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October 2003 The Last Esprit Looks likely to be rolling off the production line in the first few weeks of January 2004. A sad day, but one to be celebrated. Would be a crime to see it pass with a wimper! Concorde and the Esprit in the same year would be a very bad year for the UK, seems it won't happen now, not sure if this is good or not! Esprit TV Documentary Its seem everyone has been doing as asked and you've all been emailing Bill at NMTV with conformation that you and your Esprit will be attending the fliming on 8th November 2003. Currently we have around 50 Esprit attending, which should make the day all the more special.
Brake Kit Review The Brake Kit will be tested this weekend (weather permitting) to see how it performs compared to the original set-up. Hopeful brake balance won't be affected enough to need to reduce the performance of the front pads. I'm hoping to have the review, plus costs of the various kits available on the site the beginning of next week.
Lotus Esprit World Calendars Due to the Postal Strike affecting the London area, there may be a delay in the delivery of any outstanding orders for the Lotus Esprit World Official Calendar 2004. This shouldn't delay your items for too long. All confirmed orders will have been dispatched tomorrow (31st October) and should be with customers the beginning of next week. Stock of the Limited run of calendars is running really low, so if you were thinking about ordering, do it now, as they'll all be gone soon!
Esprit Website Ever fancied putting the Esprit V8 engine in a Giugiaro! Well this guys doing it! Follow his story on his website, it still an ongoing project, so maybe you can help! Well worth a look as it's a pretty good site and an interesting subject. Brake Fitted The Brake Kits is now fitted and I'm currently bedding them in. I'll be sorting the install guide out this week hopefully. Southrun Haunted, Saturday 22nd November 2003, S9 Hi Everyone, Well, Southrun is back for a special event. The run will take place on Saturday 22nd November 2003 in Gloucestershire. The full route details are yet to be finalised, but the end has been booked. There are limited places on this event at 50 people, these details have been sent out on the mailing list first so all you Southrun enthusiasts get first choice on places. The run will take place starting early afternoon heading through some of the best B Roads in Gloucestershire and ending at the fantastic Woodchester Mansion. For those of you who are fans of the Living TV's Most Haunted, this is the mansion featured on one of their recent Most Haunted Live shows. As a bonus we hope to stop off at a Haunted Pub en-route and may be pass a few others. This is still being planned and I hope to have the firm details this weekend when Craig Tomes and I plan up the route on the prerun. On arrival at the mansion there is a top car park with either a mini bus ride down the valley to the mansion, or a pleasant 1 mile walk. There will be a chance for 10 lucky cars to drive down to the mansion for a photo shoot. That is all we can fit outside the mansion, I will sort something out for this soon. At the mansion we will have tour guides taking us around the outside and the inside of the building explaining the history of the place. Inside they have bats in the roof with a live cam link up to play with. I have also booked a function room with a log fire for after the tour so we can all chill out into the evening. The mansion is undergoing a large restoration and facilities are limited. Firstly the mansion is a cold place and you should ensure you bring plenty of warm clothes and good footwear for some of the rough surfaces. You will also need to bring your own food and drink for the after tour. To cover the costs of the room hire, tour guides, bus etc.. the cost will be £10 per person. All the staff at the Woodchester mansion are volunteers, so all money actually goes to the trust charity restoring the mansion to it's unfinished state. The trust will be supplying wine glasses and cups, so you can bring along a bottle of Coke, a non-alcoholic bottle of bubbly or wine for those of you not driving, what ever takes your fancy. Feel free to bring along camera's and video camera's, you never know what we might see. I am writing up the checkpoint page for the web site now but will hold off publishing this to give any of you a chance to book up with me and reserve a place. I will add some more information about the mansion and pictures. First come, first served on places. I would appreciate