Omfg
 

[ATTACH]161923[/ATTACH]

i drove this yesterday...

ok, so the details...

its not really that roomy inside. the parking brake is on the same side of the driver as it is in the fiero (in between the driver's side door and seat) - its a bit weird. it has power assisted steering, which is very obvious at low speeds. the pedals are INCREDIBLY close together. in fact, if you're not using the clutch, you're foot is basically resting ON the clutch pedal, as the clutch pedal rests about 1 inch away from the front driver's side wheel well (driving experience with the MKI Mr2 helps here... a lot). the Esprit that i drove was the 4 cylinder turbo version... MY GOD...

despite the car being a bit heavy (not nearly as nimble feeling as any generation Mr2), it moved REALLY well. i am uncertain if it uses the 2.0 or 2.2 engine (Wikipedia does not give exacts), but the turbo becomes very useful around 2500rpm on fairly light throttle (remember, it aint my car, so i cant thrash it).

Bill (the owner) told me that he had only ever driven it to 80mph, and once (on accident) to 90mph. at 80mph, he felt that the car was slightly unstable and uncomfortable to him.

so, here is how the events transpired. i saw the car in front of a shop, walked into the shop and began talking to the only guy in the shop. we began talking about the car and i asked if it was the 4 or 8 cylinder... he was a bit surprised by my knowledge of the car. so, after explaining to me about the unsteady feeling, he ASKED me to drive the car............. YEAH. needless to say, i was a bit surprised.

so, then he went into the details of the closeness of the pedals and that i might not be able to see out of the back. he was absolutely correct. i could BARELY see out the back and the pedals were damned close together.

he wasnt sure where a 'decent' road would be that wasn't thrashed. so, i headed onto the freeway (i have balls and i'm stupid, but i am NOT doing 80mph on roads with speed limits of 45mph or less). i was careful and waited until i had an open shot. i slowly pressed on the gas and felt the turbo come to life... WOW. its such a smooth and happy feeling in that car.

in short order, VERY short order at that, i was already doing 80mph. Bill even said 'wow... you're going 80mph already...' i then called out 'and there's 90mph.... and 100mph... and 110mph...' Bill later told me that the its transmission limited to 170mph. i was NOT about to test that.

so, anywho... the power steering is VERY slight and only barely helps you move the wheel, but gives more feedback as per road conditions that any other car with power steering i've ever felt. WOW.

his brakes have some SERIOUS issues. his ABS light was constantly flickering. after sandra and i got home, i did some research and emailed Bill about what i had found the issue to be with the ABS.

so, needless to say, i'd love to get one. and, unlike the Mr2, the turbo in this car felt natural. it didnt feel like it was an after thought. even off boost, the Esprit had enough torque to move without any fuss. i did NOT push it thru any turns at all, so i cant comment on its 'on boost in turn' performance...

but, that chassis (despite being a 1995) was very precise and very sharp. it did have small rattles, but its to be expected from such a tight chassis... stuff is going to rattle and flex.

so, lets start a fund 'get joel his lotus fund.'

and the guy just emailed me back. looks like i MIGHT be doing the work on his brakes and he might ask me to drive the car some more, to see if it feels stable...

OMFG... what the hell?! stuff like this does not happen to me...

looks like u had fun ... i wanna drive one of those also :(

British engineering at its best

[QUOTE=chinoyboi;2258202]British engineering at its best[/QUOTE]

Lotus is British? I thought it was Italian?

Lotus is British. the founder, Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman, passed away back in 1982... but, his idea of 'light weight to compensate for the lack of huge power' still holds true to this day.

[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Chapman[/url]

and yes, i had an absolute blast driving it... :) cant wait to drive it again... :)

You should test drive a Lotus Exige or Exige S or Elise SC, it's like an MR2 SC on a diet. :)

Anyways, if you need more details on the Esprite there is GGLC. Not sure if the Esprit owner is a member but lots of local info and help can be attained there.

[URL="http://www.gglotus.org/"]http://www.gglotus.org/[/URL]

They also host great track day events for the more experienced and allow more freedom to drive. :)

I've been a passenger in a Lotus Elise. WOW... The sheer amount of feedback you get (yes, even as a passenger) is a bit overwhelming initially. It is such a nimble and responsive car. It tells you every detail of the terrain you're driving over, its absolutely mind warping.

A while ago, I watched a 2 1/2 hour video on the making of Project 111S, which was later released as the Elise. :)

The Esprit holds a very close 3rd in my heart to the Elise/Exige... The Super 7 being 1st. :)

I don't think Bill will want me to re-work his brakes, as the bed-in process is very harsh and requires a LOT of abuse to the engine for a few short periods... Not only that, I doubt he'll want to see and smell his brakes smoking. I don't think he'll ever use the brakes like I do either. :)

[img]http://gaganb.zenfolio.com/img/v3/p100599608-4.jpg[/img]

joltdudeuc > not12listen

;)

[QUOTE=chinoyboi;2258202]British engineering at its best[/QUOTE]

hehe, yeah old Lotuses are like any other brit cars, as the saying goes..

