French Esprit book?

[nicksoldies]

I've had a French guy, Remy Solnon, asking if he can use some images to feature my car in a book he's supposed to be writing. He claims he is writing a French book about the Esprit. I asked him for details but replies have been vague to say the least. He's now asking for my address which I obviously refused to give. He also wants permission to use my name in the book, which again, I have not sanctioned at this time.

I just wondered if he has approched anyone here and if I can confirm he's genuine or hooky. It would be nice to have my car featured in a book, but not stolen from my garage by someone who has a heap of scrap to ring.

[iainskea]

Hi Nick,

I googl'd the guy and found this add in a states message board.

http://lotus.roadfly.com/turboesprit/2005-09/msg00901.html

Claims he is from Club Lotus, France. Maybe you could spike the secretary and check his details. It would be a shame to miss out if he is legit.

Iain

[snuffy]

I've exchaged emails with him for the best part of a year now. My Sport 350 will be in his book. I had to sign a form for his publishers to give permission to use my photos.

If he's a scammer than he's a bloody good one !!

I'd say it's all above board.

[peteyg]

He contacted me a while back, really interested to have my S2 for the book but after a couple of emails all went quiet. I never gave him any photos etc.

[Loose Cannon]

Bloody hell it's the Twilight Zone, me too!

I checked him out with the Chairman of Club Lotus France at their stand at Le Mans this year, and he does know him, although he also seemed mildly disgruntled that Monsieur Solnon had used a lot of his own info too!

So possibly genuine, perhaps, but a bit of a magpie.

As an aside I had a call from a researcher this week doing a programme on BBC2 for Peter Snow. Seems to have picked up on a throwaway remark on Pistonheads about how I financed my car (Just goes to show how easily this stuff is picked up!) and wanted to include it in the programme; cue lots of obvious flashbacks to Bond cut to shots of mine slinking out of the garage etc. Sounded a bit different, but decided against it after it became obvious the main thrust would not be the car but us and money ie. "trailer trash use house equity to creep above their station" etc etc. Also would have cost serious

[Paul C]

Have had several Emails over the years claiming to be from

students doing a project or something on the Esprit, asking for

info/photo's etc. I never reply as LEW is easy for them to find

or they can always just join the forum.

Had this guy been unfortunate enough to mail me he'd have

hit a dead end. Refreshing that some of these mails might be

linked to something actually genuine though.

Maybe Patrick knows more?

[gmendoza]

I've exchaged emails with him for the best part of a year now. My Sport 350 will be in his book. I had to sign a form for his publishers to give permission to use my photos.

If he's a scammer than he's a bloody good one !!

I'd say it's all above board.

Same here. Although I agreed to send him photos in exchange for a signed copy of the book. Recently I received an email stating that since he had to get a new publisher, his small buget doesn't allow him to give away copies.

[esprit350]

I had an e mail from him last year, did not reply, no contact since

[snuffy]

Same here. Although I agreed to send him photos in exchange for a signed copy of the book. Recently I received an email stating that since he had to get a new publisher, his small buget doesn't allow him to give away copies.

He told me that as well.

[SwissV8]

He told me that as well.

Yep, me too. I've had mail exchanges with him on and off for almost a year.

His story is pretty consistent across all comments above, and I know he's also been in contact with LEW.

I'm pretty sure all is ok, and he really is trying hard to get a French Esprit book published.

I sent him some photos in Jan this year, and have had numerous exchanges since. I'm sure that if something was a bit dodgey, he wouldn't keep sending me updates on progress.

Good luck to him, that's what I say!

[Mark Blanchard]

Me to. He's been emailing me for about a year now. I sent him hi res pics of my car, which he wanted to publish and got me to sign a disclaimer for the images and send it back to France. So I did. I also helped him out with information on the Esprit.

I asked him for a free copy of the book and he said no, due to the smaller publishing budget. I think he should at least buying me a copy himself.

[mike_sekinger]

This guy made contact with me last year regarding images and informaiton about the V8 GT1 race car. When I requested more information about the publication he was extremely sketchy.

My feeling was that he is trying to put together something on a very small budget; I decided not to provide any images after he failed to provide any solid info.

[Jonathan]

New to this thread but I got e-mails about it when I 1st bought my car, again I never bothered responding due to the intrusive nature of the request (name, address etc)

[snuffy]

Has anyone else been asked to sign another form regarding their car in that France gadgies book ?

[SwissV8]

Not yet - will post if I hear anything

[snuffy]

He's told me it's because it's a different publisher. Mind you, now I've sold my car I can't sign to say anything really, apart from that he can use the pictures that I took. And it will all be in French, so I wont be able to read it.

[gmendoza]

Has anyone else been asked to sign another form regarding their car in that France gadgies book ?

Not yet either.

[Mark Blanchard]

Got an email from that weird R

[snuffy]

....but no complimentary copy for the help .

I got an email as well. You have a valid point, after all, without our pics there would not be much of a book.

[Number 1]

Same deal here

Sent: 14 March 2006 19:58

To: Gordon Masson

Subject: Pics of your Esprit S1

Hi Gordon,

I am a french member of the Club Lotus France and I begin to write a book (in french, perhaps in english) about the whole story of the Lotus Esprit.

I am now looking for original pictures (different from the always same pictures we can see on internet and in the books about Lotus) about the different Esprit. I saw your Esprit S1 on LEW's site and I am very interested by pics of your Esprit S1 and old pics in black and white from 1976 of your Esprit. Coulsd you send me pictures of the Esprit (interior, exterior, engine) and would you authorize me to use them to illustrate chapters of my future book. Could you tell me more about the story of your Esprit S1??

Thanking you in advance for your answer.

Yours faithfully

R.Solnon

We said he could use the photos and asked for a signed copy of the book but heard nothing after that????