Neverweaken 13 Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 Hi all, I have been a bit of a lurker, just realised its nearly been 3 yrs. I have been keeping my eye open for a Giugiaro Esprit and have some questions for some of you experienced owners. I have come across an Esprit Turbo G car that has been sitting for approx 10 yrs in a shed. It had an engine rebuild 10 yrs ago, engine is in the car but has not been reconnected or run since. Assume all seals would be perished, brakes seized, all fluids need to be changed, belts, cooling pipes, electrical contacts probably all need to be cleaned, fuel system cleaned, carbs rebuilt, tyres replaced and probably shocks. Is there anything else that I am missing or that would need to be considered? Would the engine need to be opened and inspected? Could anyone give me a ballpark of what it would be worth based on the above info? I know it also depends on the condition of the paintwork and the interior but a guideline price would be a help. I am going to look at it some time this week. Thanks in advance and any advice much appreciated, KW Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bibs 11,118 Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 Not a lot is the answer. You could sink up to £50k into a restoration (more likely sub £10k in reality) and the car will be worth £6-10k at the end of it. For a pile of bits arranged in an Esprit shape like that which is completely unknown you'll be talking £500 or similar I'd have thought, it will need 'everything' done to it. Quote 88 Esprit NA, 89 Esprit Turbo SE, Evora, Evora S, Evora IPS, Evora S IPS, Evora S IPS SR, Evora 400, Elise S1, Elise S1 111s, Evora GT410 Sport Evora NA For forum issues, please contact the Moderators. I will aim to respond to emails/PM's Mon-Fri 9-6 GMT. Link to post Share on other sites
910Esprit 531 Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 suspect it depends on the 'shed' and how it has stood up to 10 years of neglect. If the interior is rotted away, you can assume it was very damp and that would also have affected the large stationary mechanical lumps like engine and box after 10 years. Conversely, if the interior is simply buried under dust, the prognosis would be far more positive. I would value between maybe 1500 - 3500. (based on the value of the car broken for parts) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Buddsy 1,618 Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 (edited) You can look at my resto project and I bought my car 3 years ago for £2,600.00 It had been standing for 14 years had the head & cams missing. From my point of view I liked it because it hadn't really been messed about with. The interiour look terrible but came up nice. Im not sure if values have gone up at all or down? You dont seem to see many project Esprits on ebay as much. Buddsy Edited July 25, 2011 by Buddsy Quote "Belief is the enemy of knowing" - Crrow777 Link to post Share on other sites
Neverweaken 13 Posted July 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 Cheers for the input guys, I agree the storage conditions are key, if it was a damp barn/ shed it could be a complete mess and fit only for parts, if it was dry stored a lot of areas "may" have been saved and recommissioning would be a lot simpler. I will let you know how it goes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
molemot 521 Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 All the engine and gearbox complete rebuild work, if you do it yourself, shouldn't exceed £3k maximum. That's the fun part, too....I would be very careful about the coachwork, gelcoat cracks, paint cracks and crazes and that stuff is darned hard work to do yourself and, professionally, where they have to show a profit.....(!).....prohibitive for a proper result. SO....if the coachwork looks OK...try washing and inspecting it, maybe a bit of T cut or polish as well....that's likely to be the GO/NOGO decision maker. Bibs has the right idea....£500 for a non runner ought to keep you safe; I might push it to three times that if the inspection shows nothing untoward. Quote Scientists investigate that which already is; Engineers create that which has never been." - Albert Einstein Link to post Share on other sites
andydclements 750 Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 I'm with Bibs on the first bit but Steve for the current value. In reality you can probably buy a TE in nice condition for less than purchase and restoration (I don't men concous resoration, I men brakes, engine rebuild, paint etc) but at least with the rebild route you know what bits are good because you've done them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Neverweaken 13 Posted July 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 Went to see this car this evening, a nice gent selling it who had a beautiful motorbike collection. It is in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland and is advertised on gumtree if anyone is interested. I didnt take any pictures as I knew straight away it wasnt for me. In no particular order: It's in John Player colours - black with gold stripe. Interior looked in generally good condition, black leather bolsters with suede in the middle - very dusty but would clean up well. Drivers door wouldnt open, door catch was broke as was bonnet catch. There was a thick layer of dust/ other dirt on the car, the paintwork looked reasonable under it with a few noticable chips/ scratches - very hard to tell though. Same owner since 1986, hasnt been on the road since 1991, 68K miles. A rusty engine bay, rear calipers were in a bad way, car must have been stored outside for a while. The engine that had been rebuilt wouldnt turn and is probably seized, The exhaust had been removed and was rusted, other parts missing from engine bay but was assured they were all there, back window was broke. The seller is looking for £3.5K and is not in a rush to sell - a retired man who doesnt seem too internet savvy. He is under the impression that the gearbox is worth £6-8K and will get more than his asking price if he breaks the car. If anyone has any particular questions let me know and I'll be glad to answer if I can. Thanks again for your input, much appreciated Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Coleman 471 Posted September 27, 2011 Report Share Posted September 27, 2011 (edited) Are you sure this is a series 3 Turbo and not a JPS series 2? As you probably know the JPS ones are relatively rare as they only made 100 for the UK market. If I was going to buy a series 2 it would be a JPS one because it reminds me of the Scalextric car I had when I was a kid The interior you described sounds like the series 2 JPS to me, so it's more than a paint job. Did it look like this... http://www.lotusespr...Models/JPS.html Hmmm... I want one Cheers, Paul. Edited September 27, 2011 by Paul Coleman Quote Lotus Esprit [meaning] a 1:1 scale Airfix kit with a propensity to catch fire Link to post Share on other sites
Neverweaken 13 Posted October 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2011 Are you sure this is a series 3 Turbo and not a JPS series 2? As you probably know the JPS ones are relatively rare as they only made 100 for the UK market. If I was going to buy a series 2 it would be a JPS one because it reminds me of the Scalextric car I had when I was a kid The interior you described sounds like the series 2 JPS to me, so it's more than a paint job. Did it look like this... http://www.lotusespr...Models/JPS.html Hmmm... I want one Cheers, Paul. Hi Paul, The car had BBS alloys, rear louvre, turbo bodykit, gold turbo decals and a disassembled turbo in engine bay. I am 99% sure its a factory produced Turbo - however I didnt check the chassis number. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.