money in advance as I have already booked and sent a deposit to hire the mansion for the afternoon. To book a place simply e-mail me your name, how many of you are coming, so include your passenger(s), what car you have (out of interest!) and I will e-mail you back with details how to pay and confirming your place on the run. I'll publish the list of places taken on the checkpoint page shortly. Reply to this e-mail is fine. We haven't done anything like this since Craig Tomes excellent run to Broadway (Southrun 2!), so this should be a damn good event. Big thanks to Craig Tomes for helping me on this one and his local knowledge of the Cotswolds! full details of the event can now be found at: www.southrun.co.uk/checkpoint.asp See you there! 28 Esprit left to be built at the Factory Esprit TV Documentary I've now been given a time, location and filming schedule for the NMTV Esprit TV Documentary. I've now created a page in 'Otherstuff' for all the details and eventually pictures from the day. Click the picture above to see all the details. Brake Upgrade My brake upgrade is starting to come together. I'm waiting on a small revision to the kit to finish it off (LEW's helping with development). As you can see from above the disc size is a massive improvement. I can wait to get it finished, bed them in and be able to stop properly for the first time. A full install guide is being done for those who wish to do the fitting themselves. I will also be reviewing their performance compared to the standard pre 1994 brakes. All coming very soon on Lotus Esprit World. Esprit TV Documentary The NMTV Esprit Documentary filming is being held on Saturday 8th November at Marshalls Transport, Throckmorton Airfiled, Throckmorton, Near Pershore Worcestershire WR10. If you could be there by 10.30am, things can get started. More detail of what's going on with be released in the very near future. For now, make your excuses and make sure you and your Esprit are available for filming. We have the only remaining Lotus Esprit V8 GT1 racecar making an appearance. You don't want to miss this meeting!
CustomLotus range of products is now for sale on Lotus Esprit World's E-Shop. Items include: Alloy Handbrake Sleeve, Alloy Dash Mask, Alloy Push Button Rings & Heater knobs. More items will be added in the future and CustomLotus' own website will be up and running soon. I've personal seen all these item and I currently have the Alloy Handbrake sleeve fitting to my Esprit, which I'm very very happy with.
www.espritforum.co.uk The UK Lotus Esprit Yahoo! Group have renamed their website to www.espritforum.co.uk. The original name still works, they're just registered an easier to remember name. Hopefully new users will find this one easier to recall! LEW Feedback "Just a quick note to thank you for the check list. After months of looking I am finally collecting my first Lotus Esprit this week. Travelled the length and breadth of the country looking for a good one, finally found the right car 5 miles from where I live, a 1989 turbo with good history and some sensible modifications. I found your web site invaluable and would have probably bought the wrong car at the wrong price without it. Thanks once again." Allan Morris, New Esprit Owner
Calendars 'Delayed' Anyone currently waiting for their calendar order, all remaining orders will be posted over the next two days. The delay is due to not being able to get the calendars from my work, where they are stored, to the post office. Every order is packed up and ready to go. Sorry for the delay. Owners page 'Split' Due to the amount of Steven's Esprit Owners, the menu page was becoming too big and was taking a long time to upload. This has now been split into two new owners section. Steven's owners now includes, Esprit NA, Esprit Turbo & Esprit SE owners. A new S4, S4s & GT3 owners section has now been made including those models. Everything else remains unchanged. Brake Upgrade Started to put the brake kit on today (Sunday 19th), but unfortunately was unable to finish. So my Esprit is up on 4 axle stands awaiting a little more attention. I've managed to strip everything off and put the new discs on the hubs. Just need to put everything back together. Both disc and caliper are much larger than the old parts which hopefully with mean a massive improvement in braking. As for the installation, it's not too bad and should be easier once I've written the guide. You need quite a few tools, but nothing too uncommon. Enjoyed working on the car today and am looking forward to finishing it off. I'll keep you posted as to my progress.
