Has anyone ever replaced the early Pod_Dash interior with a modern one?

[arbell9]

Following on from reading the EVO article in which the reviewer suffered some kind of fit when seeing the interior of the S4 it got me wondering whether anyone has replaced their pod-dash with a modern one? If so any pictures of it?

Or is this a heinous crime to think or do such a thing?

By the way mine has the modern little dome dash and so I have not enjoyed the pleasures (is that right???) of the pod

Alex

[iainskea]

I dyed mine black - from the beige / mousy brown faded colour.

The black hid some of the wear marks and little tears. (S2 mind you...).

Iain

It was a half-way upgrade, which will do for now.

before and after shots of the doors (see if you can tell the difference )

It took 12 bottles (200ml) to do the whole car twice.

Edited January 13, 2007 by iainskea

[superdavelotus]

Alex,

You would need to change the whole dash and not just the pod as there is a larger hole for a larger pod on the earlier ones. DOn't know if the new pod would hide it. Also the angle of the dash is slightly different so I think you need to replace the whole lot. I doo know of someone who did this but they were rebuilding a crashed one so a bit different circumstances.

You have to change the metal frame behind the dash anyway as it bolts in a completely different way.

Also you can only change from a post 93 car as the earlier cars had a wider tunnel where the gearstick is. The new bits won't fit over the central tunnel.

[Jonathan]

Having the last GT3 ever doesn't it have the 98 dash ?

I must admit I prefer the 'look' of the later dash (it's more modern) but there are a fair few missing dials and less functionality about it.

Everyone carps on about the Esprits interior being horrible - I've sat in a lot of 'the competition' from the time....Esprit wins hands down. People moan about the tunnel but imo it's a perfect arm/elbow rest for driving 2 handed (as you should) - you just have to live with it for a while to appreciate it's qualities...a bit like the whole car.

That said, nothing is impossible - if you had the time and skills you could make your own custom jobby that looked similar, loads of people do it on other cars, not so much the Esprit.

Thought of doing it for the track car but it's supposed to be a replica and to me I wanna feel like I'm in an esprit rather than a kit car. However the thought did cross my mind and it wouldn't be too hard to mess about with at all.

[Artie]

Following on from reading the EVO article in which the reviewer suffered some kind of fit when seeing the interior of the S4 it got me wondering whether anyone has replaced their pod-dash with a modern one? If so any pictures of it?

Or is this a heinous crime to think or do such a thing?

By the way mine has the modern little dome dash and so I have not enjoyed the pleasures (is that right???) of the pod

Alex

Sell your car and buy a newer one! I bought my Stevens Esprit knowing it had some outdated things....But to me it's the patina that I like about the car! Some of the oddly engineered items, I'll retrofit some newer things but just to replace old worn out or broken items, not to take away from the allure I love about "her"!

Artie

[arbell9]

Mine has the modern 98 dash, I was just wondering if anyone had updated the pod dash at all, was it feasible etc, . I think the old one is iconic, its hard to say it looks great but it is definitely iconic and so it deserves respect.

Alex

[Kjakk]

Saw this car at Atlanta this fall. I think he said it is a 2003 interior. Pretty wild looking.

[arbell9]

Saw this car at Atlanta this fall. I think he said it is a 2003 interior. Pretty wild looking.

Thats the type of thing I was getting at. Nice mix of old and new.

Alex

[shadeone]

i love that car!!!!!

waht kind of rims are those by the way??

shade

[Jonathan]

They look suprisingly like the S300 rims.

[superdavelotus]

They are aftermarket rims. S300 wouldn't fit on as the old shape Esprits had inboard brakes which meant a completely different off set. Also the S300 rims are 16" fronts and 17" rears. Not that big really and the tyres weren't that low profile, just extremely wide!!!

[Paul93Lotus]

I was toying with idea that the dash layout could be modified within the existing binnacle. Repositioning of the gauges with various depths using the existing gauges with something custom molded in fiberglass. The existing wood mask could be ditched..the speedometer and tach brought closer to the driver, etc. That way there would be no real rewiring involved (maybe extending some wires if necessary), and it could all be switched back to stock. Essentially making a new instrument panel. Possibly with either carbon fiber exterior or painted semi-gloss black. Or better yet a black gel-coat.

I don't think the binnacle itself is bad, its what lies underneath it that looks kit carish. The flat wood just looks very plain and boring. Not to mention they all are cracked at some point, and the replacement cost is prohibitive.

Edited January 14, 2007 by Paul93Lotus

[karluk29]

wait till the lotus comes out from the guy that did my car, that has a totally reshaped interior and tvr touches, reminds me i will ask if its nearly done

[Lowtus]

Following on from reading the EVO article in which the reviewer suffered some kind of fit when seeing the interior of the S4.........

It was extraordinary the way he dismissed the whole car because he didn't like the interior and in particular the dash. Yet the same magazine has for some years been dribbling in excitement over the BMW mini which has an interior and dash many would swerve away from. I guess TVR made a bit of an effort with look of their interiors (if you like "shiny knobs") even though the underlying quality was poor, yet they still went out of business. Yes the Esprit interior became dated but then it's an old car. If EVO prefer the Clio V6 then whoopy for them! I don't recall the V6 Clio achieving more than a handful of sales. IMO it's the styling, driveline and chassis which define a Lotus. Not the jewellery.

[Glyn Harper]

I intend changing the dash on my car for the later style one at some stage, and I'm quite looking forward to it.

As for wiring, that should be an absolute doddle. I'm a bit of a dab hand with wiring anyway, so that'll be the easy part. With the wiring diagrams in the service manual, a good soldering iron, some heatshrink and a multi meter, there is no part of the Lotus esprit that can't be easily changed or re wired.

The hardest part I suspect will be getting all the parts to physically fit in the car. As most of it is made of fibre glass, actually fitting won't be a problem. Some cutting and shutting will do. the fact that the dash is covered in leather I suspect will be the only showstopper. Obviousley trimming is a specialised job, and that's not something I fancy doing myself. It may be possible if it's only minor changes, where a tin of impact adhesive can be used to 'move' some bits of trim slightly.

The only issue then.. is the lack of gauges! I actually use all the gauges on my car. I'd hate to lose the boost dial, or the oil pressure gauge. One solution would be to usa SPA or similar gauges that have two readouts. For example, I've recently fitted a battery meter/fuel pressure gauge in place of the standard lotus battery meter.

another option would be to fit some of those pods things on the A pillar.. but these would probably look shite.

[shadeone]

BINGO!!!

those bonze colored wheels on that G car are Kinesis K57s:

shade