"If it still runs, sell it!" :D

yeah glad you had fun but dont u dare go looking for one unless your a complete masochist :p

Haha... I was dead set on picking up an '89 SE in pearl white at that fancy car dealer on Franklin in SF but didn't end up getting it because... I could not sit in the driver's seat with my helmet on, and I could barely get my size 12's in the pedal box. I was pretty bummed yet simultaneously glad to not have to muck with British electrics. Would still love to drive one some day. I will bring the teeny shoes (gotta use the Piloti's to drive my Z).

[B]L[/B] ots
[B]O[/B] f
[B]T[/B] rouble
[B]U[/B] sually
[B]S[/B] erious


IIRC, they were 2.2 litre by 1995.

Lotus have been turbocharging cars for a long time so they tend to be pretty seamless. They achieved > 100bhp per litre in a production car in the late 80s! Likewise, their chassis' are known for handling from their F1 heritage.

Whereas running costs are going to be high, they are probably no worse than a Porsche and cheaper than a Ferrari, and it looks just as exotic IMO.

Thats awesome, i'd love to drive that thing!

[QUOTE=joltdudeuc;2258299][img]http://gaganb.zenfolio.com/img/v3/p100599608-4.jpg[/img]

joltdudeuc > not12listen

;)[/QUOTE]

hahahahaha OWNED :D

lol bring it out to concord on friday! ;D

The Esprit is one of my favoritisters cars ever...... never even been in one :(

[quote=joltdudeuc;2258299][IMG]http://gaganb.zenfolio.com/img/v3/p100599608-4.jpg[/IMG]

joltdudeuc > not12listen

;)[/quote]
haha winn4r :lol:

[QUOTE=joltdudeuc;2258299][img]http://gaganb.zenfolio.com/img/v3/p100599608-4.jpg[/img]

joltdudeuc > not12listen

;)[/QUOTE]

And just when I started forgetting about this and becoming less jealous you have to show us the picture again!!!!!!

[QUOTE=joltdudeuc;2258299][img]http://gaganb.zenfolio.com/img/v3/p100599608-4.jpg[/img]

joltdudeuc > not12listen

;)[/QUOTE]

honestly, i'd really rather NOT drive that car. it just isnt my style. beyond that, there is nothing really elegant about 1000hp from 16 cylinders and 4 turbos that requires 10 radiators.

now... if you had posted a photo of you in one of the following, it would be a different story entirely. :)

[IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/McLaren_F1_LM.jpg/800px-McLaren_F1_LM.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Toyota_Corolla_WRC_01.jpg/800px-Toyota_Corolla_WRC_01.jpg[/IMG]

and if you had photos of you driving this, i would have already had slit your throat... :)

[IMG]http://www.mr2supercharger.com/GroupBRacing_files/groupB3.jpg[/IMG]

700hp, AWD Mr2 - Group B WRC car from 1985. unfortunately, it never ran in a Group B rally, as once it was finally done, Group B had been disbanded.

Oh trust me, theF1 is still, and will probably always be, my favorite car.

But don't put the Bugatti out, it actually handles EXTREMELY well :D

Nice on the Lotus. I love the V8. Finally got all the power it really needed to push it into supercar status.

hehehhe... the F1 is a remarkable car. that is unquestionable. :)

i'm not doubting that the bugati handles well. but, 16 cylinders, 4 turbos, 10 radiators... there is nothing elegant about it.

as it turns out with the Lotus, looks like i'll be working on it a bit (ABS problem) and helping to smooth out the ride... :) so, that means i'll be driving it even more...

pimp-tastic to say the least. :)

Just for nostalgia, check out the James Bond pic The Spy Who Loved Me. I think that one's got an Esprit in it which converts into the sub.

[URL="http://www.jamesbondmm.co.uk/vehicles/lotus-esprit.php"]http://www.jamesbondmm.co.uk/vehicles/lotus-esprit.php[/URL]

[URL="http://www.lotusespritworld.com/EOtherstuff/Submarine.html"]http://www.lotusespritworld.com/EOtherstuff/Submarine.html[/URL]

Now if you drove one of these on land and sea; that would be very impressive. :D

For Your Eyes Only also had the Lotus Esprit Turbo but that didn't make as big a splash (No Pun Intended :p) as the previous movie.

Check it out:
[URL="http://www.jamesbondmm.co.uk/vehicles/lotus-esprit-turbo.php"]http://www.jamesbondmm.co.uk/vehicles/lotus-esprit-turbo.php[/URL]

Yeah, McLaren F1 is the hands-down all time winner for me. Extra points for the one and only BMW M8 but it probably hasn't moved in years. That MR2 is pretty awesome. I love cars but I am not sure I would want to drive the Bugatti - doesn't seem interesting. I can appreciate what it is, but it does not grab that part of me that loves cars like an original F40... Or my fav from Ferrari - the '85 288 GTO. Maybe it's a pedal count thing. I only want to drive cars with 3 pedals. :D