Lotus Esprit
£29.95 I've got my Essex Esprit model through the post. Very nice. I've a few smaller models, but this is the first bigger one. I'm very impressed with the detail. Well worth £30. Clutch & Suspension Have just got back from PNM Engineering after collecting my Esprit. Pete has fitted a new 35% uprated clutch from PUK Esprit Racing and some Sport 350 suspension. I had a very enjoyable day talking to Pete, Edd and Andy and learning a few tricks of the trade. Also had a spin in Dave Walters 90 Turbo, which was great as we hit the seaside at New Brighton! Also helped move a complete Esprit S2 Shell onto a trailing, which was interesting. As for the clutch and suspension. The clutch works great and has a lot more spring in the pedel. The suspension is wonderful and has made a great deal of difference to the handling, but then it is off a Sport 350, so it should do! I'm selling my SE suspension on the parts page for anyone who's in need of some low mileage springs and dampers. I'm fitting my brake upgrade tomorrow (hopefully), so should be something on the site this week. Esprit TV Documentary The NMTV Esprit Documentary filming is provisionally looking like one weekend in November. So keep them free as you won't want to miss out on this experience! I'll keep you updated on date and venue as soon as it's confirmed. If you've not spoken to Bill yet, there's still time. Bill will be choosing Esprit owners to be interviewed for the Documentary soon. So please do not hesitate to contact Bill Pegram on 01904 621331 or email: production2@nmtv.ltd.uk Sport 350 Production Numbers From Lotus: The original Proposal was to build no more than 50 cars (to keep the model exclusive) All the unique parts were ordered to a maximum of 50 (this included enough of some parts to satisfy Service needs where necessary) Production build totalled 42 cars. I can confirm this as we ordered 50 sets of 'AP Racing' Blue Front Calipers. At a stock check earlier this year we had 8 sets in stock subsequently used on some Japanese spec. cars. The last of which goes on line next week. I also confirmed the figure by checking the Engine build records:- Between 30th Nov. 1998 (first engine) and 24th Jan. 2000 (last engine) 42 Production engines were built plus 1 for Service stock. So in all 42 genuine Sport 350 cars were produced at the factory. Of the 42 Sport 350's produced, 2 were supplied to Germany and 5 to Switzerland the rest being U.K cars. As for colour I have 3 build books which dont have a definite colour stated. I have definitely found one white even though you know of two and I have also found two black cars listed. Esprit TV Documentary The NMTV Esprit Documentary is taking shape. I've spoken to Bill Pegram again, who informs me he's had some very interesting chats with Esprit owners (mentioning a few of you). He has had contact from Lotus now and hopefully things will develop from that. Also a list is locations for shooting all your Esprits is being drawn up. Hopefully most of you will make the effort to make the filming. The thought of 20-30 Esprits let loose on a track/runway for filming should get you all going. Further information will appear here as and when it's available. If you've not spoken to Bill yet, there's still time. Bill will be choosing Esprit owners to be interviewed for the Documentary soon. So please do not hesitate to contact Bill Pegram on 01904 621331 or email: production2@nmtv.ltd.uk Water injection & Nitrous For those of you without a chargecooler, which is most of you (pre SE and post S4s). I have been looking into water injection, which is a cheaper version of intercooling. This cools the mixture going into the chambers, which can either provide more power or less problems (I don't want to get too technical here). It can also be fitted to Esprits with Chargecoolers to provide extra cooling. For what I know so far it can be fitted to NA or Turbo cars, with either fuel injection or carbs. I've approached a company about supplying a demo version to fit to Lotus Esprit World's Test Car (my much molested SE), which can be fitted and tested. This will give everyone a better idea of how it works and what it does. Then you can make a decision if it's for your Esprit or not. The company can also supply a Nitrous Oxide kit, which I may also look into testing. Brake Upgrade
My new brakes have turned up. 2 HiSpec 4-pot calipers, 2 drilled & slotted discs, Hawk brake pads, 2 mounting brackets, 2 braided hoses and all the fixings nuts and bolts. It all looks very impressive on my lounge floor. The discs are large, the calipers light and thick and the mounting brackets are really really nicely made and very light. The Hawk pads look nice and meaty and are supposed to be very grippy. I've seen the brakes on an old Turbo and they look very impressive, especially in comparison with the Toyota stuff on my SE. The kit will be available with plain discs, slotted discs or drilled & slotted, with slight increases in price. I'm looking forward to fitting the kit over the next week or so (when I have my Esprit back!) and reporting back what they're actually like and if looks are anything to go by, they'll be stopping my Esprit very quickly. I will also be doing an indepth install guide on how to fit them. The kit will fit 1985 to 1994 Esprits with 15 inch front wheels. A pre 1985 Esprit Brake kit is available using Wilwood Calipers, this is because pre 85 Esprit all used solid discs. So if you have an Esprit from 1976-1994 (before the S4 was released with brembo calipers) there is a kit available along the same lines as the one I'm fitting. Details of all kits will be available soon.
