

863 posts

177 months

Monday 18th August 2014
quotequote all
IanCress said:
Was always fascinated by the Esprit as a friend of my Dad owned one back in the early eighties when I was young.
It wasn't until 20 years later that I found out he didn't have an Esprit, it was a VW Scirocco. Well, they kind of look the same when you're 5.
A girl I took out last night said my Corrado looks like "the Back to the Future car".

Maybe if you squint, a lot, while using eyedrops...

The Don of Croy

5,975 posts

158 months

Monday 18th August 2014
quotequote all
As a bona fide old fart these still look superb in the facelift guise - just nice proportions and seriously low profile.

I'm always thinking back to that Tiff Needell TV prog where they wanted to break 200mph and used one of these.

Didn't end well, but not for want of trying (supposedly).

Vee12V

1,328 posts

159 months

Monday 18th August 2014
quotequote all
Strange question, but has anybody removed the TT setup from that engine? With that flat plane crank it has to sound even better!

Chicane-UK

3,861 posts

184 months

Monday 18th August 2014
quotequote all
Funnily enough saw a similar age one to the carpoolers on the road this weekend, for the first time in ages - and thought just how fantastic they looked. I was never a fan of the earlier Esprit's, but the way it looked right up as they got to this sort of age is absolute perfection. Love it smile

V8 FOU

2,970 posts

146 months

Monday 18th August 2014
quotequote all
Me being biased on this as a long term owner.....

Best car ever!

Tried 996, 997, Maser 4200, XKR, NSX. Slow by comparison. Mine with a few mods had a reliable 390bhp. Totally amazing car to drive. Very comfortable too. It needs some respect as the high limits of adhesion once exceeded can be very hairy. Normal stuff to do on any purchase is clutch, belts, water pump, turbo lines, engine mounts and de rust petrol tanks. So very easy to drive quickly. Huge presence - even one of the guys from Lotus admitted that the Exige S I test drove didn't have the same panache as the Esprit. Didn't seem as quick, either....


Miss mine. sold it because of my damaged left ankle. But I will have another soon. Very soon. It will have to be a final edition too this time.

michaelcolby83

40 posts

119 months

Monday 18th August 2014
quotequote all
These are still great looking cars.

aston addict

418 posts

157 months

Monday 18th August 2014
quotequote all
I think the Esprit facelift was one of the most successful ever - remember reading at the time, a quote from Peter Stevens (I think he was the designer) that the old and facelifted versions were, in dimension, no more than something like 2 inches apart anywhere on the body - and yet they looked so different...

POORCARDEALER

8,523 posts

240 months

Monday 18th August 2014
quotequote all
I sold them side my side with 355s...A Esprit V8 would oblierate a 355.

I actually preferred the 2.0 GT3

Edited by POORCARDEALER on Monday 18th August 12:38

Lowtimer

4,286 posts

167 months

Monday 18th August 2014
quotequote all
Nice car.
As it is the age it is, VED for it is only £230 though, so not sure how that line got in.

8bit

4,846 posts

154 months

Monday 18th August 2014
quotequote all
I love these, stunning!

gigglebug

2,611 posts

121 months

Monday 18th August 2014
quotequote all
Still a good looking car today. Just been reading a comparison of the Sport 300 and sport 350 and the most interesting thing about the article is that the Esprit's only had around 20% the Torsional stiffness of an Elise!

JohnGoodridge

529 posts

194 months

Monday 18th August 2014
quotequote all
Really lovely car - one of the coolest cars from that era to own now.