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Lotus Esprit World REVIEWS:

Lotus Esprit
Documentary DVD
Celebration of a supercar
featuring:
Track day fun for rare Esprits
Stunning examples of all major models

Finally the Lotus Esprit Documentary: Celebration of a supercar has been released on DVD (available on special order on VHS) by Mandrill. This is the Documentary that LEW helped with, including the ill fated cancelled runway day! You can read more about that here. The Documentary has been shown on Men & Motors in the UK in May and this is the same programme, but with extra footage, including extended interviews and film from the Club Lotus Parts Fair at Stoneleigh in November 2003.

The documentary includes mostly Esprits and interviews of LEW users, including a few cars that starred in the 2004 Calendar! The Documentary covers the beginning of the Esprits history with some info and still pictures of the Silver Car. The links between each model are done by Guy from Stratton Motors, who is a bit of an Esprit Expert and kato from LEW.

A beautiful white S1 stars as the first owner car with an interesting interview with it's owner Martin Folkes. All the main interviews including moving shots of their Esprits and interview with each owner sat in front of their Esprit. It then moves on to the S2 with Peter Gentilli's Esprit, which is December in the 2004 calendar. Ian Churm's 1980 Turbo Esprit is next, which has an interesting history. We won't spoil it for you, so you'll have to watch to find out. Ian's interview includes some great shoots of the Turbo driving through some bends by the coast.

Next up is some footage of the LEW/Yahoo! procession into the Parts Fair, which is great to see. Then some interviews that were filmed at Stoneleigh including Bob Chapman, Darrin Alker, John Packham and Mike Ring.

Guy and kato introduce the Stevens make over and the interview with Stevens Turbo owner Steve Howarth follows. Guy and kato review the SE, S4 and Sport 300 before Adam Gumbiner takes centre stage with is Green S4s (also seen as October's Esprit in the 2004 Calendar). A good interview with some good driving shots. Shame Adam thought his Esprit could manage 185mph, only for the official figures to come up on screen showing 168mph. Each major model has a nice graphic giving official stats for the model to help the Documentary flow.

The V8 is introduce using Nick Procter's Blue 1996 V8. Nick traded in his Excel for the Esprit and tells of the costs of running a V8. It then moves on to scene from the factory, with some info on how the Esprit is hand-built. You also see the Last Car (vin 10621) moving through the production line. Then the GT3's covered with a short interview with Karl Sharrett. Mike Bews' V8-GT ex-press car is next also filmed at the runway shoot.

Mike Sekinger's Sport 350 (well ex-sport 350) is next. Due to Rob C's puncture, to his car, not to his breast implants, on the way to the runway shoot, there was no original Sport 350 there.. Mike's GT1 replica is well worth it's time on screen, with some great shots of the engine bay. Mike's Esprit is upstaged by the only remaining GT1 car, with some great shots of it running up the runway.

John Robert's V8 2002 after already having appeared on Top Gear and having been driven by the 'STIG' gets more screen time. The Last Car gets some more time as more scenes from the factory fill the screen. Some more runway shots help to sum up the Esprits long history before each owner gets to some up.

Verdict

This DVD was made with help from Lotus Esprit World, but that alone wouldn't get it a good review if it didn't deserve it. Esprit owners will enjoy this DVD, with an hour of great interviews, historical info, beautiful driving scenes and of course footage of the last Esprit having it's body meet the chassis. If you've never been to see the Esprit production line (and you won't be able to now) it's worth the price alone for these scenes of Esprit assembly.

You will not be disappointed with this great documentary, it's not perfect (see the printing errors on the back cover), but very enjoyable and something you can watch over and over again. Most models are covered and with some great scene of a moving white Esprit S1 (you're not going to see that too often), it will give all those James Bond Esprit nuts a thrill and will put a smile on your face. Buy it and enjoy it!


Available on DVD only.
£16.99
+ £3 P&P (UK) + £5 (Europe) + £8 (Outside Europe).

To Order Click HERE

When James Bond's gleaming white Lotus Esprit dived into the sea and miraculously transformed into a submarine in The Spy Who Loved Me, a motoring icon was born.

But no-one could have predicted that the wedge-shaped wonder would stay in production for thirty years, becoming one of the world's most enduring motoring designs and earn its place as Britain's best loved supercar.

This programme celebrates every incarnation of the Lotus Esprit through its amazing history – from Bond's legendary S1 to the last ever V8 rolling off the Lotus production line. Esprit enthusiasts drive stunning examples of all major models including:

S1 – 1974, S2 – 1978, JPS Special, Turbo Esprit – 1980, Stevens Esprit Turbo – 1987, Esprit SE – 1989, S4 – 1993
S4s – 1995, V8 – 1996, GT3 – 1996, V8-GT – 1998, Sport 350 – 1999, V8 – 2002

 

 

  

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