I believe that brakes & suspension are the first upgrade that should be done to any performance car. Not only do they increase safety, but also performance due to shorter stopping distances and better handling. Increasing power before upgrading the ability to stop and keep the car on the road isn't a brilliant idea. But as with everyone else, I have gone against my own beliefs due to cost. It's cheaper to increase performance than increase braking and uprate suspension. Exhausts, air filters and chips etc are cheaper altogether than brakes or suspension. Hopefully this kit will make it easier for Esprit owners to correct this and have brakes than can stop their supercars in good time. Gearbox and Brakes are the Esprit's real weakness. I'm hoping to rid myself of one of those. We will see in time if this kit is the answer. Sorry for going on, but I'm REALLY looking forward to being able to stop. LEW @ PNM Engineering As the Calendar's sponsor and having talked to them on the phone on many occasions. I visited PNM Engineering today. They are fitting my Sport 350 suspension and P.U.K. Esprit Racing uprated clutch this week. I'll be doing a little feature on PNM for the site to give you an insight into the company. What services offer and what they can do for you. I'm hoping to visit a few other specialist in the future to help raise their profiles and give you some feedback on each company. For those not in the UK, I'd be happy for someone to visit any companies and take a few pictures and write some words to review Esprit Specialist from outside the UK. Hopefully this will make it easier when you need some work done or parts ordered. Sport 350 Production Numbers Rob C and I have been trying to find the total production numbers for the Sport 350. I was under the impression that 54 had been produced, but Lotus have 42 down on the spreadsheet. Rob C had this reply from Lotus. "Thanks for forwarding your chassis number, I have spent a little time sifting through the archives and I have found around 24 at the moment. I have noticed in the past that when a special edition is done they aren't produced in consecutive chassis numbers (why I'm not sure but maybe down to what colour is being sprayed) and not only that when a number is given to a car like 26, this may not actually be the number of models built so far. As mentioned yesterday the production team confirmed that there were only 42 made but I have found number 44. You mentioned that a friend thought that there were 54 produced I'm wondering if someone has number 54 thinking this was the last one. I must say I am relatively new it's a little confusing, but I will find out a little more for you as then when time allows. As you can imagine its not always easy to find a run of special edition cars but it has become a bit of a challenge now." I'll tell you more as and when more information comes to light! Kato's Esprit has some more work done! My Esprit's off to PNM Engineering tomorrow to have a new clutch fitted. More info on that later. PNM will also be fitting some Sport 350 suspension to my Esprit. The following weekend I will be fitting my new brake kit to the front end, which has finally turned up. So there'll be plenty of stuff to add to the site over the next couple of weeks. Looking forward to reporting how the +35% Clutch, Sport 350 suspension and 4-pot Brake Calipers perform on my 92 SE.
