Rudi K

The S1 and S2 tyre conundrums are very similar.

See my post of a few weeks ago on the refurbishment of the JPS black leather gear knob. The wooden M7 knob B079F4016F available from SJS also fits.

I have no plans to retrim #40 at present, but would certainly be interested to know the cost of the necessary fabric. Perhaps Steve might want to add some to the SJS spare parts collection?

Is there no way to drop the speaker down by getting access to the four fixing nuts (as per the photo), leaving the four bolts in place and finding a replacement speaker with compatible fixing holes? Although I can see getting access to the four nuts is not going to be easy…and probably harder to put back than remove… So your advice to leave well alone may be the best!

Car hifi has come a long way since 1979. There are options for replacing the sound system in a JPS Esprit with a modern digital set-up. But suppose you want to restore the 1970s sound experience. Puzzles and potential pitfalls lie ahead. I remember Paul at UK Sportscars keeping me away from the radio cassette on my test drive of JPS #40 last September, “Who needs music when you can listen to the 907?” I subsequently brought along one of my favourite 1980s cassettes for the first drive home. Sadly, my nostalgia moment ended with a few burps from the loudspeakers, a squeak from the rad

The plastic connectors “30” are rigid, with some flex, but not elastic, so probably not silicone. The connectors “click” into place. Perhaps clear PVC or polypropylene – but may be some other plastic. The photo below shows the back of the RH switch panel with connectors in situ.

The original fibre optic illumination system in JPS #40 seems to have extended to 4 switches on the LH panel (reading clockwise from top left – main lights, hazard lights, rear fog lights and instrument lights) and to two switches on the RH panel (fan and rear screen heating). The fibre strands come in long (83 cm) and short (40 cm) varieties, which reach from the optic light source to the LH and RH panels, respectively. In the end, I tracked down four connectors “30” from Lotusbits. SJS supplied me with two of the long type strands. I obtained an LED bulb from Classic Car LEDs (h/t

According to Radio Museum, the Sharp RG-5800 radio cassette was manufactured in 1978/9 and the RG-5850 around 1980. This seems consistent with Matt’s account of the Sharp often being fitted to new S1 and S2 Esprits by Lotus dealerships. I sent off the Sharp RG-5850 from JPS Esprit #40 to be refurbished by Steve at Revive Car Audio. He also fitted a socket that can take an auxiliary line input direct from an iPhone/iPod, as an alternative to the radio/cassette. This avoids signal degradation and gives a good quality sound output, limited only by my tired aftermarket speakers. (Bluet

I would certainly be interested in an original S2 tool kit, Matt. Are any still available?

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. Unfortunately, I remain stuck on a source for no. 30, as SJS have just informed me that " unfortunately the plastic pieces item 30 are no longer available".

Whilst not the most important aspect, it would be nice to have the fibre optic switch lighting on JPS #40 working. The system consists of a central light source, with its brightness adjusted by a rheostat on the RH switch panel, connected by six fibre optic strands to various panel switches. Some spares are available (e.g. strands from SJS), however, these do not include the plastic connectors (marked 30 on the Spare Parts List diagram) between the strands and the flip switches (marked 15). These connectors seem to be key to ensuring that light is diffused efficiently from each strand int

The gear knob on a JPS Esprit is leather covered and differs from the wooden knob fitted to the regular S2. It no longer seems to be available as a spare part (e.g. from SJS) . The original knob on JPS #40 was suffering from perished and badly split leather. Fortunately, Paul Devine at Pride Car Customs was able to restore the original knob to authentic condition, and I can recommend his service. Before and after photos follow:

Sorry about the quality of the photos. Taken in a dark garage! I can take some more if these do not help with your question.

Received a thoughtful Xmas present from my wife. Merry Xmas to All

It's curious what some people choose to do to their early Esprits…