A few people, myself included helped to raise the values of early esprits about ten years ago by putting time and money into them. Once these shiny restored cars hit the circuits, desirability went up as did values. The elites and éclats and perhaps some excels got a bad reputation as they went down the food chain and they ended up in the wrong hands. The early cars got a bad reputation and though many admire them, they also shy away. Their correct maintenance and proper use is critical. Decades on, they are not like modern BMW’s that can be thrashed around and left on the street all weathers without a thought for what’s going on under the bonnet or chassis. Given the right TLC they are brilliant sports cars. Unfortunately there are not enough cars to a high standard to help push the values up and as long as there is a plentiful supply of projects, people will keep seeing them as a lower value car. All said, I do feel that the tide is changing as there appears to be more interest and I see a few cars rising from the ashes. They will never hit the values of esprits, the +2’s never do, but I feel that in a couple of years we will look back at this beautiful example and think, that was cheap.