Coventry University MA Automotive Design Degree Show 2002 "Andy Entwhistle's design was for a 2+2 Lotus, which could be used by former Elise owners once they start a family. The styling showed influences from other transport areas such as aircraft and motocycles and aimed to balance the fundamental Lotus lightweight and athletic values with increased functionality. Transport panels running down through the bodysides to the front wheelarch allow younger passengers a good view out" Lotus Esprit
£29.95 There's no doubt that the fortunes of Lotus' Esprit were enhanced following its exploits in two Bond films, but with its clean cut angular body designed by the Italian master Giorgette Giugiaro, the car was worthy of praise in its own right and was as just striking in the flesh as it was on the big screen. And, reproduced here in 'Turbo' from, this 1:18 scale model by AutoArt will cut as much of a dash on the shelf as the real thing does on the road. Currently available from Modern Models for just £29.95 having previously retailed at £39.99, this Esprit offers a lot of model for the money and, as befits a 1:18 scale replica, it is extremely well detailed from its sharp snout to the squared off rump. To kick off, the red logos and stripes are particularly well applied and contrast well with the main white body colour. The black 'waistline' is pin-sharp and the matt finish on the similarly coloured window/windscreen surrounds is also spot-on. The door handles, single wiper, mirrors, front grille (set back into the valance), rear slatted engine cover, and front and rear bumpers/light lenses (there's no headlights unfortunately) are all reproduced in accurate detail, and wherever you look – there seems to be more detailing to discover. The wheels – with chrome rims and gold spokes – look excellent and are shod with realistic and soft Goodyear tyres (the front wheels turn) while the underside of the car is similarly well finished. All rear engine and suspension components are smartly painted and, at the front, there are three yellow cooling fans clearly visible just ahead of the suspension. But that's not it! Both doors open (albeit with difficulty as they are quite stiff) to reveal an interior that has been just as well modelled as the outside of the car. There are red 'texture' carpets – not just plastic – and the brown seats, dash, centre console and door cards all look superb. The tiny dials are all clearly visible and there are even small, chromed ashtrays on each interior sill. Both the slatted rear engine cover and front 'bonnet' open too, revealing further evidence of the attention to detail. The engine (revealed by removing a further plastic cover) is smartly painted in four colours with the 'Turbo' script clearly visible and, in the front compartment, there's a white 'steel' spare wheel, brake master cylinder and brake fluid/washer reservoirs. A great model, especially at this reduced price from Modern Models, the AutoArt Esprit can also be ordered in black, or in the metallic blue 'Essex' livery. Postage and packing is an additional £3.95. Currently the Essex's are in stock with the white and blacks on order. Modern Models can ship overseas and will process your order asap via phone, email orders will take a little longer. Currently the website is still showing the older price, but all orders wil be at the reduced price. Please mention Lotus Esprit World when ordering. New Websites on LINKS I've just added two new websites to the links page. One is SouthRun, which is a Lotus site run by Craig. Some interesting info on there and some events that might interest you. Second is Steve's website, which follows his 89 Turbo on its modification journey. Some great stuff on there and well worth a look. Checklist & Receipts Having sent out over 400 Checklists and Receipts over the last 2 years. Only 5 people have donated to the site the £1 asked. Some may have donated at other times, but I feel this service has been undervalued. So all Checklist and Receipts are now password protected. You can still download the pdf's, but you'll need the password to open them. Once the £1 has been paid, the password will be emailed. I would have preferred to keep it as donations, but if seems people are relucent to do so. I just hope it doesn't stop people from using the checklist and ending up with big bills. New Lotus Esprit on hold The new Esprit is on hold (again) as Proton have no money. The only reason they (Proton) managed to sell such poor vehicles was because of the stinging import duties into Malaysia. Honda have now built an assembly plant in Malaysia and can sell with no duties. So, what would you rather buy, a Honda or a Proton for the same money? Guess who isn't selling very many cars any more in their own home market?!?! Consequently Lotus has been told to put Esprit development on hold. The M250 had a selespeed gearbox in its cycle plan, so it wouldn't be a problem to put one into the new car. Sorry to say as well that pop-up headlamps are out; they are now illegal, which is a shame as I love the four lamp look on the Esprit. Info supplied by Yahoo! member Lotus Esprit World Membership Currently looking into the idea of forming a membership for LEW, which inturn will make us a 'Car Club'. This will be done to try and get discounts for things Esprit owners may need. Insurance, tyres, parts, consumables. Basically anything we can blagg! It will be free to join intially, but if it works, then a small yearly fee may apply. This will not restict the use of the site for others. Going to see if it works and go from there. Will keep you updated.
