Got one!

[brianc]

So after some time looking, I've finally got my Esprit.

 

Happy Days!

 

1988 Calypso Red X180 N/A with half leather interior.

 

78,000 miles with a full service history and every MOT.  New clutch, master and slave cylinders too so no worries there for a bit I hope.

 

Loved the drive back after picking her up this afternoon although the gearbox is taking some getting used to - especially finding 2nd but I guess it will take time.

 

Also, I'd forgotten just how heavy the steering is on these at low speeds when manoeuvring!

 

Few jobs to do - mainly electrical - so the first step is to buy the service book.

 

I think I will be posting loads of questions now so be patient please

 

[slewthy]

Excellent!

 

Pics when you can will be warmly received!

[Bibs]

Congrats

[rocket63]

Nice one

[mdw]

Welcome, you have joined an elite little  group of us stevens n/a owners.    They may not be as fast as the " bigger boys" but you dont have to worry about problems with , turbos, injectors, central locking, fog lights, abs, power steering, ac ( probably) etc.   

 

As your a full forum member dont forget to down load the parts manual ( for free).

 

If you fancy living life on the edge take out the spare and chuck in a can of foam it will lighten the front up a bit.

[brianc]

Thanks guys.

 

I must admit that I was attracted to a normally aspirated car mainly for the fact that as they are getting on a bit, I didn't fancy having to deal with the extra complexity and possible problems of a turbo car.  Interesting thing is that I'm now searching through my garage for my strobe light, dwell meter and Gunsons carb balancer which have not seen the light of day for many years.  back to the basics!

 

Malcolm, the tip on losing the spare sounds interesting.  I'll wait until I'm more used to the feel of the car and maybe give it a go.  My other car (BMW M Roadster) also relies on foam instead of a spare so it's not a big deal if it helps with the handling a bit.

 

For now I keep having to look out the window of the house every time I go past just to see her on the driveway… beautiful!

[markw996]

Congratulations on getting an Esprit in the best colour

 

Looking forward to pictures!

[mdw]

Dropping the spare will also take a bit of pressure of the body shell.  They tend to get fine cracks  just above the top of the wheel arch where it meets the bonnet.  There should be metal stays supporting the rad under tray as the whole front of the car from the front of the wheel is just fibreglass with no chassis support.

[Mark Blanchard]

Great news!  Glad you got it, it sounded like a good car at a good price .

[cbclotus]

Nice one. rare car good on you .Mike

[brianc]

Thanks guys.

 

Hopefully this link will work to a picture (taken by the previous owner - haven't had time to take any myself yet).

 

[ChrisJ]

Looks good.

 

Chris

[Tocus]

Great! is this your first lotus, or just your first esprit,

but beware this one drives different then your Bmw roadster .. 

[brianc]

It's my first Lotus of any kind.

I've always loved the marque and the Esprit in particular ever since a friend of mine had a couple of series 3 cars in succession back in the early 80s.

If you're wondering why the previous owner of 13 year sold her, if you look to the right of the picture I posted you'll see a green GT3 poking it's nose into frame

[Vanya]

Welcome to Esprit ownership! And goodbye to fiscal sensibility!

May the bug bite you as it has the rest of us! Cracking car - the NA Stevens are really special!

[iainskea]

Very nice car mate, welcome!

[jonwat]

Thanks guys.

 

Hopefully this link will work to a picture (taken by the previous owner - haven't had time to take any myself yet).

 

 

Well done that man she looks a beauty    

 

Don't bother with the Gunson carb balancer, get yourself a manometer to balance them, well worth the money, oh & you'll find a Colortune a great help when you want to set the mixture.

 

Also, changing out the red plastic clutch hose for a SS braided hose will help with your gear changing no end.

 

Enjoy 

[molemot]

Don't believe the "red hose" red herring....gear selection problems are usually down to linkage adjustment. Less hassle and cheaper than fiddling about with changing hydraulic hoses, too...

[lotus-62]

So after some time looking, I've finally got my Esprit.

 

 

we al made that mistake LOL

 

good luck 

[Tocus]

Great! so your first esprit, i wish you good luck with it,

i hope the tanks are still okay, thats a big job, and the valve timing is OK.

 

then you have a good on this one..

and keep us posted!!

[brianc]

I'll keep you updated on how things go.

The previous owner has already put a braided clutch hose on but the linkage tip sounds useful as she is a little tricky to get into 2nd when downshifting.

Also, thanks for the manometer tip, I'll investigate getting one soon.

Colourtune... I'd forgotten about that useful bit of kit. I used to have one but can't remember if I ever kept it through the last house move or if I got rid of it thinking I'd never need it.

Time for a bit of a hunt through the garage...

There is no smell of fuel in the car so hopefully the tanks are ok. Not sure how else to check other than removing them. But I do have one of those borescope cameras. Can these get around the tanks so that I can check them or are they too 'buried'?

[mdw]

Even if you do need tanks they are a doddle on the Stevens n/a compared to almost all the other esprits.  However if you do need them get some made with a bigger diameter balance  pipe than factory spec.

[brianc]

Even if you do need tanks they are a doddle on the Stevens n/a compared to almost all the other esprits.  However if you do need them get some made with a bigger diameter balance  pipe than factory spec.

So does this mean that the original ones are no longer available and replacements need to be fabricated?

[mdw]

You can get them from sj s in ally. If it's like my 88 the balance pipe is just fuel line so when you fill it takes ages to flow to the other tank even with the other filler open. Doing it again I would have them made with larger bore outlets and a rigid pipe between. There are other lotus specialists who make tanks as well.

It's not a massive problem I just pop both caps and fill both sides one after the other.

[rizla603104]

Looks like you've bought from someone who loves the marque! A wise choice. I had an S3 N/A and loved the car - plenty quick enough at the time.