LEW/Yahoo! Oxford Meeting The Oxford Meeting went really well. 25 Esprits, great weather, plenty of friendly owners, a great drive through Oxford and a Sunday Pub Lunch. An article will be published soon with more pictures. Thanks to everyone who turned up and made it a great day. Esprit TV Documentary NMTV are an independent television production company with a history of making quality programmes on specialist subjects for television and video release. Previous productions include: Elise; The Inside Story (2X 60 mins for Discovery Channel and video release). Top Marques (60x30mins classic car series for Discovery Channel). Drive Hard (15x30mins driving challenge series for UK Horizons). Plane Crazy (7x30 mins aviation series for Discovery Channel) Model Mania (15x30 min model making series for Discovery Channel) Former Glory (15 x30mins restoration series for Discovery Home and Leisure). NMTV's current production is a 60 minute documentary (and 90 minute video) dedicated to the Lotus Esprit. The film will tell the history of the Esprit, follow it's development, meet the enthusiasts and witness the final Esprit roll of the production line for the last time. If you have an Esprit story to tell or think you may be able to contribute to the production in any way then please do not hesitate to contact Bill Pegram on 01904 621331 or email: production2@nmtv.ltd.uk LEW/Yahoo! Oxford Meeting For those coming to the Oxford meeting tomorrow, can you all please make sure you have a full tank of petrol before turning up tomorrow morning. Keeping 28 Esprit's together is going to be hard enough without people having to pop off to the petrol stations. Although 28 Esprit turning up at one station would be a sight. So PLEASE fill up before the meet.
Carbon Fibre Sunroof in! Put my new carbon fibre sunroof in today. As well as my new tax disc holder and LEW stickers. Guide and reviews to come on the sunroof. LEW Calendars 2004 'Feedback' Getting some great feedback from Calendar Customers! I put a lot of work into the calendar, as I wanted it to be something I would be happy buying. I'm happy with the final product and it seems everyone else is too. Still waiting for the first person who doesn't like it, so I can get back down to reality! Read the comments on the Calendar Page. To give feedback on the Calendar, just email your name, Esprit, comments and score out of 10 to kato@lotusespritworld.com
LEW/Yahoo! Oxford Meeting Currently we have 24 Esprits for Sundays Oxford meeting. The route has been revised slightly and we will now have two points on the run where we will stop and group back together. Route and Maps will be handed out at the meet, so a co-pilot would be useful. Details of the Run here.
LEW Calendars 2004 The Calendars are shifting pretty fast with LEW Package 1 (above: 1 calendar, 1 key ring, 1 tax disc holder & 1 set of window stickers) being very popular. All bar 3 orders have been posted (these should go out tomorrow) and should be with their new owners soon (except maybe the South African & US ones which will take a little longer). Everyone who supplied an email has been informed of the items being sent and should have received a 'Feedback' email. All orders placed before 3pm on Friday (3rd) have been sent out. As of that time, there are no outstanding orders. To give feedback on the Calendar, just email your name, Esprit, comments and score out of 10 to kato@lotusespritworld.com
Lotus Track Day @ Donington Park Don't forget the next track day in PNM and Stratton's calendar is on 10th October at Donington Park. All Esprit's welcome. Lotus Esprit World is hoping to attend, depending on fitting the brake upgrade. For more details click here.
LEW Stickers and Tax Disc Holders The LEW Window Stickers and Tax disc holders have come out very well. Here's some pictures taken of them. I'm very pleased with the outcome and hope those who purchase them will be as happy.
LEW/Yahoo! Oxford Meeting It's looking like a great turnout for Sunday's run. Around 25 Esprit's should be heading towards Oxford on Sunday morning. Hoping to take plenty of pictures and maybe even a few short video clips. Details of the Run here.
Taken a couple of pictures of the New Limited Edition Lotus Esprit World Key Rings. They have turned out a lot better than I expected. High quality and look great. See more at the LEW E-Shop. Brakes!!! Should be getting my new brake kit either Friday (3rd) or Saturday (4th). Will be installing them ASAP and reporting my findings on the site. Could be a great update for those with Toyota front brakes. Calendars @ LEW/Yahoo! Oxford Meeting Anyone attending the Oxford meet that would like me to bring along a calender to save on p&p, will need to email me before Friday, as the Calendars are stored at work and I'll need to bring some home with me. I'll be bringing long some tax disc holders, window stickers and key rings for anyone who wants to see them first hand before buying. Very Interesting Developments I've been contacted via the site about a very interesting Esprit project. Can't say much now, but as soon as everything's confirmed I will let you know, as I will need some help! |
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